Newsletter: Stage 3: Partnership Proof Flywheel 🔄 ; Are Checkout Charity Prompts Losing Their Edge? 😬 ; How Employee Giving Scales Faster Than You Think 📈

By now, you’ve seen the pattern.

First, nonprofits struggle because they don’t have proof. That's what the ​Builder​ program is for.

Then, once they do have proof, they struggle because they don’t know how to use it. The ​Accelerator​ solves that.

But there’s a third—and more interesting—problem I see all the time.

Some organizations do use their proof.

They land another partnership.

Maybe even another after that.

And then…they stop.

Each partnership is treated as a one-off win rather than part of a system.

The proof exists, and the momentum is there. But it doesn’t compound.

That’s where most partnership programs quietly stall.

And that’s exactly why the Partnership Proof Flywheel exists.

The Flywheel is the third stage of the Partnership Proof System. It’s designed for nonprofits that already have partnership proof and know how to leverage it—but want to stop starting over every time they pursue a new company.

Instead of reinventing the wheel for every outreach, every pitch, every campaign, we focus on building infrastructure that makes partnerships easier to attract, easier to sell, and easier to repeat.

This stage is about turning proof into gravity.

That work includes:

➡ Creating a clear partnership narrative you can reuse and refine

➡ Building a partnership web page that shows—not tells—what works

➡ Using case studies as active sales tools, not passive PDFs

➡ Establishing a simple partnership newsletter or outreach rhythm

➡ Making it obvious to prospects why partnering with you makes sense now

The goal isn’t more activity.

It’s less friction.

When the Flywheel is working, partnerships don’t rely on heroic effort or perfect timing. They benefit from everything you’ve already built.

Each partnership feeds the next.

Each case study strengthens the story.

Each success lowers the cost of the next “yes.”

This is where partnerships stop feeling like a campaign—and start acting like an engine.

Not because you’re chasing harder.

But because you’ve created a system that compounds trust, credibility, and opportunity over time.

That’s the work of the Partnership Proof Flywheel.

It’s not flashy.

It’s not magic.

But it’s how sustainable partnership programs are actually built.

👉 If this sounds like where your organization is—or where you want to be—just reply to this email.

You don’t need more partners.

You need a system that makes partnerships inevitable.

Finis! 🙌 Be sure to bookmark my ​Partnership Proof System​ webpage.

✍️ Partnership Notes

A partnership insight (or two) that matters.

🛒 ​Why checkout charity prompts may be losing their edge​. This article highlights growing consumer fatigue with constant donation asks—especially at self-checkout. Part of the issue is psychological: according to consumer behavior experts, donation requests perform better at staffed checkouts because of the “audience effect”—we feel subtle social pressure to be seen as good people. At self-checkout, that pressure disappears, making the decision more private—and often less generous. The partnership takeaway: point-of-sale giving still works, but only when it’s backed by meaning, context, and proof. Scale alone won’t save a transactional ask that lacks emotional connection.

🏨 ​How hotels can turn everyday stays into meaningful impact​. Red Roof just launched a smart partnership with Canine Companions that shows exactly how causes and hotels can work together in a way that feels natural and not forced. Through the program, travelers receive discounts while Red Roof helps fund the training and placement of service dogs for people with disabilities. The brilliance here isn’t the discount—it’s the fit. Hospitality is about comfort, access, and independence, which makes this cause alignment intuitive and credible. Partnership takeaway: when nonprofits work with hotels, the best ideas tap into the guest experience itself—turning routine travel into a moment of purpose without asking customers to do extra work.

🤑 Marketing Your Cause

One move nonprofits should steal.

🎥 ​Why video may be the smartest marketing bet nonprofits can make next​. B2B marketers are increasingly turning to video—not for flash, but for clarity, trust, and efficiency. Short, well-produced videos help explain complex ideas faster, humanize brands, and build credibility in a crowded, AI-saturated content landscape. For nonprofits, the lesson is powerful: video isn’t about going viral. It’s about making your value easier to understand and harder to ignore. That’s exactly why video plays a key role in the Partnership Proof Flywheel. It turns real partnership outcomes into reusable proof that fuels marketing, outreach, and future partnerships. Speaking of video, check out ​this partnership video​ from my new friends at ​PWP Video​.

😎 Cool Jobs in Cause

Find your next adventure.

🤝 Managing Director, Corporate Partnerships, ​Save the Children​, Farfield, CT

🤝 Associate Vice President, Corporate Engagement, ​United Way​, NYC

🤝 Director of Donor & Corporate Partner Engagement, ​Year Up United​, Remote

🧠🍌 Brain Food

What's feeding my thinking.

🧠 ​How employee giving scales faster than you think​. This article from The Chronicle of Philanthropy (if you hit a paywall, I can email you the article, bestie) shows how one company grew employee participation in giving from 1% to 50%—not through motivation alone, but through visible proof that giving was normal, valued, and effective. Early participation created social signals others could see and trust, turning generosity into something people could point to rather than just believe in. The brain food here: behavior changes faster when people see proof that “people like me do this.” If you want engagement to scale—inside companies or partnerships—make success visible and let proof do the heavy lifting! 💥