This document provides a summary of key trends in the nonprofit and corporate alliance sector for 2016 and beyond. It highlights trends such as content marketing, corporate social responsibility becoming fully integrated into business practices, leveraging social media advocates, influencer marketing, pressure from B Corporations, and investing in people analytics. Each trend overview provides supporting statistics and examples of organizations that are exemplifying the trend. The document encourages nonprofits to consider how they can leverage these trends in partnerships with corporations.

2. GOOD TRENDS RISING
Catalist’s comprehensive trend report features the most powerful trends and
opportunities within the nonprofit corporate alliance sector for 2016 and
beyond. Highlights include:
• Key consumer, donor, corporate and nonprofit trends set to define the future
of corporate alliances – and your organization’s approach to them – in 2016
• Detailed trend overviews complete with supporting statistics and thought-
provoking questions
• Visual trend timelines that illustrate each trend manifests itself in the
marketplace
• Trend Beacon examples to showcase how trends are playing out in the real
world and to inspire you
• Catalist’s Trend App to help you unpack each trend and apply it to your
organization

3. TREND SNAPSHOT
CONTENT IS KING CSR FABRIC SOCIAL STAPLE
INFLUENCER IMPACT B-CORP PRESSURE PEOPLE ANALYTICS
The new golden ticket to entice
corporate partners
Now a must-have that corporations
integrate fully throughout business
Once a tactic is now common place to
activate constituents around
campaigns
Finding and activating your loudest
and most connected ambassadors
Are B-Corps poaching donor interest
from nonprofit organizations?
The next big thing to propel your
fundraising is your people

4. CONTENT
IS KING
In 2016
Identify your most
engaging content and
offer it to corporate
partners at a premium.

5. 2016 GOOD TRENDS RISING
CONTENT IS
KING
Although it’s becoming THE buzz word in today’s marketing landscape, perhaps it
is for good reason. Content Marketing as a formal strategic marketing approach is
growing in leaps and bounds for corporations and nonprofits alike.
77% of marketers will increase content
production in the next 12 months.1
While the majority of nonprofits (61%) say they use content marketing to attract
and retain constituents, and drive action, most are using their content at signature
events, in social media and other owned media publications.2
The trend for 2016: leveraging a nonprofit’s content to increase corporate partner
attention.
Due to the nature of their mission and community impact, nonprofits sit on a gold
mine of content that is authentic, engaging and highly attractive to corporations.
Whether it’s a survivor story, a video documentary of field impact, or medical
expertise, statistics and tips, a nonprofit’s content may just be its greatest asset –
to drive their own brand engagement and to secure new corporate partners.
While corporate content marketing budgets are on the rise, a shortage of talent
and resources to produce engaging content is impeding efforts. 2 Nonprofits can
fill this need by offering a variety of content across multiple mediums – something
corporations are yearning for to drive authentic buzz around their CSR efforts.
Content is your newest asset in your asset chart, so consider how you can create
content for and with your corporate partners.

6. TREND
RISING
2014
2015
2016
92% of nonprofits
say they use content
marketing
A shift in the definition of content marketing,
with the tactic becoming a more ‘strategic
marketing approach’ rather than just the
creation and distribution of content.
Only 35% of nonprofits think
they are effective at content
marketing
Measurement of content marketing effects
becomes more important.
84% of nonprofits say
increased fundraising is an
important marketing metric

7. 2016 GOOD TRENDS RISING
TREND
BEACON
z
Charity: Water has a simple mission, but an
abundance of content that illustrates its mission
impact. In their partnership with TOMS, Charity:
Water received $5 and $10 donations from the
sale of limited edition shoes and eyewear
respectively.
Charity: Water leveraged its content
to build a variety of marketing
materials, including a video (click
above to view) promoted by TOMS
to their customers to drive purchase
and thank them for the impact they
made.

8. CSR
FABRIC
In 2016
Shift the corporation
conversation from “why
support a cause” to “why
support YOUR cause”.

9. 2016 GOOD TRENDS RISING
CSR FABRIC 2015 was the coming of age for a new brand of CSR. While Corporate Social
Responsibility has been a line item on corporate agendas decades, it is rising in
hierarchy and becoming a measured mainstay that CEO’s now increasingly find
valuable to their bottom line.
CSR used to denote a corporation’s commitment to a social impact project or
cause. We are now witnessing this common thread woven throughout entire
companies – from cause marketing campaigns that drive incremental sales to
employee engagement that fuels morale. To date, over 4 million LinkedIn
members have signaled on their profile that they want to serve on a nonprofit or
use their skills to volunteer.3 With the rise of Millennials, social impact is now a
resume builder for employees and a consumer requirement of companies.
80% of consumers think a company should incorporate a
culture of social responsibility into its business model (aside
from just giving back to the community).4
While the perceived CSR mandate is highly prevalent in the United States, many
countries are legalizing corporate CSR commitments. Following in India’s 2014 “2
percent CSR requirement” footstep, Brazil and Indonesia have regulated that
corporations doing business in their countries must designate a specific level of
corporate societal investment.
We’ve now reached a point where convincing a company to support causes is no
longer needed. Nonprofits now have to shift their “pitch” to how their cause is
differentiating, more impactful and can provide greater value across various touch
points for the corporation.

10. TREND
RISING
2010
2013
2015
Europe’s ICCA published
Responsible Business:
How to Manage a CSR
Strategy Successfully
The evolution and revolution of
CSR was discussed and
introduced as CSR 2.0
Consumers are heard loud and clear: corporate
social responsibility is no longer an option – it
is emphatically a must-do.
Cone Communications/
Echo Global CSR Study
In 2016, EU corporations will need to file an
annual report detailing their social and
environmental impact.
The EU requires
companies to issue
annual CSR reports

11. 2016 GOOD TRENDS RISING
TREND
BEACON
z
Microsoft dominates CSR rankings each year as the #1 company with the best CSR
reputation (in 2013 and 2015), as designated by the Reputation Institute. Microsoft prides
itself on “empowering every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more.”
They have integrated this philosophy into its product development, policy creation, business
practices, employee management and community impact.

12. SOCIAL
STAPLE
In 2016
Find out more about your
social constituents and
empower them to act on
behalf of your corporate
partners.

13. 2016 GOOD TRENDS RISING
SOCIAL
STAPLE
Nonprofit organizations have finally embraced social media as an effective
marketing and fundraising tool.
97% of charities utilized Facebook in 2015.4
A large majority (84%) of constituents now actually use social media
to show their support for a cause and highlight issues that are
important to them.5
Now that all nonprofits are socially-active, they face a different challenge: how do
you convert social constituents into advocates that take measurable actions?
Whether it’s through corporate sponsored social contests, social application
donations or digital corporate alliance platforms, we’ve seen a few nonprofits tackle
this challenge successfully over the last few years.
We predict that social media will become a staple of activation on behalf of
corporate partnership efforts help establish CSR authenticity, in addition to sheer
partnership promotion. However, building significant social action requires time and
dedication to growing a social community around your cause first. In 2016,
nonprofits will need to take an audit of their social networks, assess their strength
and activity, and work cross-departmentally to leverage their interests to elevate
their corporate partnership asks.
A post, tweet, pin or hashtag is no longer a strong enough asset to entice
corporations to align with your cause. Your next corporate partner is looking for
ways to incite a conversation, trigger an action or encourage a donation through
social and digital means – a tactic greater received when it’s initiated by the
charitable partner.

14. TREND
RISING
2009
2013
2014
UNICEF launches
TAP Project
Mobile and social applications
encourage users to go without
their phones for 10 minutes and
trigger a donation of 1 day of
clean water for children around
the world.
Voting contest engages over 47,000 fans and
grows Bank’s fanbase by 10%.
Bank of Ann Arbor uses
voting app to celebrate
local schools &
crowdsource giving
Over six weeks, 2.5 million participated in a
viral movement on social media that raised
over $220 million worldwide.
ALS Ice Bucket
Challenges “Soaks” the
Nation

15. 2016 GOOD TRENDS RISING
TREND
BEACON
z
The Salvation Army updated its Red Kettle
campaign with a social media twist in 2015
using the hashtag #redkettlereason. The
dedicated Red Kettle Reason website
provided a hub for users to view the
ecosystem around the hashtag and donate
online.
The Red Kettle Campaign first initiated an
online version in 2003, but it wasn’t until
now that it sparked an active movement
through social media.

16. INFLUENCER
IMPACT
In 2016
Identify, target, leverage
and measure your top 5%
of constituents to attain
fruitful corporate
partnerships.

17. 2016 GOOD TRENDS RISING
INFLUENCER
IMPACT
Customers look to influencers before making their purchasing or philanthropic
decisions. This new model of endorsement is called “Influencer Marketing”. We
define influencers by any well-connected individual on social media. Bloggers,
YouTube stars, or Social followers with extreme influence all qualify.
92% of consumers trust recommendations from other people
(even strangers) over corporate brands.6
The influx of on-demand TV usage has contributed to ad blocking soaring from 21
million users in 2010 to 144 million in 20147. To combat this shift in media
consumption, marketers are turning more to sponsored content and influencer
marketing as major investments in 2015, 2016 and beyond. And, it’s working!
Influencer marketing produced 37% greater customer retention rates and twice the
amount of sales when compared to paid advertising in 20158.
In 2016, nonprofits will start to take notice of this corporate marketing tactic,
incorporating influencer identification and marketing into their donor acquisition
and retention strategies. The average nonprofit (with 144K donor email list) has a
network reach of 40 million when social influencers are accounted for9. Their top
5% of constituents account for 85% of their total network9.
The challenge to corporate alliance professionals: work with your marketing
departments to package such influencers as an asset for corporate partners.
Influencer marketing should drive your paid media assets to support partnership
campaigns. We challenge you to look at influencer marketing as a must-have
investment that will differentiate your organization as a progressive partner, and
attract the high-dollar partnerships needed to meet your 2016 goals.

18. TREND
RISING
2013
2014
2015
Definitive Guide
to Influencer
Marketing
Kissmetrics publishes a how-to
blog that formalizes the tactic
and offers flagship industry case
studies.
An in-depth look on how social media has
changed the balance of power between
consumers and brands forever.
Forbes Reports on
Tactic Growth &
Relevance
AdWeek reports on the psychology behind
the tactic, and why it works.
10 Reasons Why
Influencer Marketing is
Here to Stay

19. 2016 GOOD TRENDS RISING
TREND
BEACON
z
In 2014, the Susan G. Komen 3-Day®
identified 27 social media influencers and
asked them to spread the word about
registering to walk in their own words and
through their own social media channels.
By providing them with a registration
incentive code, over five months, those
influencers recruited 105 additional
participants, who raised more than
$200,000.

20. B CORP
PRESSURE
In 2016
Decide how your
nonprofit will respond to
the increasing pressure
from B Corporations.

21. 2016 GOOD TRENDS RISING
B Corp
Pressure
With the emergence of social entrepreneurship and the B Corp movement, the lines
between for-profit and not-for-profit organizations seem to have blurred in the
minds of consumers and corporations alike.
1,498 B Corporations | 42 countries | 130 Industries12
Given their innate social impact, B Corps are increasing pressure on the traditional
nonprofit in two ways:
1) From a Consumer Standpoint -
Seasonal cause marketing product partnerships may start to witness consumers
choosing B Corp products over theirs due to the year-round, feel-good opportunity
they can provide consumers.
2) From a Corporate Standpoint –
Many companies that would normally partner with a nonprofit cause to make impact
on their community, are now partnering with for-profit B Corporations because of
various business advantages and the lack of nonprofit legal restrictions.
Given the triple win for any corporation that aligns with a B Corp, nonprofits will
inevitably feel increased pressure from these alliances in 2016. We are excited to see
how our industry responds to this trend. Will nonprofits have an “If you can’t beat
them, join them” mentality, in which nonprofits actually become investors in B Corps
– like in the case of Better World Books? Or, will nonprofits evolve, differentiate
their method of community impact, and redefine how corporations can engage with
them? We’ll be trend watching…

22. TREND
RISING
2006
2012
2014
TOMS is
Founded
Although not the first company
to do so, TOMS makes a big
splash in the one-to-one
movement that incites a ripple
effect for the future of B
corporations.
More than 70 B Corps are recognized in the 1st
Best for the World lists released as part of B
Corp 2012 Annual Report
The Start of the B Corp
Revolution
Natura, a Brazilian cosmetics company,
becomes the first publicly-traded company
to become B Corp certified.
1000th B Corp is
Formed and the 1st B
Corp Goes Public

23. 2016 GOOD TRENDS RISING
TREND
BEACON
z
Actress Jessica Alba and her business partner created The Honest Company to ensure that parents have
access to non-toxic, eco-friendly, beautiful family products that don’t break the bank. As a social enterprise
and mission-driven company, the” Social Goodness” (CSR) platform aims to build healthy, safe families by
investing in the whole development of children ages 0-3 and supporting young people in pursuit of their
dreams.
As of December 31, 2015, Honest has donated 924,461 products and partnered with a variety of nonprofit
organizations to serve 128,435 children and youth.

24. PEOPLE
ANALYTICS
In 2016
Invest in your corporate
alliance team – building
metrics from the inside
out to achieve greater
partnership success.

25. 2016 GOOD TRENDS RISING
People
Analytics
Despite the surge of technological advancement, people are becoming a big deal in
business and philanthropy. Collectively we are realizing that organizational sales,
marketing (and yes, fundraising) goals can be achieved smarter and with more
effectiveness if we pay more attention to the people charged with achieving those
goals.
People Analytics can be defined as the use of people-related data to optimize
business outcomes (and solve business problems) at the individual, team or
organizational levels. Rates of attrition have ben cut in half in some companies
when they use People Analytics.
4,500 companies have employees focused on People
Analytics, including 43% of the Fortune 1000.10
As fundraisers, we tend to always look externally for the next dollar. We ask
ourselves, “What’s the next big thing in Cause Marketing?” or “Who are the
corporations that are giving to charities the most this year?” The trend in People
Analytics forces us to look internally to achieve our fundraising goals. It challenges
us to foster the people we have, hire and recruit the best talent for our organization
and help them grow and thrive with industry evolution.
The future looks promising for nonprofits, as 50% anticipate creating new positions
in 2016.11 However, over half of nonprofits still report that they have no formal
recruitment, training or retention strategy. Now that the veil has been lifted as to
the effect of using People Analytics, we expect that more organizations will take
notice and start to surpass their objectives from the inside out.

26. TREND
RISING
2005
2012
2015Training
Measurement
Book Launched
Written by people analytics expert,
Josh Bersin, this sets the stage for
learning and development teams to
move beyond typical measurement
models
Early research on big data in HR begins, and
develops a maturity model to support the $4
trillion spend on HR initiatives around the
world.
Big Data in HR Arrives
Nonprofits project growth that could outpace
the corporate sector.
Nonprofit Employment
Practices Survey

27. 2016 GOOD TRENDS RISING
TREND
BEACON
z
In 2016, we challenge the industry to assess
your corporate alliance team structure and
its members, and analyze their strengths and
core competencies against your
departmental goals.
Key Questions to Ask:
• Do you have enough human resources to
accomplish your goals?
• Do you have the right team members to
support your strategies?
• Are those team members currently placed
in a position where they thrive?
• Where are there holes or stopgaps
hindering your department’s success?
In 2016, we can’t wait to see which
organization rises to the top using People
Analytics!
INSERT
YOUR
NONPROFIT
HERE

28. 2016 GOOD TRENDS RISING
SOURCES: 1. CMO.com, “Mind-Blowing Stats About Content Marketing”; 2015
2. Content Marketing Institute & Blackbaud, “2015 Nonprofit Content Marketing
Benchmarks, Budgets & Trends – North America”; 2015
3. Catalist, “Social Champions” Report; Spring 2016
4. Nonprofit Quarterly; 2015
5. The New York Times Insights, “The Psychology of Sharing”; July 2015
6. Content Marketing Institute; 2015
7. Nielsen; Q1 2015 TV Viewership
8. Forbes, 2015
9. Attentive.ly, “How to Identify and Engage Your Influencers”; 2015
10. LinkedIn Corporation; 2015
11. Nonprofit HR, “The Nonprofit Employment Practices Survey”; 2015
12. Bcorporation.net

29. GET AHEAD OF THE CURVE!
Use Catalist’s Trend App to turn
trends into ideas, campaigns,
platforms and more!
Use the Trend App alongside the
2016 Good Trends Rising Report
for a deep analysis, with
actionable results!
Get a hands-on tutorial on the
Trend App and a more in-depth
look at the 2016 Trends through
the Catalist 2016 Corporate
Alliance Trends On-Demand E-
Course.
To register for free, visit:
http://gocatalist.com/insights/

30. TREND
INSPIRATION
How are others in the nonprofit industry using this trend?
IMPACT
What impact will
this trend have on
the nonprofit
sector?
VALUE
What value does this trend help my
organization bring to my partners?
Intangible Tangible
CONSTITUENTS
How will our
constituents
activate around this
trend?
TREND APP: ANALYZE

31. TREND
TREND TARGETS
Which partner(s) would be ripe
for this trend?
TREND INNOVATION
How can I incorporate this trend into my standard
partnership model?
Existing New
TREND ROADBLOCKS
What considerations do I need to make to implement this trend?
TREND APP: APPLY
Internally Externally

32. ABOUT CATALIST
Establishing a new industry standard, Catalist is a three-step training and
certification system for nonprofit corporate alliance professionals. We believe
the path to igniting fundraising is in hiring and training the very best team you
can. Catalist is your solution to revolutionize how you invest in and arm your
corporate alliance teams to find their spark and ignite possibilities.
Catalist Insights are the industry’s go-to resource for corporate alliance
professionals who want to stay ahead of the curve.
For more information, visit:
http://GoCatalist.com/insights
For Questions, please contact:
Brittany Hill
Chief Innovation Officer
bhill@gocatalist.com

33. info@gocatalist.com