Raising More Money from Your Business Community [1.0 CFRE Credits]

Is corporate philanthropy dead or dying? If so, how can we resurrect it? Today’s economy is challenging for corporations, individuals and especially for nonprofits. If your organization is wondering how to best approach businesses in a challenging economy, this session will be one you don’t want to miss. Although corporations and businesses contributed less than 5% of all philanthropic dollars last year in the United States, much more is given through gifts in kind, corporate sponsorships, and through the personal donations of individual corporate leaders. And, in a typical capital campaign, businesses often provide a much more significant percentage of the overall goal. However many nonprofits fail to touch their local business community for a variety of reasons. Based on research for a new book, this session will discuss the challenges facing corporations today and how nonprofits can develop win-win situations to encourage corporate philanthropy. We will discuss how to approach corporate leaders, how to motivate them to become involved in your organization, and how to develop a corporate appeal.  

Overview of the Proposed Presentation
Is corporate philanthropy dead or dying? If so, how can we resurrect it? Today’s economy is challenging for corporations, individuals and especially for nonprofits. If your organization is wondering how to best approach businesses in a challenging economy, this session will be one you don’t want to miss. Although corporations and businesses contributed less than 5% of all philanthropic dollars last year in the United States, much more is given through gifts in kind, corporate sponsorships, and through the personal donations of individual corporate leaders. And, in a typical capital campaign, businesses often provide a much more significant percentage of the overall goal. However many nonprofits fail to touch their local business community for a variety of reasons.

Based on research for a new book, this session will discuss the challenges facing corporations today and how nonprofits can develop win-win situations to encourage corporate philanthropy. We will discuss how to approach corporate leaders, how to motivate them to become involved in your organization, and how to develop a corporate appeal.

Learning Objectives:

• List the ways corporations and businesses can get involved in their organizations
• List the things corporations are looking for in a nonprofit organization
• Outline the structure for a corporate/business appeal using volunteers

Agenda:

• A mailing to local Chamber members does not a Business Appeal make!
  • Why nonprofits fail at approaching their local business community


• The fallacy of the Corporate/Foundation Relations Office


• “Ask for money, and you’ll get advice, ask for advice and you’ll get money”
  • Identifying and cultivating your local business community
  • The Willie Sutton theory
  • Building networks
  • Cultivation activities


• Organizing Your Annual Corporate/Business Appeal
• A case study
• Getting started

Date: Tuesday, April 3, 2012
Time: 8:00 AM — 9:00 AM PST
Location:
AFP International Conference
Vancouver Convention Center
Vancouver, BC, Canada



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