How to … Pitch for Corporate Funding
On Friday the Nonprofit Center at La Salle University brought together a handful of funders for a panel discussion of tips and trends. Representatives of dozens of nonprofits packed a meeting room in the basement of PECO Energy’s Center City Philadelphia headquarters to listen in, and the Center was kind enough to grant me a spot to cover the chat. So I put on my old reporter’s hat and spent 90 minutes jotting down notes, which I’ll be sharing here over the next few weeks.
One of the panelists was Wade Colclough, PECO’s corporate contributions manager, who offered some cogent advice for pitching the for-profit world for funding:
- Be aware of trends affecting the company you’re soliciting. Wade noted that with global warming concerns on the rise, his company has shifted some of its philanthropic efforts away from arts and culture to environmental education funding.
- Don’t assume that corporate pockets are deep. Philanthropy is an added value for corporations; it is not their primary business.
- Be strategic. Emphasize in your proposal how the project for which you seek funding would benefit the company’s business interests.
- Craft ways for the company’s employees to get involved. Wade noted that PECO is very interested in the community impact of the projects it funds.
- Know the business. The Web has made company research fast and easy, so pitch to a specific person, and don’t contact the company with questions that could be answered easily with just a little bit of digging.
- Realize that corporate strategies are rethought at least yearly. Don’t assume that because the Acme Widget Co. said no to your proposal last year, it doesn’t want to hear from you this year. Acme may have a new strategy in place that your nonprofit aligns nicely with.
“How to …” appears Mondays at the 501(c) Files. | 501(c)
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POSTED IN: For-profit, Fundraising, Strategy
4 opinions for How to … Pitch for Corporate Funding
Rosetta Thurman
Jan 30, 2008 at 3:14 am
This is a great write-up, Tom. All key points we need to remember in corporate fundraising. I’ve heard great things about the LaSalle Center and this sounds like a useful training they provide.
tdurso
Jan 30, 2008 at 6:50 am
Thanks for reading, Rosetta. It was a great session, and I look forward to posting more of the panelists’ thoughts in the weeks to come.
Jason
Feb 28, 2008 at 9:57 pm
Great words of wisdom. Businesses pockets are not as deep as a lot of people think. I’ve found that there are a lot of start up businesses that are struggling to get by and don’t have any money to give and other businesses often give as a result of business growth so if they are in a hard time they probably will not be giving.
Tom Durso
Feb 29, 2008 at 10:16 am
All good points, Jason, and thanks for reading.
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