In the most recent Giving USA report, corporations only gave a 4%, compared to 67% from individuals, 19% from foundations, and 9% from bequests in 2023. And Giving USA includes corporate foundations in corporate giving too.
But if you look at the underlying numbers, 4% of $557.16 billion is nothing to sniff at. That’s $36.55B!
That’s not all. There are a lot of benefits for nonprofit organizations who want to develop or deepen their corporate philanthropy programs.
More than Sponsorships
For many, corporate philanthropy means sponsorships, typically for events with the company’s logo splashed on signage and swag. But that’s only one small way that corporations give.
More and more, companies are looking for deeper relationships and are moving away from transactional ones. They are looking for partners that can benefit both the company and the nonprofit. It’s about mutually beneficial relationships.
For instance, Disney and Make-A-Wish Foundation have worked together since 1980. It’s a great partnership. Disney tries to make dreams come true for children and Make-A-Wish literally tries to make wishes come true for children with critical illnesses. Make-A-Wish reported “that Disney and Make-A-Wish have granted wishes for more than 155,000 children with critical illnesses worldwide. In fact, historically, one out of every two wishes granted in the U.S. has been a Disney wish.”
Many Ways of Giving
Companies can also give in so many different ways. Just to name a few:
- Direct giving – Company gives directly to nonprofits.
- Foundation giving – A separate corporate foundation funded by the company provides grants to nonprofits.
- Matching gifts – Company matches giving from employees.
- Volunteer grants – Employees volunteer a set number of hours at a nonprofit and the company gives the nonprofit a grant/gift.
- Volunteerism – Company encourages employees to volunteer, such as dedicating a work day to volunteerism or providing paid hours to privately volunteer.
- Challenge Matches – Company challenges a nonprofit to raise a certain amount of money that will be matched by the company. It provides a sense of urgency to get people to donate.
Cause-Marketing
You’ve probably experienced cause-marketing when going to the grocery store, like when you are asked at the check-out if you want to round up or donate an extra dollar to a cause. It may seem like such a small thing, but the numbers add up! Engage for Good’s biannual analysis found that $749M was raised in 2022 from charity checkouts alone (that’s an underestimate, actually. Engage for Good focuses on campaigns that raise $1M or more, so there are a lot of smaller campaigns that still raised a good amount of money for those causes.)
Joe Waters of the Selfish Giving Blog, describes cause marketing as “a mutually beneficial business and nonprofit partnership that sees a company put the power of its brand and marketing behind the cause to generate profits for both.”
In his blog, he recently highlighted the Bob’s Discount Furniture’s partnership with Children’s Miracle Network. In February, the company offered a Little Bob plushie for sale for $11.99. With each sale, $5 is donated to the Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals. It’s a great match – purchase plushies for children (and adult children) to support children’s health and wellbeing. Plus, both Children’s Miracle and Bob’s Discount Furniture raise funds.
Another example of a great cause-marketing partnership is Disney’s Wish Together campaign with the release of the movie Wish in 2023. People are invited to enter the Wish Together Sweepstakes to win a variety of prizes including stays at theme parks and/or cruises. With every entry in the campaign, Disney donates $5 to Make-A-Wish, up to a million dollars. The Wish Together campaign is in addition to the partnership since 1980. It’s a great way of making people a part of the work of Disney and Make-A-Wish Foundation as well as raising funds for Make-A-Wish.
Major Gift Donors
It seems obvious to say that companies are run by people. But it is important to remember that the individuals that work at companies, including members of the C-suite, can be cultivated as major gift prospects in addition to the company as a whole.
Members of the C-Suite and other up and coming managers have leadership experience and in addition to making monetary gifts could also serve on the board, providing their expertise to the benefit of the nonprofit.
These are just a few ways that nonprofits may want to think about corporate giving. For a more in-depth review of the potential of corporate giving, check out the 2021 Aspire Research Group publication: In Good Company: A Guide to Corporate Giving.
Additional Resources
- In Good Company: A Guide to Corporate Fundraising l Aspire Research Group | 2021 | $35 PDF download
- Giving USA: Charitable Giving Grows But Can’t Keep Pace With Inflation l Nonprofit Pro | 2024
- Disney and Make-a-Wish Creating Magical Wishes Together Since 1980 l Make-A-Wish Foundation
- Selfish Giving Blog – Subscribe for free (no affiliation, just a big fan)
- Little Bob, Big Impact | Bob’s Blog | Bob’s Discount Furniture | 2025
- Wish Together l Walt Disney Company | 2023
About the Author
Author Elisa Shoenberger has written about philanthropy for Inside Philanthropy, Association of Fundraising Professionals, the Daily Dot, Brainfacts.org and others. She has spoken at several fundraising conferences for both international and local chapters of APRA and others. She has published with the Boston Globe, Wired, Slate, Huffington Post, Business Insider, and many others. She has written In Good Company: A Guide to Corporate Fundraising (2021); Disruptive Philanthropy: A Guide to Donor Advised Funds (2022); Volatile Opportunity: A Guide to Cryptocurrency and Fundraising (2023).