The Work
I work alongside nonprofits to build corporate and institutional partnership programs they can run without me. That's the core of what I do. Not generic fundraising consulting, but the specific work of building the frameworks, pipelines, and stewardship systems that turn one-time sponsors into multi-year partners.
Every engagement starts with listening. I synthesize what I hear, build a plan with you, hold you accountable to it, and teach you to hold yourself accountable after I'm gone. The goal is never dependency. It's a replicable system your team owns.
I work with a small number of organizations at a time. That's by design. Every engagement is defined together before work begins. If something comes up that falls outside the current scope, we name it and figure out the right path forward - whether that's expanding the engagement, referring you to someone better suited, or saving it for a later phase.
BUILD
Ground Floor
Building your corporate partnership program from scratch
Best for: Early-stage or grassroots nonprofits building a corporate partnership program for the first time. One dedicated development staff member, or an ED wearing the development hat. For organizations with a $500K-$3M annual budget.
Some organizations have never had a formal corporate partnership program. The relationships exist (a few sponsors here, a couple of foundations there) but there's no framework underneath it. No tiers, no clear entry points, no stewardship arc, no pipeline. Just goodwill and hustle holding it together.
Ground Floor is the infrastructure build. I start by learning your organization, your community, your existing partners, your team's capacity, and what you can realistically sustain. Then we build. The centerpiece is a sponsorship framework laid out as a benefit-mapped menu, organized around the four reasons companies give (client entertainment, employee engagement, marketing exposure, and mission give-back) with clear tiers and entry points, plus a values screen so you can tell a real partner from a one-time logo. Around it, a pipeline for developing new partners and a stewardship arc designed so sponsors feel valued rather than processed. The output is a replicable model. Something your team can run, iterate, grow, and retain donors with.
You leave with the whole system in hand: the framework, a written playbook, an annual partnership calendar, and one full moves cycle we run together so you've done it once with me before you do it alone. I build the system and teach you to run it, and the engagement ends with your team holding the keys, not leaning on me to keep it going.
This is specifically a corporate and institutional partnership build. It's what I've done at multiple organizations across multiple sectors, and it's the work I'm most confident delivering.
Ready to build something that lasts?
“Joey leads with relationships first. He takes the time to truly understand an organization's mission, capacity, and goals, then works alongside leaders to build fundraising strategies that are both ambitious and realistic. In our work together at What iF Puppets, his experience with youth-serving nonprofits and corporate sponsorship development helped us identify where our limited time and resources would have the greatest impact, allowing us to move from ideas to a more sustainable path for growth. Joey is thoughtful, clear, and deeply invested in helping organizations create meaningful, lasting impact.”
Meghann Henry Executive Director, Omaha Conservatory of Music
Room Service
RUN
Coaching and accountability for your corporate partnership portfolio
Best for: Nonprofits with an existing corporate partnership program ready to grow and manage it more intentionally. Annual budget: $2M-$10M.
Some organizations already have corporate partners. What they need is someone in the room while they manage and grow those relationships. Someone who looks at the data with them, helps them see what each partner is ready for, prepares them for the asks that feel too big, and holds them accountable to the goals they've already set.
Room Service is a coaching and accountability engagement. We meet every other week to review the portfolio, looking at each corporate and institutional partner individually, identifying the next right move, and working through whatever is creating resistance or stall. Once a month we check in on goals and make sure the work is actually moving. Where your tiers or benefits need a tune-up, we adjust them together. This is growing what works, not a rebuild. I'm not here to tell you what to do and disappear. I'm here to build your capacity to make these decisions yourself down the line.
This is the offer where the “teacher” model lives most explicitly. I ask the question underneath the question. I push on what isn't landing. I help you build the internal permission to make the ask. The engagement ends when you can run this without me.
Ready to do the inside work?
“Joey is incredible at taking the time to get to truly know the donor. But then his attention to detail, execution, and follow through is unmatched. When he’s on your team, he makes everyone around him better.”
Kevin Clarke Director of Corporate Partnerships, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Kansas City
The Residency
FIX
Full assessment and rebuild for a stuck or stalled corporate partnership program
Best for: Established nonprofits with a development team whose corporate partnership program has plateaued or stalled. Ready for a full rebuild. Annual budget: $5M+.
Some organizations have been doing corporate fundraising for years but something has calcified. The same sponsors are giving the same amounts. New partners aren't coming in. The stewardship is on autopilot. The team is reactive and the program feels stuck even though everyone is working hard.
The Residency is the full assessment and rebuild. I come into the organization first, conducting interviews, reviewing data, analyzing existing partners, and doing an honest audit of what's working and what isn't before touching anything. Then we rebuild from the foundation: the stewardship arc, the sponsorship framework rebuilt as a benefit-mapped menu around the four motivations, a corporate and institutional case for support, the pipeline strategy, and the internal systems that hold it all together. The output is a replicable model, a full findings and recommendations report, and a handoff that leaves your team running the program with clarity and confidence.
This is not a quick engagement. It's a sustained commitment from both sides. The organizations that get the most from it are the ones that are genuinely ready to do the work, not just ready to look like they're doing the work.
Ready to rebuild?
“Joey is a natural relationship manager and systems builder. During his time at United Way he helped to establish strategy and processes where there were none, all the while creating transformational relationships with clients. He is an absolute joy to work with and is an incredible asset to any team lucky enough to have him!”
Amelia Crowl Vice President of Corporate Partnerships, United Way of Greater Kansas City
Smaller ways in
Findings and Recommendations
When you need an honest outside read. A focused assessment of your corporate and institutional program that names what's working, what's stalled, and the three moves that matter most, delivered as a prioritized roadmap.
Stewardship System Design
When donors and sponsors feel processed instead of seen. A built before, during, and after arc that turns one-time gifts into relationships your team can actually run.
Design and Collateral.
When your materials don't match your value. One-pagers, sponsorship decks, impact reports, and case statements, built by someone who does this as an artist, not a template.
“When my organization became a corporate partner of the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Joey was our primary contact. He was buttoned-up, and nothing ever slipped through the cracks. The partnership was beneficial largely because of his follow-through — and everyone on our team loved working with him.”
Dave Borchardt Vice President of Corporate & Community Relations, KC Sports Commission
Ready to build something that lasts?