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Corporate Giving: Where are the dollars going and why?
September 18, 2000
When making charitable donations, corporations are looking for increased exposure, true partnerships, greater accountability from charities, and participation opportunities for staff, according to a recently gathered panel of corporate decision makers. This summer, the Vancouver Chapter of the NSFRE hosted a panel discussion with three of Vancouver's largest corporate donors and asked the guests to speak about the future of corporate fundraising and how charities can better work with the private sector. The panelists included: Jeff Schulz, vice president of marketing at VanCity; John Davies, chair of BC Hydro's HYDRECS employee community fund; and Donna Serviss, manager of community investment with TELUS.
Of paramount importance to all panelists was an increased focus on relationship building between charities and corporations. Many companies are developing giving plans and strategic priorities that are tied to their business interests. As such, many corporations are now looking for long-term partnerships and ongoing relationships with a few key organizations, rather than a "revolving door" approach to funding.
What are funders looking for in new projects? Davies says that HYDRECS wants to see that charities are working with other organizations and not duplicating existing efforts. He also wants to hear from groups that have an ongoing presence throughout the year, rather than just one annual push.
Recognition is a very important factor for many companies, according to Davies. "BC Hydro can't take out a full page ad to say how great they are, but you as charities can do it for them."

Focus on relationship building
Donna Serviss explained that TELUS has developed specific criteria that they use to judge donation requests. The company has decided to focus its giving and sponsorships in three broad support areas: telehealth, learning, and arts and community programs. All speakers noted this trend toward strategic philanthropy on the part of larger companies in particular. Along with a more definitive focus, TELUS works to avoid being part of "logo soup", jammed in with dozens of other supporters on a given project. According to Serviss, "I want to be the big guy or I will go home."
Also key is relationship building, right from the first moment of contact. "If a letter is addressed 'to whom it may concern'," says Serviss, "then it absolutely doesn't concern me." Serviss encourages organizations to make contact with the company and understand that relationship building takes time. The more homework you do about the company, the easier it will be to see the synergies between your organization and the company's goals.
Be flexible but have anticipated outcomes
Jeff Schulz offered some helpful suggestions for ways to make the process of approaching companies a bit easier:

Do your research: Make sure that your project fits with the company's area of funding and keep up with as much information about the company as possible so that you don't approach them at an inappropriate time.
Plan ahead: Give us lots of time. Many companies have layers of process for funding, so don't go in at the last minute or with an emergency appeal because they won't be able to help.
Have a plan: Know what you want from your prospect. Make the plan thorough, accurate and creative.
Follow up: Explain how you will evaluate both the success of your project and the success of your relationship. Say thanks and show your results.
Be flexible: Know what you want from a funder, but think about alternatives and other ways that the company may be able to help. Think of ways to get corporate volunteers involved.

The fastest ways to fail...
The panelists also offered their biggest peeves about dealing with charities and there was much consensus on the top ways annoy them. Among them:
Unfinished homework. You must know who you're approaching, whether their interests might match yours, and exactly what you want from them.
Organizations that want cheques instead of relationships.
Lack of collaboration with other charities.
Lack of acknowledgement and recognition for the donation.
End-runs around the donations department to corporate executives.
Proposals that talk about the desperation of the cause, rather than a plan for addressing it.
For more information about HYDRECS, visit http://eww.bchydro.bc.ca/outreach/hydrecs.html; TELUS, visit http://www.telus.com/about/community/main.html; or VanCity, visit http://www.vancity.com/vancity/csr/index.cfm