Newsletter: Want Better Partnerships? Think Like a Rolex⌚️; How to Nail the Impact Page of Your Website 🎯 ; 3 Tips to Get Your Team Started on AI 🤖
Luxury brands are teaching a masterclass in something too many nonprofits are still sleeping on: experience beats transaction.
McKinsey recently said it loud and clear: today’s shoppers want emotion, not just exclusivity. They’re not buying a Rolex, they’re buying a story, a feeling, a flex.
Sound familiar? It should.
We’re in the business of purpose. If anyone should be crushing the emotional experience game, it’s us, right?
But let’s be real: most nonprofit partnerships are still too stale and transactional.
Logo here. Post there. Call it a day. That’s not loyalty—that’s LinkedIn content.
Let’s flip the script.
💥 The National Park Foundation gets it. They host corporate summits in the parks. Boots in the mud. Hikes in the woods. Drinks by a campfire. Brands don’t just hear about the mission, they live it.
💧 charity: water runs incredible field trips for top individual donors. You don’t just see the well being drilled—you walk with the families who’ve been waiting for it.
Not designed for corporate partners yet, but c’mon, why not?
💪 buildOn brings employees into underserved U.S. neighborhoods to serve side-by-side with students. It’s gritty, real, and unforgettable.
Not a conference room. A classroom. With impact you can feel.
These are “money can’t buy” moments. And they work. Not because someone read your annual report, but because they felt something in their bones.
Luxury brands don’t just sell, they stir.
So here’s your move: Stop promising impressions. Start delivering immersion.
Because the best partnerships don’t live in emails or contracts—they live in the hahht. ❤️❤️❤️
✍️ Partnership Notes
In my "Partnership Notes" section, I share stellar corporate partnership programs and show you how to do your job better!
1. Taco Bell Foundation awards $28 million to 500 nonprofits, an increase of $5 million from 2024.
💡 The money comes from Taco Bell customers’ spare change, used for rounding up at the register or online. This year’s round-up campaign raised over $50 million, a 56% increase since 2022.
2. Survey says: Americans now support corporate activism again.
💡 Here's a slide for your pitch deck. After years of decline in support, more Americans across demographics and political affiliations want businesses to take a public stance on hot-button topics, including free speech, immigration policy, diversity, climate change, and health care issues.
3. MUG Root Beer partners with Dogwood Animal Rescue Project to crown the world’s ugliest dog.
💡 This article offers a behind-the-scenes look at why the campaign worked, from the playful hook to the nonprofit tie-in, making it a great case study of a successful campaign. It shows how a simple, shareable moment can drive brand love, create a collectible, and extend a cause message far beyond the event.
🤑 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. How to nail the impact page of your nonprofit website.
💡 Still treating your Impact page like a digital junk drawer of stats and PDFs? Wired Impact lays out five dead-simple ways to turn it into a storytelling powerhouse that builds trust, connects emotionally, and—surprise!—actually gets people to do something. Great examples, zero fluff.
2. How much better are opt-in email lists? A lot.
💡 People always ask if they should just “add” people to their list. I emphatically say no. This article shows why you shouldn't do it. Opt-in lists always get better opens, engagement, and results. Start writing something people want to subscribe to. I can help!
3. 5 ways to show your audience your content is original.
💡 Want your audience to know your content is the real deal? Five techniques — from authentic voices to original perspectives — prove it’s uniquely yours and worth their attention. Being human with humans is a superpower!
😎 Cool Jobs in Cause
In my "Cool Jobs in Cause" section, I share open partnership positions so you can discover your next adventure.
1. Partnerships Manager, Operation Warm, Multiple Locations
2. Senior Manager, Corporate Partnerships, Make-A-Wish Foundation, Remote ($96k-$113k)
3. Manager, Corporate Partnerships, United Way, Boston ($62k-$65k)
4. Vice President of Corporate Partnerships, Colorectal Cancer Alliance, Remote ($160k-$180k)
🧠🍌 Brain Food
In my "Brain Food" section, I share things that spark inspiration, fuel curiosity, and bring a smile to your face!
1. 3 tips for getting your team started with AI.
💡 Still treating AI like a toy? This post lays out three practical moves to make it your team’s secret weapon: use it daily, invest in premium access, and start small by using AI on tasks you already know.
2. The late summer garden is in full bloom!
💡 Red cardinal flowers are a hummingbird favorite! White coneflowers and blue wood asters are a nice mix. My water container garden is still pumping out dwarf water lilies. And my exhausted assistant, Buddy the Havanese, is how every gardener feels in August: TIRED!
Finally, check out some of the new, hip clothes Buddy and I will be wearing in the garden next summer.
