Making your nonprofit stand out to corporate-giving programs can be difficult. Large companies receive many appeals from nonprofits looking for big checks and hoping to attract long-term support.
But there’s an avenue to corporate philanthropy that few nonprofits take: working with corporate affinity groups. Employees join these voluntary workplace networks to build relationships with colleagues, sharpen skills, and explore interests, says Jacqueline Green, director of corporate responsibility at consulting firm PwC.
Often those interests include serving the community through charitable efforts, which makes affinity groups a natural bridge between businesses and nonprofits.
Companies often encourage such groups to form because they allow employees to tap into “skills and passions in a caring way that connects with the community and reflects well on our brand,” says Lisa Ong, director of national talent management at PwC.
At PwC, “employee resource groups” represent workers of different backgrounds. The company has groups for women, military veterans, parents, and LGBT employees.
At the Washington, D.C., education and health-care consulting firm Advisory Board, employees form “cause communities” to pursue their shared interests in a social issues, such as animal welfare, homelessness, or women’s empowerment. These groups help employees make friends, feel at home at the company, and build connections to the city, says Rachel Tappis, director of community impact at the firm.
A nonprofit can improve its chances of creating a lasting partnership with a company by working with these groups, says Jack McCurley, vice president for advancement at the Trevor Project, a nonprofit that works to prevent suicide among LGBT youths.
“When we go to a big corporation like Wells Fargo or PwC, and we don’t know anyone there, and we make a blind ask for support … it’s not as meaningful, and it’s not as successful,” he says. Getting to know affinity groups first helps pave he way.
Volunteering First
Many corporate affinity groups lack big budgets, so nonprofits that primarily want financial contributions may not find much success.
“If the request is for just cash, we’re more likely to pass,” says Dennis Trunfio, chair of the LGBT Partner Advisory Board at PwC, a committee of the firm’s partners that advises the company on LGBT issues. “It doesn’t provide that opportunity to engage our people and have them participate in the experience of giving back to the community if the only thing that’s there to make us feel good is handing over a check.”
Many companies offer their employees paid volunteer hours, and corporate affinity groups often organize volunteer efforts. At PwC, for example, employees teach financial literacy to students. At the Advisory Board, some employees created a job-training program for a new health center run by Community of Hope in Washington, D.C. More than 50 people have graduated from the program.
Affinity groups at the Advisory Board also invite nonprofit leaders to speak about their work during brown-bag lunch sessions to raise awareness of community needs.
This kind of education, Ms. Tappis says, “adds a level of meaning to your service.”
Money May Follow
Eventually, strong employee interest in a nonprofit can drive corporate giving.
Once nonprofits have a relationship with an employee group, “that’s when the folks in charge of diversity or corporate social responsibility get a glimpse of what’s happening. That’s when they’ll see it’s meaningful to their company and they’ll chip in. That happens all the time,” Mr. McCurley says.
Mr. Trunfio agrees. “Charitable causes that attract the interest and commitment of our people, those are places PwC is most interested in supporting financially,” he says. For example, more than two dozen PwC employees participated in the 2016 AIDS/LifeCycle bike ride between San Francisco and Los Angeles to support the San Francisco AIDS Foundation and Los Angeles LGBT Center. The group raised $64,000. In 2017, Mr. Trunfio expects the number of company participants to double — and PwC will provide money to help employees participate because “the people are behind it” and because it will boost the company’s reputation.
Corporate affinity groups sometimes host fundraising events on their own. The Advisory Board women’s empowerment group hosts a trivia night at a restaurant to raise money for the YWCA. The company’s animal-welfare and veterans affinity groups are collaborating to host an event to raise money for a veteran’s service dog, which will be provided by the charity Semper K9. And its education group hosted a happy-hour series featuring speakers from local charities, which raised money through small entry fees.
“We’ve actually seen, across the past year and a half, an explosion of groups leading their own fundraising efforts,” Ms. Tappis says.
To build a relationship with a corporate affinity group, follow these steps:
1. Research company priorities
A partnership between a nonprofit and an affinity group works best if both sides benefit. Research the priorities of companies and affinity groups on company websites — you can often find them in the diversity section — before you reach out. When you’re ready, contact human resources, diversity, or marketing officers at the company you’ve decided on, who may put you in touch with the relevant affinity group leaders or corporate social-responsibility employees, Ms. Ong says.
Mr. McCurley notes that in recent years, “companies are trying to send a message of inclusiveness down the line.” That means affinity groups are proliferating, providing nonprofits with more entry points to corporate-giving programs.
So, for example, if your nonprofit serves Hispanics and a corporation announces that it is trying to retain Spanish-speaking employees, it could be a good time to try to build a relationship.
Some corporations value opportunities for their employees to strengthen their skills. If your charity needs help with its budget, for example, it might make sense to contact an employee group at an accounting firm.
2. Keep the calendar in mind
The corporate social-responsibility team at PwC schedules events that correspond with monthly observances, such as Asian-Pacific American Heritage Month in May. If your organization does work that fits with national observances, pitch your volunteer project or fundraiser around that event.
But don’t cut it too close. Make your request well ahead of time, Ms. Ong says. “If you’re looking for volunteers in the summer, you should be asking in the fall.”
And remember that some industries have busy seasons. “At public accounting firms, we’re heads down working through April 15,” she says.
3. Hone your pitch
Don’t expect a feel-good message alone to sway a corporate affinity group. When evaluating nonprofit requests, Ms. Ong looks for nonprofits whose work has data to show it’s successful.
Go in prepared to talk about your mission and “how people can engage in a meaningful way” with your nonprofit’s work, especially if it’s less tangible than building houses or gathering food for people in need, Mr. McCurley advises. “We come prepared with examples of how other groups have worked with us,” he says.
4. Ensure you have staff members to manage the relationship.
Someone on your staff needs to take responsibility for communicating with the affinity group and supervising its volunteer activities.
“If there’s not enough manpower on [the nonprofit’s] end to provide the information and responses needed,” Ms. Tappis says, the relationship may fail.
The Trevor Project’s senior corporate development officer handles all requests from affinity groups and pitches collaborations with others.
5. Think beyond financial donations
Although donations may eventually flow from a corporate affinity group or its parent companies, don’t start out by seeking a big check, experts say. Employees want opportunities to put their skills to use and actively participate in community projects.
To build a strong relationship, offer to help affinity group members put their company-provided volunteer hours to use, or figure out how to collaborate on a project that will take advantage of their skills and fill a need at your organization.
