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Tips for Nonprofits: How to Create a Corporate Experience

In December 2019, Visit.org hosted NYC-based partner nonprofit organizations for a talk on Creating Today’s Corporate Experience. The informative gathering featured Danny Weiss, a People Operations Manager at Latch, a company that provides apartment residents and property managers with unprecedented flexibility, convenience, and security through smarter hardware, software, and services.

Danny shared his insights regarding all aspects of human resources and employee engagement, helping the nonprofits in the audience understand how to get the most out of their relationships with corporations. Here are some of the key takeaways from the talk.

Caitlin Mroz hosts a talk about how nonprofits can strengthen their relationships with corporate teams.


How to Create a Corporate Experience

  1. According to the talk on Creating Today’s Corporate Experience, one of two key components of creating an activity for employees is to identify what companies want.In an increasingly conscious society, we know that companies want to contribute to the causes they care about. And because they are a business, they are certainly interested in strengthening team bonds and improving employee purpose and participation. Some key things they are looking for from a corporate engagement experience include:

  2. Learning about your organization and your impact story, make this first impression a memorable one

  3. Engagement for each participant and utilizing their time they have made available to you to the greatest ability

  4. Organizers want to hear positive feedback from their team, they will let them know if they loved it and it is this they will remember most when looking to book again

  5. An experience that aligns with their budget and priorities, all will be different but for a volunteer experience up to thirty dollars per person is a safe bet for seeing strong engagement from a wide variety of companies

  6. The second key component is to communicate your organization’s unique value. To identify this value, take some time to consider your story, the opportunities you offer, and your needs.To be able to tell your story, articulate:

  7. Your cause

  8. The problem you are working to solve

  9. Your history

  10. Your impact

To convey the opportunities you offer, explain:

  1. Your programs

  2. The solutions you offer

  3. Your staff

  4. Who you serve

To communicate your needs, discuss:

  1. Your larger vision for society

  2. The goals of your organization

  3. What you could do to achieve your mission if you had unlimited resources

  4. What you want to do but are unable to do

  5. When you have identified what companies want, brainstorm with your team about how you can offer experiences that serve both the companies’ desires and your organization’s mission. But what kind of experiences are they looking to engage in? Because of the wide range of priorities, interests, and abilities when it comes to team activities, companies could want any combination of the following:

  6. Volunteer Activities

  7. Team-building Opportunities

  8. Workshops

  9. Talks or Panel Discussions

  10. In-office Experiences

The audience of nonprofit org members brainstorm what companies need, what their unique value is, and how to combine them to create corporate experiences that engage.


Key Takeaways

The main points emphasized during the talk revolved around creating an accessible, memorable, and positive experience. Here’s what you should keep in mind when engaging corporate teams:


  2. Tell your story and the impact you make. For many of the employees their first introduction to what you do is that day when they show up.

  3. During an experience one of the most important things is to make sure everyone is engaged and that they are making a difference during their time there.

  4. Those in charge of planning team experiences are looking for positive feedback from their employees. It is the first thing they hear after an experience, and what they will remember longer term, especially when deciding which activities to book again.

  5. Each company is looking for something different and has their own budget and priorities, but in general a $30/person price point is accessible for an experience.

Examples of Nonprofit-Led Corporate Experiences

While there are thousands of options on Visit.org‘s platform, some examples of activities relevant to companies’ interests and values include:


  2. Repurposing Designer Textiles This volunteer activity invites corporate teams to sort discarded designer fabrics. This helps the host nonprofit achieve their goal of reducing landfill waste and recycling textiles.

  3. Chinatown Food Tasting Tour & Scavenger Hunt This team-building opportunity allows corporate teams to discover NYC’s Chinatown food and history through a walking and eating tour. After, the team competes in a friendly scavenger hunt for iconic delicacies and objects in the neighborhood.

  4. Beyond Orange is the New Black This workshop sheds light on the experience of women in the criminal justice system. It intends to spark conversation so that employees can gain insight on topics including HIV, sex trafficking, economic empowerment, and more.

  5. Forging Happy, Healthy Communities This panel discussion features diverse speakers from the worlds of fitness, nutrition, mindfulness, and other health-centered sectors. The speakers provide wellness tips and insight on how employees can care for their mind and body.

  6. Inspire Teens Through Video Storytelling This in-office activities allows corporate partners to share their expertise and experience to under-resourced students, from the comfort of their own office.

If your organization is interested more information about how to tailor an activity for corporate teams, contact us at impact@visit.org.

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