By: Ashley Byars
As Earth Month fills the air with calls to action for our planet, there’s no organization more fitting to spotlight than Keep America Beautiful® (KAB). This leading national nonprofit ignites inspiration and equips communities with the tools they need to take action every day. From neighborhood cleanups to beautification projects, KAB empowers individuals to create lasting positive change in their local environment.
We’re thrilled to share our interview with KAB’s Vice President of Development, Abby Horrigan. In this conversation, we delve into how KAB fosters collaboration between individuals and corporate partners to maximize environmental impact. Whether you’re looking for ways to get involved or want to learn the secrets of successful partnerships, this interview offers valuable insights for everyone passionate about protecting our planet.
We spoke with Abby to learn more about:
- What inspires her most in her work
- Connecting national corporate partners with local communities
- How they keep their legacy partnerships infused with fresh ideas
To begin, tell us a little about how you got your start in cause partnership work, what your role at Keep America Beautiful (KAB) entails and one thing you love about your job.
I started on the corporate side, working on loyalty and cause marketing campaigns many years ago. Combining my for-profit business development background with a cause like Keep America Beautiful is a great fit where I can make a difference in the world.
My focus is on building financial support for the organization. Most of our funding comes from corporate partnerships, so we are working to diversify our channels of support. At the same time, we’re working hard to steward our current partners and tell the impact stories resulting from each partnership.
It’s hard to list just one great thing about this job. A few of the things that inspire me every day; first, everybody supports the idea of a clean, green community—hard to argue with that. Second, we’re powered by a network of 700 dedicated affiliates across the country who do amazing work.
I also love that we track and report out on our impact every year: volunteer hours, pounds of litter collected, tons of materials recycled, plants and trees planted and the acres and miles of green space beautified.
KAB’s mission is to inspire and educate people to take action every day to improve and beautify their community environment. How do you connect with both local and national corporate partners to bring this mission to life?
The benefit of a nationwide network of 700 affiliates is that we are able to work with our corporate partners nationally and in the communities where their staff lives and works. While a partner might sponsor a signature program like the Great American Cleanup nationally, we also often work with them locally to engage their employees in their community through projects like planting trees, cleaning up parks or leading a recycling drive.
With April being Earth Month, is KAB rolling out any special campaigns with your corporate partners to celebrate?
We launched the #152PickUp Challenge at the start of the month as a way for everyone to make a difference during Earth Month.
There are 50 billion pieces of litter on the ground (counted as part of our 2020 National Litter Study). If everyone in the country picks up 152 pieces, we’ll get it all!
We wanted to create a challenge that is easy for anyone to join on their own time. Folks can pick up litter while they’re out walking the dog, in the park with neighbors or even with a group from the office. We hope they’ll post their successes on social media (#152PickUpChallenge) and report back to us.
We have a version of the challenge specifically for our corporate partners, but we urge everyone to join our public-facing campaign. Check it out at kab.org and get outside and do beautiful things.
What has been one of the most longstanding cause partnerships that KAB has had, and can you share any secrets with our audience about how your team keeps these legacy partnerships infused with fresh ideas over the years?
Anheuser-Busch has been a Keep America Beautiful partner since we were founded 70 years ago. Our work together over the years has ranged from hosting plogging events (running and picking up trash) to a massive nationwide cleanup effort with Bud Light that reached 40 states to a regranting program with craft breweries that engaged employees across the country in local cleanups and beautification projects.
In 2022, we helped Anheuser-Busch launch the National Recycling League, bringing volunteers and educational messaging to major league sporting events at baseball, football, basketball and soccer stadiums and arenas. Together, we educate guests on the benefits of recycling while we collect empty cans and bottles as “recycling hawkers.”
Flexibility and growth have been important in maintaining this relationship. We have worked with many brands within the company on a range of activations. We share with them any new opportunities and identify the best fit each year to reach their goals and ours.
From your depth of experience, how do you see cause partnerships evolving over the next few years? Any tips for new partnership practitioners on how to adapt to these changes?
It is all about the people. Change is a constant in the corporate world, and we have seen partnerships come and go as staff transitions. In my experience, maintaining strong relationships is the key to finding and working with partners. Keep in touch with folks who express an interest in the work and listen to their vision and goals to identify the best way to work together.
5 fun facts about Abby
- Favorite app—Merlin (The Cornell Lab)— which helps identify birds based on their songs
- Last book read—The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store by James McBride
- Best advice you’ve been given—Don’t burn bridges
- Favorite family tradition—Taking a family selfie every day when we’re travelling together; it makes for great memories!
- Most interesting place you’ve visited—Galapagos Islands
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