Part 2: Building the Business Leg of Your Funding Stool
Build Your Case
Step 3: Define a Clear Narrative
Corporate partners want to understand what you do and how it benefits everyone. Unlike many grants that come with strict restrictions, business partners can provide unrestricted funds, which are flexible dollars that allow you to respond to emerging needs, cover operational costs, and invest in your organization’s long-term sustainability. To unlock this support, create a simple yet compelling story that answers: What community needs does your organization address? What measurable outcomes do you deliver? What meaningful opportunities can you offer to companies?
To craft this narrative effectively, you need to think like both an economic developer and a marketer.
Think Like an Economic Developer
Speak in language that resonates with the business community. How does your organization’s work impact the local economy? What is the return on investment for a potential business partner? Companies think in terms of outcomes, efficiency, and value, so frame your impact in those terms.
Example: Workforce Development Nonprofit
“For every $1,000 invested in our job training program, we place one local resident into a living-wage job within 90 days. Last year, our graduates contributed over $2 million in wages back into the local economy by shopping at local businesses, paying rent, and supporting their families. When you invest in our program, you’re not just helping individuals; you’re strengthening the customer base and workforce pipeline for businesses like yours.”
The three-legged stool: Workforce development funding typically comes from individuals through program fees or tuition, government support through workforce grants and public funding streams, and the business community through training partnerships, hiring commitments, and direct investment. Employers who invest in workforce development are building their own talent pipeline while strengthening the community.
Example: Elder Care Nonprofit
Consider an organization that provides respite, transportation, and home health care services. Just like child care, this is workforce infrastructure. These services enable caregivers, who are often women, to not worry about who is going to check in on mom, or eliminate the need to take time off work to take dad to a medical appointment. These are the invisible ways organizations support the economy behind the scenes, keeping employees productive and present at work.
The three-legged stool: Elder care funding comes from cost sharing by families and individuals, government support through grants and Medicaid reimbursement, and the often-missing piece: the business community. When local employers invest in elder care services, they’re investing in their own workforce stability.
Example: Domestic Abuse Survivor Services
Organizations supporting survivors of domestic abuse provide emergency shelter, legal advocacy, counseling, and transitional housing. This work has a direct economic impact: domestic violence costs U.S. employers billions annually in lost productivity, absenteeism, and healthcare costs. When survivors receive the support they need to achieve safety and stability, they can fully participate in the workforce, and employers benefit from reduced turnover and a more stable team.
The three-legged stool: Survivor services funding comes from individuals through donations and client contributions when possible, government support through VAWA grants, state funding, and social services contracts, and the business community, which often remains an untapped resource. Employers who invest in survivor services are protecting their own employees and creating safer, more supportive workplaces.
Think Like a Marketer
The StoryBrand framework has been useful for us and our clients. This approach positions the corporate partner as the hero of the story—not your organization. Your nonprofit serves as the guide who helps them achieve something meaningful.
The company has a desire (to make a difference, to engage employees, to strengthen their community), faces a challenge (limited time, uncertainty about where to invest), and your organization offers a clear plan and path to success. When you frame your pitch this way, you’re not asking for charity; you’re offering a partnership that helps them become the kind of company they want to be.
Your goal isn’t to produce a complex proposal or a glossy brochure, but to create a document that demonstrates you understand a company’s goals, you’re ready to partner, and you’re flexible to meet them where they are.
Step 4: Release Limiting Beliefs and Build Confidence
Forget notions like “we’re too small” or “we don’t have big events.” You don’t need massive sponsorships or fancy galas to start building corporate partnerships. Authenticity and clear purpose matter much more than size or flash.
Start with a pilot volunteer day, a small sponsorship, or a focused skills-based partnership.