Corporations give away more than $36.5 billion in grants to charities each year, according to “Giving USA.” But the benefits of corporate partnerships don’t start and end with money. Many companies actively seek nonprofits to work with because charitable alliances have a multitude of shared advantages, experts say.

Whether it’s multiyear grants or complex cross-branding initiatives, corporate giving can be a win-win for nonprofits and companies. Locking in a corporate partnership can reduce your organization’s need for fundraising or volunteer support and burnish the company’s reputation as well.

Businesses “want their employees to be seen out there to show that their company cares about the communities where they live, work, and play,” says Joy Stephens, founder and CEO of the Corporate Giving Network, a professional-development company that trains nonprofit leaders on securing corporate grants and partnerships.

The Chronicle spoke with three experts who shared their advice to help you tap into corporate giving, whether you’re focusing on this form of support for the first time or looking to get more out of your existing partnerships. Here are their top tips.

Shop Local

As the saying goes, charity starts at home, and that’s particularly true for corporate giving. Smaller charities can benefit from getting to know businesses in their geographic area, including small and midsize companies and headquarters of well-known brands.

For charities that aren’t already pursuing corporate partnerships beyond one-time gifts, finding these collaborations will likely require being seen out and about. Stephens recommends nonprofit leaders take time to immerse themselves in their local business community by attending chamber of commerce meetings and other networking events.

“Usually it’s easier to get money locally,” says Stephens. “You know what’s around you. Chances are, you have connections to that company.”

If your nonprofit can’t afford in-house corporate-giving strategists, consider hiring consultants who can bring their own business connections to the table and provide a steady presence that companies appreciate.

“You can’t do corporate giving sitting in front of your desk. You got to get out there and make face-to-face meetings,” Stephens says.

Father Joe’s Villages, a nonprofit that seeks to prevent homelessness in San Diego, has strengthened ties in its business community by getting to know local Rotary Clubs, which has led to connections with other companies.

Myrna Davalos, senior director of philanthropy initiatives and partnerships at Father Joe’s, hosts what she calls “discovery meetings” with prospective partners. During these meetings, the company receives a tour of the nonprofit’s headquarters to get better insight into its charitable work. The businesses are often upfront about the level of involvement they’re interested in, Davalos says. “The key there is to find out what is important for that organization and what is feasible for the nonprofit.”

Involve Your Board

Your board of directors is the perfect place to begin looking for networking opportunities with business leaders, experts say.

“We have a really engaged board who go out of their way on a regular basis to help us succeed,” says Sarah Thompson, acting head of corporate partnerships at Save the Children. With 28 members, the organization’s board has plenty to offer — not just using their contacts to make introductions, but also sharing their advice on how to tailor the charity’s approach. For example, they can help identify areas of alignment between the cause and a company’s corporate social-responsibility goals, which will lead to a stronger pitch.

Thompson says corporate connections are not the main driving factor in Save the Children’s board-recruitment strategy. However, the rich diversity of expertise among its trustees makes them a wellspring of assistance in meeting the charity’s corporate-giving targets.

“It’s about their overall input and wisdom,” Thompson says.

Find Common Ground

Corporate foundations typically publish outlines of exactly which types of charitable giving they’re interested in, making it easier for nonprofits to gauge whether a partnership will be mutually beneficial and what kinds of proposals the company will find most appealing.

“We have to be really clear about the value propositions,” says Thompson. “We’re always looking for where we have the best alignment. It’s about a matter of philosophy in your outlook. It’s not really about fundraising. It’s about building strategic partnerships.”

Thompson suggests thinking about how alliances can help scale your nonprofit’s impact by tapping into mutual areas of interest. For Save the Children, partnering with the pharmaceutical company GSK made sense when it came to the organizations’ shared commitment to tackling preventable diseases through childhood vaccinations. Its work with Procter & Gamble focuses on a safe-drinking-water campaign as a nod to the consumer giant’s interest in promoting health equity.

On the other side of the coin, don’t be afraid to walk away from a bad fit, counsels Thompson. A robust vetting process will rule out companies that are in conflict with your mission. Save the Children contracts with third-party researchers to uncover any shady business practices — for example, child labor or marketing dangerous products to children.

“We have a lot to offer in this,” she says. “We are not the lesser partner, and we don’t have to cater to corporate needs. What we do is just as important, if not more valuable. In our best corporate partnerships, we feel like equal partners.”

Look at the Leaders

Stephens recommends brushing up on the leadership of every company you approach.

“Take a look at their CEO and the rest of their C-suite. Are they out in the community?” Stephens suggests. You can search company executives by name on Kindsight to learn where they donate and determine if they are likely to support your cause. Take the stance of “what interests my boss is what fascinates me,” she advises.

Doing this kind of homework will also help you avoid missteps like approaching corporate leaders your donors wouldn’t want you to associate with.

Just remember that companies will research your organization, too. Regularly audit your top search hits and online presence to make sure you’re putting your best foot forward. Ideally, your social media and website should prominently applaud your corporate partners, list your staff and board members, and address any controversies head-on.

“If you’re a company and you’re aligning yourself to another brand, you want to make sure there are no skeletons in the closet,” says Stephens.

Understand Everything on Offer

Corporate support comes in many forms: grants from corporate foundations, grants directly from companies that don’t have foundations, cause marketing, employee match and volunteer programs, in-kind giving, and branded sponsorships for galas or sporting events.

Not all are created equal, says Stephens. Always start by asking for grants.

“You go for the cash, and if you can’t get the cash or you don’t meet their criteria, then ask for goods-in-kind,” she says.

Expertise can also be valuable, and easily quantifiable by the company. For example, a technology company might be able to help your group improve its website by providing access to its web designers and IT staff. The company knows the value of its workers’ time and will count that toward its giving targets.

If your group needs sweat equity, employee-volunteering opportunities are increasingly used as bonding exercises and to attract Generation Z and millennial workers, says Stephens.

“Companies will brag about their employees’ involvement. It helps them recruit people by saying, ‘We are a compassionate brand.’ And it’s cheap team building,” she says.

Flexibility and persistence pay off when it comes to forging a new partnership with a company, Stephens says. The Corporate Giving Network offers an eight-week Fundamentals of Corporate Giving course that gives fundraisers a 10-point checklist on how to pick the right partner and then get what you need from that organization. If you know the company is a good fit for your organization, “don’t leave that relationship without getting something,” she says.

Thompson also encourages nonprofits to think outside the traditional confines of what a corporate partnership looks like and explore other ways to collaborate.

She recalls Save the Children’s work with Amazon in 2022 to publish and distribute educational books for children in war-torn Ukraine. The partnership leveraged Amazon’s publishing capabilities and fulfilled the nonprofit’s mission to ensure children maintain access to educational materials during a crisis.

Thompson notes that outside-the-box collaborations might not be as obvious as more typical sponsorships or branding opportunities. “Partnerships provide room for creativity and innovation,” she says.

Ramp Up Over Time

Father Joe’s celebrates its 75th anniversary this year, but its focus on corporate partnerships is part of a new, expanded strategic effort.

“Over the last five years, our corporate engagement has really grown,” says Davalos. “The pandemic highlighted the urgent need in our community and prompted a lot of companies to step forward and take action.”

Board members at Father Joe’s include several executives of companies and national brands with local headquarters. The group’s corporate partners feature a similar mix of nearby businesses, such as the pharmaceutical company Neurocrine Biosciences, and national technology corporations like Qualcomm.

Corporate giving at Father Joe’s began with volunteerism and in-kind donations and has evolved to include multiyear financial commitments and co-branding partnerships. Davalos chalked up the organization’s success to a holistic approach that is not dissimilar from frontline fundraising: Connections are built up slowly over time to ensure ample internal buy-in from companies.

Work in Years, but Think in Decades

Don’t feel you have to cast as wide a net as possible and seek one-off partnerships with many companies, says Stephens. A better strategy is to keep the corporate funders you have for the long run.

Nurturing a multiyear relationship is the ideal, she says: “If you have longer-term relationships — three- or four- or five-year partnerships — you’re golden. You don’t have to fundraise every year.”

She notes that businesses enjoy the good press that comes from being linked to a cause, and on your end, knowing you can count on a company’s financial support in years when individual giving is down can keep your programs running smoothly.

Save the Children boasts several long-running partnerships, including 41 years with the retailer T.J. Maxx, 30 years with Procter & Gamble, and 10 years with GSK. There are myriad benefits to such long-term relationships, says Thompson.

“Your cultures become more embedded,” she says. “There is this force-multiplier. It’s something that the whole company — on both sides — can rally around. We can grow it year over year.”

The longer your partnership lasts, the more the benefits compound. A charity can ask an established partner to fill in critical funding gaps during a tough fundraising period or donate to an emergency campaign. Thompson says corporate giving accounted for 9 percent of its revenue in its last fiscal year.

“Not every year is easy, not every year is going to be an up year. You can take the longer-term vision,” says Thompson. “That’s when you can really solve societal issues.”