70% of Brands Say Non-Profit Tie-Ups Improve Business Practices
C&E Advisory's 2026 Barometer finds 70% of businesses say non-profit partnerships improved their practices, up from 68%, as ESG and AI pressures drive longer-term tie-ups.
Updated
The brief
- 70% of businesses say key non-profit partnerships changed their business practices for the better, up from 68% last year
- Source: C&E Advisory's 2026 Corporate-Non-Profit Partnership Barometer
- Most corporates and NGOs expect partnership numbers to increase as ESG pressure grows and AI rises up the corporate agenda
Seven in 10 businesses say their key non-profit partnerships have changed their business practices for the better, according to new research.
The figure comes from C&E Advisory's 2026 Corporate-Non-Profit Partnership Barometer. It marks a slight increase on last year, when 68% of businesses reported the same effect.
The findings point to a corporate sector under growing pressure to manage ESG (environmental, social and governance) issues. AI's rise up the corporate agenda adds a further driver. In response, corporates and NGOs are committing to longer-term, more strategic partnerships rather than one-off collaborations.
For most organisations on both sides, the expectation is that these tie-ups will increase. C&E Advisory's research finds most corporates and NGOs anticipate growth in the number of partnerships going forward.
The data suggests cause-related partnerships have moved beyond reputation management. A majority of businesses now credit their non-profit relationships with tangible internal change, improving how they operate rather than simply how they are perceived.
For marketing leaders, the implication is direct: partnerships with NGOs increasingly function as a lever for operational and strategic change, not just a communications tool.
Based on Marketing Week
Filed under esg, ngo-partnerships, corporate-partnerships, sustainability, brand-strategy
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Market editor covering media and advertising at Marketing Herald.
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