Welcome to For Momentum’s annual look ahead at the trends shaping cause partnerships. 2025 promises to be a dynamic year for our sector, with a new administration in Washington, a rapidly evolving corporate giving landscape, and the explosive growth of AI. Navigating this complex terrain will require adaptability and foresight. So, let’s peer into the future together as we explore the key trends that partnership professionals need to know to build even stronger collaborations in the year to come.
Cause Chat: How the Feeding America and Hy-Vee 100 Million Meals Challenge Campaign Got Ahead of an Ambitious Goal
For Momentum sponsored this year’s Best of the Best Halo award and wanted to know—and share—more about why this campaign has been so successful. We’re excited to give you a behind-the-scenes take from the team that brought the 100 Million Meals Challenge campaign to life.
Top Trends in Retail Cause Partnership
The retail landscape is evolving, and consumers increasingly seek brands with a purpose. In fact, 77% of consumers want to purchase from companies with corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives. As a result, partnerships between retail brands and nonprofit organizations have become a powerful tool for retail marketers. These collaborations go beyond benefitting causes to enhancing the brand’s:
Partnership Strategy Development
For Momentum was hired to activate the partnership and lay the foundation for a successful first year of the partnership and cause campaign. Our assignment was to create the overarching theme, provide the messaging architecture and to execute the creative developed for all marketing collateral, including in-store, at-pump deliverables and a team internal and external video.
Social Impact Trends 2024: A Data-Driven Look
For Momentum’s 2024 Social Impact Stats includes data sourced from more than 75 industry studies. It features insights to help practitioners better understand and adapt to trends in the social impact landscape and provides perspectives from consumer, employee and corporate decision-makers.
More Than a Campaign: More Than a Pet Campaign fetches new sponsors for the Humane Society of the United States
The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) engaged For Momentum to evaluate the potential for engaging more corporate partners in cause marketing. At its core, the HSUS is a program-oriented and advocacy-driven organization with a deeply engrained culture of fighting for animal welfare across a wide range of issues, from ending the cruelties of animal testing and puppy mills to promoting humane wildlife management and better treatment for farm animals. This commitment and the organization’s concrete outcomes for animals are rewarded by millions of passionate individual supporters and donors across all demographics.
How Consultative Sales Training Helps Nonprofits Strengthen Partnerships
For Momentum offers consultative sales training (CST) that is effective because it goes beyond theory. We walk in practitioners’ shoes every day. We’ve built effective prospecting and partnership discovery techniques over 20 years in providing services to nonprofit clients. Our training has been tried and tested across hundreds of workshop participants and their unique skill-building needs.
How Nonprofits Can Optimize Corporate Partnership Teams
No matter the structure, we know that dedicated staffing and resources for corporate partnership stewardship plays a pivotal role in an organization’s ability to secure and steward corporate partners. In fact, in our benchmark study of 50 Best in Class cause campaigns, 84% of nonprofit organizations reported having a dedicated team involved in developing the cause campaign.
From over two decades of experience working with corporate partnership teams, we know that to achieve success in corporate partnerships, it is essential to establish a strong foundation, which involves creating a team structure filled with a variety of roles that best equips your organization to sign on and steward long-term corporate partners.
Take a look at this overview of the most common structures and team makeups to help guide you toward the right approach for your organization.
Landing Corporate Partners Part 2: Nailing the First Meeting
Before you meet with a potential corporate partner, it is essential to do your research. Review the prospect’s mission and values to tailor your pitch to their interests and needs. It will demonstrate to the prospect that you have taken the time to learn about their organization and are genuine in your interest in building a mutually beneficial partnership.
For Earth Month: a special interview with Hollis Hughes of the National Park Foundation
The National Park Foundation helps guide charitable giving to the greatest needs within the National Park Service. As the Director of Account Management at the National Park Foundation, Hollis Hughes oversees a portfolio of more than 65 corporate partners whose generosity has contributed to helping preserve some of America’s most treasured places.
