Corporate, nonprofit partnerships creating sustainable change

PHOENIX, Ariz. (STN) – There is a misconception that nonprofit organizations should not be allowed to operate within the same guidelines as counterparts in the for-profit sector. In reality, nonprofits need to function like for-profit businesses in certain situations.

St. Vincent de Paul and Delta Dental Foundation of Arizona are in the eighth year of a 10-year partnership. Barb Kozuh, Executive Director for Delta Dental of Arizona Foundation, said the organizations’ missions dovetail perfectly. Kozuh appeared in the March episode of ‘It Happens at STN’ with Ryan Corry, Chief Philanthropy Officer at St. Vincent de Paul. Together, they discussed how and why their partnership works so well in the McQuaid Mission panel discussion.

“We want to improve the health in our community. And you’re not healthy if you don’t have access to food, housing, dental care and medical care,” said Kozuh. This is why their partnership with St. Vincent de Paul works so well. Kozuh explained that integrating medical preventative services with the supportive services that St. Vincent de Paul offers helps their clients get back on their feet and on a path toward permanent housing.

“One thing that St. Vincent de Paul does particularly well is make sure that we prevent eviction for families,” said Ryan Corry. But, sometimes, the folks at St. Vincent de Paul can’t prevent their clients from eviction, said Corry. St. Vincent de Paul has a plethora of services, including free medical and dental care to help their clients when they have been forced out of their homes.

Watch the St. Vincent de Paul panel discussion here:

Nonprofits working to end homelessness received significant funding from the American Rescue Act during COVID, but those funds will run out. That is why corporate and nonprofit partnerships are crucial to the success of organizations working to end homelessness. 

UMOM New Day Centers CEO, Jackson Fonder, has seen how these types of partnerships work from both sides of the equation as a former employee at USAA. He said relationship building is key to finding long-term success for corporate and nonprofit partners. “Amy and I say it all the time. We rely on this community to move the needle on homelessness and corporate partnerships are a major part of that,” explained Fonder.

Schwabenlender, CEO of Keys to Change, said the only way to keep more people housed is to keep the focus on prevention and have enough housing options for everyone who wants to live in Arizona. “We need funding to keep doing the work we are doing because there are more people entering homelessness every day,” said Schwabenlender.

According to the Maricopa Association of Governments, from 2019 to 2023 unsheltered homelessness in Maricopa County increased by 54%. Click here to view their most recent report on the homelessness statistics in Arizona.

To find out about the work St. Vincent de Paul is doing to end homelessness click here.