Candace Woods Heitzman helps nonprofits and companies build corporate partnerships that drive revenue, elevate brand relevance, and deliver measurable community impact. With nearly 20 years of experience, she brings a practical, results-oriented approach to partnership strategy, grounded in a deep understanding of how partnerships must perform for both nonprofit missions and corporate business objectives.Throughout her career, Candace has designed and led national partnership platforms that deliver visibility at scale while maintaining local relevance. Her work spans youth development, health equity, education access, and community investment, with a focus on innovative storytelling, strategic activation, and data-informed impact measurement.
At For Momentum, Candace is passionate about helping organizations move beyond transactional fundraising to build scalable, sustainable partnerships that deliver shared value and lasting community impact. She was a client of For Momentum before coming aboard, adding firsthand insight to For Momentum’s advisory model and a practical understanding of the real-world pressures nonprofit leaders face when building and sustaining corporate partnerships. Her 360-degree perspective, shaped by experience in senior nonprofit leadership and deep collaboration with corporate teams, allows her to bring clarity to complex decisions, meet organizations where they are, and build partnership strategies designed for long-term growth and value.
Before joining For Momentum, Candace served as chief social impact strategist at HigherVisibility, a digital marketing agency, where she worked internally to explore how CSR initiatives could enhance digital engagement and brand credibility while collaborating with the sales team to strengthen relationship-based approaches to client development.
Previously, she was vice president of strategic partnerships at ALSAC/St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, where she helped lead nearly $200 million in annual revenue generated through national corporate partnerships and cause marketing programs. In this role, she expanded executive-level relationships and strengthened partner value through impact-driven strategy and reporting.
Earlier in her career, Candace spent six years at Boys & Girls Clubs of America, rising to national director of corporate partnerships and cause marketing. She initiated and led landmark national partnerships, including Bridgestone Retail Operations’ Driving Great Futures campaign, which has raised nearly $30 million since 2015 to increase access to out-of-school programming for more than 300,000 Club youth and their families. She also held partnership leadership roles at March of Dimes Foundation.
Based in Memphis, Candace is deeply connected to the city she calls home and has served on the board of the Chamber of Memphis. Shaped by the city’s grit and grind, she brings resilience, accountability and follow-through to her work, balancing aspiration with disciplined execution and a clear focus on results.
Bachelor of Science, Business Management; Minor in Retail and Consumer Sciences
University of Tennessee – Knoxville, Tennessee
Master of Business Administration, Business Management
University of Memphis – Memphis, Tennessee
SC Johnson College of Business Certificate Program, PR Strategy
Cornell University
Ask Candace About
- What separates high-performing corporate partnerships from those that stall
- How to move partnerships from a first “yes” to multi-year, multi-channel growth
- Turning research and market signals into partnership strategies teams can execute
- Real lessons from national partnerships, what scaled well, what did not and why
- Memphis grit, family roots or the mindset practices that keep her grounded and focused
