D CEO was overwhelmed with nominations in our 2020 Nonprofit & Corporate Citizenship Awards program, with more than 510 received. Leading up to the awards event on Aug. 25, we’re profiling all 90+ finalists, one category at a time. Today, we recognize the four companies named as Corporate Partner of the Year finalists.
This category honors companies that support a specific nonprofit through various methods, from financial sponsorship to volunteering, leadership guidance, and other hands-on engagement.
Now in its third year, the Nonprofit and Corporate Citizenship Awards are presented by D CEO and founding partner Communities Foundation of Texas. All 2020 finalists will be featured in our August/September print edition and at a virtual awards event on Aug. 25, where the winners in each category will be revealed.
Deloitte and Children’s Chorus of Greater Dallas
Deloitte has partnered with Children’s Chorus of Greater Dallas since 2010, impacting the choir in several important ways. The company has been CCGD’s lead sponsor since 2014, helping 500 diverse singers perform in the Meyerson Symphony Center, and helped facilitate board member planning sessions, creating a five-year strategic plan that was adopted in 2016. Over the years, Deloitte employees have volunteered their time to provide board development, technology and information management, accounting, marketing, social media, and strategic planning assistance. It’s all part of the company’s engaged culture. Last year, more than 27,000 Deloitte employees volunteered 200,000 collective hours on 1,000 projects across the country.
NorthPark Center and Dallas CASA
NorthPark Center has hosted Dallas CASA’s primary fundraising event, Parade of Playhouses, for 25 years. Local architects, builders, and corporations design and build custom playhouses, benefiting Dallas Court Appointed Special Advocates and the children served in the foster care system. Hosting event in NorthPark brings exposure to the public not possible in other locations. Through sponsorships and raffle tickets to win a playhouse, the event raises funds to support CASA’s work, but the event also helps spread the word about the advocacy CASA does on behalf of abused and neglected children, allowing the organization to recruit hundreds of new volunteers each year. This year, NorthPark donated the use of its billboard on North Central Expressway to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the event.
SRS Real Estate Partners/Cypress Equities and Alzheimer’s Association
SRS Real Estate Partners and its development arm, Cypress Equities, have supported the Alzheimer’s Association for the past six years, inspired by employees with friends and family members impacted by the disease. The effort began in the Dallas headquarters but has expanded to 27 offices around the country, with emphasis on the Walk to End Alzheimer’s events, where the Dallas team organizes the largest walk team each year and marketing materials are designed and made available to the association. To date, SRS has raised $400,000 company-wide, with the biggest fundraising event an auction at its annual meeting. SRS and Cypress Equities also partner with retailers that donate a percentage of their profits to the nonprofit.
Toyota Motor North America and Texas Special Olympics
Toyota supports Texas Special Olympics throughout the state, including events on the company’s campus in Plano for the unified Special Olympics team, a term for teams that unite those with and without intellectual disabilities. The carmaker supports the organization with volunteers to area and statewide events throughout the year, with 100 volunteers the last two years for the Dallas area Special Olympics bowling tournaments. It also helps provide leadership with a representative on the nonprofit’s board. In addition, Toyota partners with schools to develop unified sports programs on campuses. In 2017, Toyota became a global sponsor of Special Olympics, helping 5.7 million children with intellectual disabilities in 172 countries worldwide have year-round sports training and athletic competition, helping them develop fitness, teamwork, and friendship with their families and other athletes.
