How we matched $200K and partnered with one of the most recognized brands in the world, Starbucks

The Nuts & Bolts

For the last year, CauseEngine and No One Left Behind have focused on two things: developing the organization’s first multifaceted fundraising campaign and building its first corporate partnership. No One Left Behind helps Afghan and Iraqi combat interpreters who served alongside American troops resettle safely in the United States, away from the terrorists who are hunting them and their families. Fundraising and partnering can be difficult for an extremely niche non-profit, so No One Left Behind sought experts to build a brand strategy that would match a recent $200,000 “challenge” grant and help them bring on a recognizable corporate partner, Starbucks.

Our Tools For Success

Marketing & Communications
Graphic Design
Strategic Partnerships

Some Key Impact Points

CauseEngine presented No One Left Behind as a nonprofit partner to Starbucks, to satisfy their CSR efforts and to help reach their goal of hiring 10,000 refugees, ultimately landing the nonprofit’s first corporate partnership.

Starbucks Partnership

Fill a Fortune 500 Company’s need by capturing a corporate partner

The Challenge

No One Left Behind pitched many corporate partnerships over the years, but would describe these opportunities as “flash in the pan” or filled with an “initial frenzy, only to fizzle quickly”. Partnerships were necessary for successfully elevating awareness around the nonprofit’s mission, but managing this rollercoaster ride often distracted from everyday operations and created a barrier for success.

How We Helped

CauseEngine’s cohesive, overarching brand strategy identified potential corporate partners, including Starbucks, that had just announced its refugee hiring initiative. So we sprang into action. Within 24 hours of the announcement, CauseEngine contacted company decision-makers to present No One Left Behind as an opportunity to fill Starbucks partnership criteria for corporate responsibility. Our team’s extensive experience in aligning corporate cause initiatives with nonprofits allowed us to engage in serious partnership talks within the first 48 hours. Our designers created Starbucks-tailored pitch collateral and our partnerships Pros expertly stewarded the relationship from concept to contract.

The Results

Starbucks Corporate Partnership
6 Figure Donation
Exposure through Corporate Channels

“CauseEngine’s ability to open doors, steward relationships and be the hard negotiator when called upon is what closed this deal for No One Left Behind.”

– Matt Zeller, Co-Founder & CEO No One Left Behind –

Testimonial

We had been operating on a small budget with a small staff and we knew we needed to make some serious changes. We realized that we couldn’t do this on our own so we began shopping for experienced service providers. We ultimately landed with CauseEngine because they provided a suite of services with a team of experienced professionals at a reasonable price.

And landing Starbucks is a HUGE win for us all around! We had no concept of what it meant to have corporate partners, let alone what it takes to pitch, steward and land a partner of this magnitude. Watching CauseEngine’s ability to open doors and be the hard negotiator--that’s what closed this deal for No One Left Behind.

Matt Zeller - Co-Founder & CEO, No One Left Behind