The holidays offer a prime opportunity to highlight the Nonprofits, Charities & Associations category, in which more than 6,600 brands are buying sponsorship or media, averaging two sponsorship deals per property. Within major pro sports in the US, more than 140 are buying Community/Cause-related assets in this category, led by Youth Initiative Cause, Health Issues Cause, and Military or First Responders Cause, in that order. 

With 40 sponsorships, AARP is the category leader by number of deals, partnering with the Houston Astros, Sporting Kansas City, and the San Antonio Spurs, among others. Army ROTC, American Cancer Association, and He Gets Us tie for the second spot with 24 deals each, while the American Red Cross takes third with 20 sponsorships, including the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Chicago Marathon, and US Open Tennis.

The category saw an array of inspired activations this year. Pathways Alliance, Canada’s largest oil sands company, sponsored a “Quarterback Challenge” with the Canadian Football League, where participants tested their accuracy by throwing a football through one of three targets. Patriot Peak Foundation did a crowd-favorite “Huey Helicopter Flyover” during an Iowa State Cyclones game, and in another creative partnership, PAWS Chicago joined forces with Chicago Fire FC to introduce the players to the organization’s rescue dogs, where the athletes shared their personal experiences with man’s best friends to promote pet adoption.

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