Corporate Fundraising Strategist

Stop Begging for Donations: 6 Classes Of Businesses You Should Be Reaching Out To For Funding

Rooney Akpesiri
Oct 01, 2025By Rooney Akpesiri

If you’re tired of constantly begging for donations and frustrated with inconsistent funding, it’s time to try a different approach: corporate fundraising.

But here’s the truth: every business will not give to your cause. You can’t just blast emails or send generic proposals and hope for the best. To win corporate funding, you need to target the right businesses, the ones that truly align with your mission.

So how do you identify them? There are six levels of alignment every nonprofit founder should research:

  1. Businesses that benefit from the work you do.
  2. Businesses that serve your target audience.
  3. Businesses that share a similar mission to yours.
  4. Businesses that benefit from the people or community you serve.
  5. Businesses that would want the value you have to offer.
  6. Businesses that will look good by being associated with your mission.

The businesses that tick all six boxes? Those are your sweet spot, the ones most likely to become transformational partners.

Here’s the thing: once you identify these aligned businesses, you’re already 30% of the way to winning your first corporate funding. That’s real progress, not wasted time or repeated “no’s.”

Next, you need a strategic engagement plan, what I call the Value First Approach™. This isn’t about asking for money right away. It’s about showing the value you bring first, delivering results, and building a relationship. Only after that do you make the ask, and that’s when funding transforms from transactional to transformational.

I teach nonprofit founders exactly how to do this, from identifying aligned businesses, to crafting your value offer, to strategically engaging and securing partnerships. This approach lets you stop begging for donations and start building consistent, long-term funding relationships that scale your mission.

If you’re ready to stop struggling and start attracting corporate partners who truly value what you do, it’s time to take the next step.

Want to learn the full 6-step alignment method and start securing corporate funding? My Corporate Fundraising Blueprint course shows you exactly how. Learn more here >> https://csrstrategist.com