Inside the Partnership-Centered Philanthropy Model That’s Raising the Bar for Corporate Giving
October 10, 2025 / By Amanda L. Cole
When Ruling Our eXperiences (ROX) received its first $10,000 gift from Bread Financial a decade ago, it marked the beginning of a relationship that would grow into a $1.7 million, multiyear commitment — and a new model for corporate-nonprofit partnerships.
In a bbcon 2025 session, “Building Holistic Corporate and Nonprofit Partnerships That Drive Maximum Impact,” Lisa Hinkelman, Ph.D., founder and CEO at Ruling Our eXperiences, and Vanessa Yahner, senior manager of sustainability and community relations at Bread Financial, shared how their organizations moved from a transactional relationship to what they call “partnership-centered philanthropy.”