By: Allison Basco
Our recent research shows that one of the ways corporate decision makers measure the success of their partnerships with nonprofits is through event sponsorship or involvement. In 2025, 63% of CSR survey respondents ranked event sponsorship/involvement as important, up 28% from our 2022 survey. We would be remiss not to mention the impact of the pandemic on these numbers. As COVID-19 vaccines rolled out and people felt more comfortable gathering again, it makes sense that event activations have increased over the last several years.
Events can provide so much more than just one-time sponsorship opportunities, benefiting both the corporate partner and the nonprofit:
- Increase employee engagement and volunteerism
- 89% of CSR professionals rank employee engagement as one of the most important ways of measuring the success of their partnerships with nonprofits (For Momentum, 2025, The Partnership Shift)
- Employee volunteers can help alleviate resource strain for nonprofits during events
- Allow partners to authentically engage with their target demographic in support of an issue they care about
- Demonstrate local involvement/local impact
- 55% of corporate partnership leaders ranked providing support to local communities as the most valuable benefit their company aims to receive from their cause marketing partnerships (For Momentum, 2023, Taking the Pulse of Partnerships: Corporate Perspective).
- Help integrate partnership into the culture of both partner and nonprofit
Nonprofit organizations that can deliver on their corporate partners’ CSR priorities will be the ones the company continues to support year after year.
Corporate and Nonprofit Partnership Event Examples
Delta and American Cancer Society
Over 24 years, Delta and American Cancer Society (ACS) have built a partnership that is truly integrated into the culture of both entities and has had an incredible impact on ACS’s mission to ensure that lifesaving cancer research continues to get funded, and people facing cancer get the help they need.
The partnership began in 2001 with Delta’s sponsorship of and participation in a small number of community Relay for Life events and has grown to include consumer engagement, cause marketing, employee engagement and several special events throughout the year.
Relay for Life of Delta Corporate, hosted annually at Atlanta’s Hartfield Jackson International Airport, has become the world’s largest corporate Relay for Life event. The airline wanted to provide travelers around the world with the opportunity to share in the inspirational cause, so they created Delta Day of Hope, a fundraising, awareness and educational outreach event held each May for passengers, employees and vendors. Delta also holds a unique annual fundraiser and team building event called the Jet Drag where more than 170 teams of 25 people compete to see which team can move a 255,000-pound jet 25 feet in the quickest time. Delta hosts several other events to raise funds and awareness for ACS, from golf tournaments to an annual gala.
Throughout its 24-year partnership, Delta has donated more than $22 million to ACS through corporate giving and consumer and employee fundraising, and thousands of employees have enthusiastically participated in events.
Edward Jones and Alzheimer’s Association
Aligning under the financial services firm’s Promoting Healthier Futures impact area, Edward Jones and the Alzheimer’s Association have been partners since 2016. Over the course of the partnership, Edward Jones has raised over $54 million for the Alzheimer’s Association through associate and corporate giving.
The partnership activates in several ways, including employee engagement, research funding, client engagement and education and awareness. Since 2016, Edward Jones has served as a National Presenting Sponsor for the Alzheimer’s Association Walk to End Alzheimer’s, which takes place in more than 600 communities annually. In addition to Edward Jones employee participation in events, the firm’s clients have also taken up the cause—more than 126,000 participants have walked under the Edward Jones banner.
Edward Jones estimates that Alzheimer’s disease affects 300,000 Edward Jones clients and families, making its investments in the Alzheimer’s Association all the more impactful for its clients and employees.
Ulta Beauty and Big Brothers Big Sisters of America
In addition to the impact this partnership has directly on Big Brothers Big Sisters of America (BBBS)’s mission, Ulta Beauty and BBBS show how unique events can make for authentic storytelling opportunities. The beauty retailer began its involvement with BBBS at the local level in Chicago and expanded to a national partnership in 2023 as a well-being partner.
Ulta Beauty supports BBBS in providing custom experiences and local community events to promote self-care, self-expression and self-discovery resources to Bigs and Littles across the country. These events include Ulta Beauty employees packing and distributing wellness kits for youth facing stress, anxiety and other challenges, and educational clinics where Littles are introduced to topics like the importance of good personal care. This June, Ulta Beauty also hosted a Day of Possibilities event, inviting Bigs and Little from local BBBS agencies for in-store experiences that boost confidence and well-being.
Events like these, coupled with Ulta Beauty’s annual company-wide in-store fundraisers, have supported well-being for hundreds of thousands of young people across the country. In 2024 alone, Ulta Beauty customers and employees helped raise $2.4 million for BBBS.
Get the free report to learn more about corporate partner priorities.
Leave a Reply