In the Community

Bank of America, ICAN build stronger communities, stronger brands

Strong partnerships between companies and nonprofits can shape futures, strengthen communities, and help both organizations achieve their goals

PHOENIX (STN) – When companies and community organizations align with a shared purpose, the results can be transformational. Not just for the populations they serve, but for the organizations themselves.

That was the message from Bank of America’s Phoenix President Scott Vanderpool and ICAN CEO Shelby Pedersen, who took the stage during the March episode of ‘It Happens at STN‘ to share a blueprint for purposeful partnership. Together, they illustrated how collaboration, when done right, can help both businesses and nonprofits fulfill their mission.

Pedersen emphasized the importance of resource alignment in creating long-term impact. “No money, no mission,” she said. “But even more important than financial support is having someone willing to come alongside you. When a partner offers network capital, relational capital, and expert insight, collective impact starts to happen.”

Nonprofits, businesses grow together with shared vision:

Bank of America’s support of ICAN extends far beyond the checkbook. Vanderpool, a longtime ICAN board member, shared that the most meaningful partnerships are those built on trust and shared responsibility, not transactions.

“We don’t go in with a zero-sum mindset,” he said. “We go in thinking about what’s possible, and who in our network can help make it happen. When you do that, it creates synergy, clarity of purpose, and measurable impact.”

Both leaders underscored the value of mission alignment. For a company like Bank of America, that means investing in early pathways to career readiness. For ICAN, it means offering no-cost youth programs that help young people build skills and confidence.

Pedersen encouraged nonprofit leaders to step back and assess the full journey of the children they serve. “Who else is leaving footprints along that path? Find those ecosystem partners and ask: How are we better together?”

Her advice for funders was just as clear: “Be in the room. Help us build. Be a part of shaping the plan.”

Vanderpool added that the greatest opportunities come when leaders start where they are. “Look at your own organization. What can you do to prepare your employees or the people you serve for what’s next? When we all focus on what’s in our control, the collective outcome becomes much greater.”