Corporate Fundraising from Scratch: A Practical Guide for Small Charity Leaders

Co-written by Casey Carlos (Fair Collective) and Andy King (Fireside Fundraising).

Here’s what we learned from a webinar with Andy King, a Fair Collective associate and Director of Fireside Fundraising. This webinar was kindly sponsored by Charity Insurance experts, WRS Insurance Brokers who are proudly part of the Benefact Group.

For many small charities, corporate fundraising can feel like an intimidating world—reserved for the large national organisations with slick proposal decks and celebrity supporters. But here’s the truth: small charities are often exactly what companies are looking for.

The challenge? Knowing how to position your charity, make the right connections, and offer partnerships that go beyond just “please can we have some money?” This guide is designed to walk you through how to get started from scratch—without burning out your team or needing a glossy brochure.

The Core of Corporate Partnerships: Solving Problems Together

Corporate fundraising isn’t just about asking for a donation. It's about forming a partnership. And the most successful partnerships start when both parties care about the same problem.

Forget leading with what you need. Start with why you exist. What problem does your charity tackle? Don’t talk about how you solve it, talk about what the problem is. 

Now ask: what companies share this problem—or could benefit from helping to solve it?

Think Like a Business

Companies are driven by goals: brand reputation, customer loyalty, staff engagement, and often, corporate social responsibility (CSR) targets. Increasingly, they also want to demonstrate their impact on equity, diversity, sustainability, or their local communities.

Your charity may be the missing piece that helps a company hit these targets—if you can show how you're solving a problem they care about.

Step One: Find the Right Partners

One of the most common mistakes small charities make is starting with a long list of big brand names and sending blanket emails. It’s a waste of your precious time.

Go Where the Fit Is Strongest

• Forget the big fish (for now): Large companies like HSBC receive thousands of charity approaches every year. Unless you’ve got a very strong connection or your missions are deeply aligned, you’re better off focusing elsewhere.

  
  

• Start with who you know: Suppliers, family members, board connections, local businesses—these are goldmines. People already connected to you are much more likely to respond, and you’ll avoid the cold call dead ends.

  
  

• Pick five prospects per half-day: Andy shared a useful rule of thumb—if you’re doing corporate fundraising as a small part of your role, aim to research and approach five genuinely relevant companies per half-day you work on it a week. Follow these leads up each week for six weeks before giving up. Don’t overreach and burn out.

  
  

Use the "Three Things in Common" Rule

When approaching a company, always highlight three things you share:

• A similar mission or value

• A personal or geographical connection

• A shared audience or customer base

  
  

This helps trigger similarity bias—a psychological tendency to like people (or organisations) that are like us. It builds rapport and trust, even before a meeting.

Step Two: Offer Real Value from Day One

You don’t need a glossy fundraising pack to get started. What you do need is a clear idea of how a company might benefit from working with you.

Here are some simple, impactful partnership ideas to offer:

1. Cause-Related Marketing

Great for companies selling products—think “£1 from every item sold goes to our charity.” A real-world example: My First Years supported their chosen charity Goods for Good by donating per product sold. Win-win: they boosted sales and impact.

2. In-Kind Support

Think beyond cash. Could a local warehouse offer free storage? Could a creative agency design your Christmas appeal for free? Could a logistics firm help deliver supplies?

In-kind support saves you money and makes partnerships more accessible for smaller businesses.

WRS Insurance Brokers supports Colchester Foodbank, a local charity, by volunteering and donating food.

3. CSR Reporting Content

Companies need to show impact to their stakeholders. You can help by providing:

• Stories of the difference their support made

• Stats on social outcomes

• Photos or videos (with consent)

  
  

Package this as a service: "We’ll provide quarterly impact updates and content you can share with your customers or staff.”

4. Programme Funding with Branding

Offer a company the chance to “badge” a particular project or service—e.g. “This youth mentoring programme is proudly supported by X.” It gives them visible association with a good cause.

Ask yourself:

• What programmes could carry a corporate badge?

• What content/stats could I provide for CSR teams?

• What products or services might my brand help sell?

  
  

Step Three: Start with Conversations, Not Contracts

Your goal isn’t to land a massive deal from a first email. It’s to get a meeting. And in that meeting, it’s to build trust.

Andy reminded us that you don’t need fancy slides or endless paperwork. You need to:

• Share the story of your work with passion: for a guide on how to do this without causing death by PowerPoint, click here.

• Understand the company’s needs or CSR goals by asking open questions.

• Explore what a “first step” partnership might look like by coming with some ideas and having conversation.

  
  

Then build the necessary tools or materials as needed. Avoid spending weeks developing toolkits nobody’s asked for yet.

Navigating Common Challenges

Every small charity faces hurdles in corporate fundraising. Here’s how to tackle the biggest ones:

“We’ve already got partners—but they’re small or ad hoc.”

That’s fine! Ask them for more:

• Show them the impact of their support

• Highlight unmet needs or new opportunities

• Invite them into a bigger story: “You’ve helped us do X. Now, together, we could do Y.”

  
  

Often, companies don’t give more because they’ve never been asked to.

“We work on EDI or social justice—companies might see it as political.”

Reframe it:

• Talk about fairness, opportunity, or social mobility

• Show how your work aligns with ESG goals, recruitment diversity, or community outreach

  
  

Avoid jargon or polarising language—focus on shared values.

“We’re too small to offer much.”

This is only a barrier if you believe it to be. What small charities often lack in scale, they make up for in emotional impact. Your stories are powerful. Your proximity to communities is rare. Many companies are looking for meaningful, human partnerships—not just logos on a slide. Again, you can get guidance on how to tell your organisation’s story here.

Step Four: Nail the Practicalities

Once a company is interested, you’ll need to think through the practical details—pricing, contracts, and sustainability.

Negotiating & Pricing Your Partnerships

Pricing can feel tricky. You don’t want to scare companies off—but you also shouldn’t undervalue your work.

Start by considering:

• Projected impact, such as product sales or reach (if tied to a campaign)

• Visibility—Will your logo, story, or name be used? Where?

• Effort required—Are you delivering workshops, writing case studies, or managing volunteers?

  
  

Good news: AI tools like ChatGPT can help you estimate value. You can also benchmark against existing cause-related marketing examples to guide your fee suggestions. There’s also a guide to pricing partnerships on Fireside Fundraising’s website here.

Contracts Made Simple

You don’t need to hire a solicitor for every deal, but you do need the right agreement:

• For product-based deals (e.g. money from sales), use a Commercial Participation Agreement.

• For broader partnerships (e.g. shared campaigns, funding, volunteering), use a simple partnership agreement outlining roles, benefits, and expectations.

Resources and templates are often available through fundraising networks or umbrella bodies—drop us a message here if you’d like some resources that were sent after the webinar.

Final Tips for Small Teams

• Start small. One good partner is better than ten maybes.

• Don’t do it alone. Ask trustees, staff, and volunteers to share contacts in relevant industries.

• Keep a “corporate prospects” spreadsheet. Track who you’ve contacted, who’s interested, and what you’ve discussed.

• Share wins internally. Celebrate when a new partner signs up. It builds momentum and morale.

  
  

Sarah Catchpole, New Business Executive at WRS Insurance Brokers, added: “As you build partnerships and navigate new opportunities, it’s important to have the right protection in place. At WRS Insurance Brokers, we understand the risks that small charities face. We offer tailored guidance to help safeguard what matters most so you can focus on building relationships and driving your mission forward.”

Ready to Take the First Step?

You don’t need to wait for perfect timing, a full deck, or a fancy logo pack to get started. You just need:

• A strong sense of your charity’s mission

• A handful of companies with shared values

• A willingness to reach out and have real conversations

Corporate partnerships aren’t just for the big players. With a bit of focus, creativity, and confidence, your small charity can unlock powerful relationships that deliver real impact.

You’ve got this.