Is your nonprofit to be "corporate-ready"? Unlock the potential of corporate partnerships for your nonprofit with insights from Heather Nelson, founder of BridgeRaise. With over 15 years of experience in corporate fundraising, Heather shares actionable tips on how small nonprofits can create meaningful corporate relationships.
From overcoming fears of approaching large companies to identifying mutual value, this episode is packed with strategies to build lasting partnerships.
Corporate Partnerships for Small Nonprofits – The Highlights:
- Common mistakes nonprofits make in corporate partnership building.
- Why passive approaches don't work and how to overcome fear.
- Steps to define what a successful corporate partnership looks like.
- Understanding corporate motivations: employee engagement, marketing, and purpose-driven initiatives.
- How to price employee engagement opportunities effectively.
- The importance of persistence and follow-up in corporate fundraising.
- Real-world examples of successful corporate partnerships.
- Strategies to maintain relationships when a corporate contact leaves.
- How to prepare your nonprofit to be "corporate-ready."
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About Heather Nelson:
Heather founded BridgeRaise, a boutique corporate fundraising consultancy with a team of specialists ready to support charities and nonprofits in raising more money from companies. They have worked with hundreds of nonprofits in building values-aligned corporate partnerships. At BridgeRaise, they specialize in corporate partnership strategy, corporate prospect research, pipeline growth and proposal development, creating organizational readiness for sponsorship and corporate partnership, and building cause marketing, sponsorship and employee engagement programs.
Actionable Tips for Nonprofit Leaders:
- Start with a clear vision: Define what a successful corporate partnership looks like for your organization. Write it down and build your strategy around this vision.
- Offer value beyond funding: Know what you can offer to corporates—employee engagement, volunteerism, or brand alignment—and be clear about what you’re willing to provide.
- Prioritize persistence: Follow up with corporates consistently, and don’t give up after one email. Corporate partnerships take time, but persistence often pays off.
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