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While charitable giving is finally back on the rise, so too are the pressures facing nonprofits in appealing to corporate partners. Gone are the days of writing checks to the CEO's favorite "pet" charity, as companies look deeper into the business case for philanthropy. Two new studies released this week demonstrate that employee engagement and ROI from product donations are often key drivers in determining which nonprofit organization to support.

A recent study by Forbes Insights found that 72 percent of the 311 global senior executives surveyed said they primarily donate to charities that also allow their employees to volunteer. Moreover, respondents cited that in addition to social benefits, the top two goals behind philanthropy and community involvement programs are employee motivation and increased skills/leadership. In the case of MasterCard, sending employees to volunteer with Grameen Foundation in Colombia gave staff on-the-ground experience in microfinance and mobile technology, as well as a new perspective of the financial reality of people across the globe. Employees returned armed with new skills to make a difference in their own communities.

Another recent report released from Indiana University examined the business case for product philanthropy. The report found that beyond environmental and social benefits, there is actual return on investment in donating excess inventory instead of liquidating or destroying it. Nonprofits are already cropping up to fill this need, including Good360, an online product donation platform used by some of the world's biggest brands.

While companies may be writing new rules for corporate philanthropy, nonprofits can come to the table prepared. Nonprofits can look to create a diverse spectrum of employee engagement opportunities from company-wide days of service for broad participation to leadership skills-based volunteering. Organizations that work to create sought-after business case metrics for corporate philanthropy will take the lead. While these pressures may be difficult for many nonprofits to manage in the short-term, the end result is strong corporate partnerships, a new group of ambassadors and enhanced capacity for greater social impact.

In last Saturday’s New York Times, reporter Stephanie Strom featured nonprofits that close shop when the cause they set out to address no longer exists. “Mission accomplished,” the article said. And I replied, “Right on!”

Nonprofits often say they want to put themselves out of business, and I’ve long admired organizations that are truly working towards that goal. Strom’s article highlights Malaria No More, which is determined to end malaria deaths in Africa by 2015, and I would add UNICEF (Believe in Zero) and the National Breast Cancer Coalition (Breast Cancer Deadline 2020) to the list of nonprofits that are counting down to end their causes.

So why are corporate cause programs counting up? Sure, global causes are massive and no one company can do it all on its own – but companies can focus on smaller, yet meaningful targets that drive replication and yield significant results.

Global health is a great place to start. Just as March of Dimes achieved its original mission of eradicating polio in the U.S., Gates is now working to end polio worldwide. And companies who invest in health can end epidemics, too. Like polio, diseases that are preventable and long gone in developed nations are often major crises in emerging markets. Pfizer* is one company that’s not afraid to take a stand. It’s partnering with the World Health Organization to eliminate blinding trachoma by 2020.

But where are the other cool corporate examples? The truth is end goals for cause are rare – especially in the private sector. Let’s hope that is going to change. We must refocus our impact on solving problems as opposed to merely reporting beneficiary results. After all, isn’t that what sustainability is all about?

We’d love to hear your examples of corporations with specific commitments to solve issues. Share them here.

- Jillian Wilson-Martin, Account Supervisor

*Pfizer is a former Cone client.