Newsletter: Corporate Giving is Up - But Everything Isn’t Ducky 🦆 ; Do a Cold Plunge in Patrick Mahomes Head for a Cause 🏈 ; Why Your Partnership Program Needs Brand Awareness 📢
“Don’t get too excited about what’s in an attractive-looking box until you unpack what’s inside,” advised Curt Weeden, author of Corporate Social Investing, Smart Giving Is Good Business, and several other books on business philanthropy. He also founded the Association of Corporate Citizenship Professionals (ACCP) and the New Strategies Program at Georgetown University's McDonough School of Business. I've been an instructor in the program for over a decade.
Curt knows the corporate giving space better than anyone. He’s a persuasive writer and speaker, and once convinced me to wear a Donald Duck costume in front of 100 people.
But I digress.
Curt and I were discussing the Giving USA Foundation's annual report. I had called him, excited by the news that corporate giving was up and had even broken the one percent mark, hitting 1.1% of pre-tax earnings.
“There has been a slight turnaround in business contributions to nonprofits, which is good news,” Curt said. “The passage of the Tax Cut and Jobs Act of 2017 de-incentivized corporations from taking charitable tax deductions. Even if driven by non-cash donations, current growth in corporate giving is encouraging.”
Businesses prefer to donate products to nonprofits, and for good reason. Non-cash gifts bring major tax benefits, and companies vary widely in how they report the value of those donations.
“What it costs a company to make a donated product is vastly different than its fair market value (FMV),” Curt said. “It’s that FMV which often gets included in the tally of a company’s overall philanthropy. But for some businesses, the real expense of a non-cash donation can be as much as eight or ten times lower than what is being reported to the public.”
"Oh, now that's selfish giving," I thought. But Curt wasn’t done. He had a history lesson for me.
"Decades ago, corporations gave more than 2% of pre-tax profits to nonprofits. Today’s 1.1% is just half of that," Curt said. "The federal government still allows deductions up to 10% of pre-tax profits for qualified nonprofits. So, there’s plenty of room to grow."
Curt’s words left me more deflated than a rainy Fourth of July. Just a week after Independence Day, I’d been slammed by a truth: corporate giving wasn’t a fireworks extravaganza. It was a sparkler—tiny, brief, unspectacular.
As Curt pivoted to trying to recruit me again to reprise my role as a costumed duck for his upcoming talk on "Daffy's" (aka Donor-Advised Funds), my attention drifted to Tom Ahern’s latest newsletter.
One of the country’s sharpest fundraising minds from the tiniest state in the Union had also read the Giving USA report and weighed in with a subheading that nailed it: Corporate Giving Grew—But You May Have to Chase It Across the Org Chart.
Side note: While Curt now calls Charleston, South Carolina, home, he’s originally from Rhode Island. Seriously, what’s in the water down there? How does a state you can drive across in 45 minutes crank out not one but TWO fundraising legends? (Asking from just north of the border. Maybe I need to ask my mom where I really was born!)
Tom shared some solid advice on corporate giving. I could feel the blood rushing back into my cheeks. For a moment, I felt like I was back in that duck costume, but this time, in a good way.
Start by asking better questions. If you’re connected to the corporate foundation, ask your contact: “Who leads ESG for your company? Would you be open to introducing us?” “Are there other teams exploring community partnerships right now?”
Research the whole corporate citizen. Scan the company’s sustainability reports, DEI statements, earnings calls, or LinkedIn content to understand how they publicly frame their social impact priorities. Look for alignment between your impact and their language—climate resilience, workforce inclusion, youth opportunity, etc.
Don’t stay in your box. If you’ve only been talking to the foundation officer, consider taking your proposal as far up the chain as you can. Companies making big bets on strategic giving are elevating those decisions to the CMO, Chief Sustainability Officer, or even the board.
Design proposals with layered ROI. Don’t just talk outcomes. Talk brand visibility, employee engagement, internal equity impact, public alignment with ESG goals. Package your partnership as a win-win for purpose and profit.
The key lessons are not getting overly excited about traditional corporate giving and approaching it smartly.
I'll add that if you’re targeting a B2C company, remember there’s almost always more money in the customer than in the company. In short, your main goal should be a cause marketing campaign, not a donation from the company's checkbook. (But, hey, go for both!)
And one last lesson: beware of anyone who travels with a duck costume and says wearing one will “be good for your career.” I learned that lesson the hard way.
✍️ Partnership Notes
In my "Partnership Notes" section, I share stellar corporate partnership programs and show you how to do your job better!
1. How to do cause marketing with an online ticketing platform.
💡 Don't scroll by this. The campaign has already raised $1.3 million.😳
2. Let's do a cold plunge inside Patrick Mahomes' huge head.
💡 This is a strange one. Coors Light and the 15 and the Mahomies Foundation are teaming up to sell $15 tickets to fans for a chance to cold plunge in a 5-foot by 4-foot plastic tub that looks just like the quarterback's head. Sixty lucky fans (?) will be chosen to take the plunge.
The 60th fan won’t just win—they’ll be cold plunging with the other 59. In Mahomes’ head. Literally. Good luck with that.
3. Trust is the currency of referrals.
💡 When a partner refers you, they’re not just sending a lead, they’re staking their name, credibility, and reputation on your success. It’s a high-trust introduction. A pre-qualified lead. A potential fast track to a new partnership.
👉🏻 One of the best ways to affirm and strengthen this trust with partners is to work with them (and me!) on a partnership case study.
Ready to capitalize on referrals? This podcast with John Jantsch at Duct Tape Marketing covers seven tactics for generating more referrals.
🤑 Marketing Your Cause
In my "Marketing Your Cause" section, I share strategies for growing your brand and audience—two key ingredients for securing more partnerships.
1. Why your partnership program needs brand awareness. [CARTOON]
💡 95% of your potential partners are not ready to partner right now, so...
2. Is it time to review your media list?
💡 Outside of building an email list, focusing on earned media is a great way to build your audience. I'm reminded of Tom Harrison's successful efforts on behalf of the Bear-ology Museum. PR pro Michelle Garrett offers some excellent tips on developing a focused media list.
3. AMC Theatres warns moviegoers of 25–30 minutes of ads and previews before a film starts.
💡 AMC has 543 theaters across the country. Local nonprofits should pitch short cause videos, round-up asks, events, or community impact stories to play during the pre-show. Replace apathy with impact!
😎 Cool Jobs in Cause
In my "Cool Jobs in Cause" section, I share open partnership positions so you can discover your next adventure.
1. Corporate Partnerships Manager, Trevor Project, Remote ($75k - $85k)
🧠🍌 Brain Food
In my "Brain Food" section, I share things that spark inspiration, fuel curiosity, and bring a smile to your face!
1. The tax bill will upend corporate giving. Here’s how to prepare. 🔐 (🔐 = I subscribe to this publication and can email you this article.)
💡 Corporations could "bunch" their giving to exceed the one percent floor in certain years to get a tax benefit. However, if this approach becomes widespread, it could result in a loss of $4.2 billion in giving annually.
2. Why are we lying to young people about work?
💡 I shared this with my son, who graduated from college in May. Send it to a young person in your life. Solid. Gold. Advice.🏅
"Gen Z has been raised on the mantra of "protecting your peace", the idea that anything causing stress or discomfort should be eliminated from your life. This advice, while well-intentioned, has created a generation allergic to necessary friction...But peace isn't the absence of problems, it's the presence of purpose that makes problems worth solving. The happiest people aren't those who've eliminated difficulty from their lives; they're those who've found difficulty worth enduring."
3. Bringing back the night lights: Fireflies
💡 For as long as I've been gardening, I've wanted to see fireflies in my garden. Sadly, we've just about destroyed the habitat fireflies need to thrive. Seriously, when was the last time you saw a firefly?
The article above explains why fireflies matter and what you and I can do to invite them back into yards and gardens:
✔️ Plant native. I'm all over this one—adding more plants by the day!
✔️ Dim the lights. I only use outdoor lights when needed and keep the wattage low.
✔️ Stop using pesticides. We’re not just killing fireflies, we’re wiping out everything else, too. I cancelled my lawn service and will only fertilize once this fall.
✔️ Leave the leaves. I left mine and even grabbed some of my neighbor’s leaf bags to add more!
✔️ Leave decaying wood. Instead of tossing fallen branches into yard waste, I’ve created a wood pile for fireflies and other insects to hang out in. Because ticks will be hanging out there too, my woodpile is far from any sitting area or garden bed. I won't be joining the party!
Let's all see the fireflies again!
