While federal funding uncertainty puts nonprofits in a uniquely difficult situation, corporate social responsibility (CSR) teams are facing challenges of their own. They’re balancing the desire to best support their nonprofit partners during this time of uncertainty. All of this might have a significant impact on their CSR programs and grant making.
By recognizing the nuances of what is unfolding for CSR teams, nonprofits can better approach corporate funders. Here are some tips for handling your relationships with corporations.
Engaging corporate partners
Lean on your existing corporate or foundation relationships to help them understand the impact of federal funding uncertainty on your organization.
Set up quick calls with your corporate partners to understand their current headspace and share what struggles your organization is facing. Keep these things in mind:
- Make sure you’re sharing the most pertinent information in a concise manner.
- With the ongoing challenges and ever-evolving landscape, focus on the short-term. Seek support for the next month or two.
- Focus on immediate, concrete needs with simple stats to back it up and make it tangible. Know what you are asking for and demonstrate the impact it will have. You could say, “This is going to affect our ability to [deliver XYZ service] in February. With support from an off-cycle grant of [$XXXXX] we could continue to serve 150 families.”
Considering different types of funding
When speaking with CSR teams, consider whether there are creative ways to drive additional funding. Perhaps they would consider making funding available off-cycle or making one-off grants. Or if they are more flexible, perhaps an existing grant could be diverted to fill a funding gap for basic services.
Employee giving is another great option to discuss. Consider whether you could put together a line or two about how the funding uncertainty is likely to impact your organization that could be used in internal communications to drive greater giving on CyberGrants. You could work with your key contacts to build momentum around giving campaigns or see if a special matching event might be possible.
Bonterra can help ensure that funding is made available through whatever avenue you agreed on. Reach out to your customer success manager to understand how to set up a new grant or employee giving campaign.
The bottom line
Every company will be different in how they can support their nonprofit partners, but by being prepared and open to collaboration you might just find solutions that work for both sides.
