Earlier this year, the Coca Cola Foundation gave UM $540,000 to provide 12 first-generation college students with tuition support, internship/field study experience stipends and a book stipend for four years. The students are a part of the Hammond Scholars program, which has a graduation rate of over 95 percent. Gonzalez said Coca Cola’s mission supports students who are the first in their families to attend college. “We have a lot of students who fit that description.”

Fundraisers say more and more, businesses are making donations based on results. Tanya Ferreiro, a principal with Miami-based Kaufman, Rossin & Co. who leads the non-profit practice group, says she sees more givers looking at ratios to ensure they donate to charities that effectively manage their budgets. Ideally, she says, they like to see that 80 cents of every dollar is going to meet objectives or mission of non profit.

Kathleen Cannon, CEO of United Way of Broward County, says she now works harder to show why her organization is worthy of corporate giving. “I’m putting effort into trying to tell our story, our mission. In the past we would tell a general story. Now, we have to be targeted and laser focused when sharing what changes we are making to improve the community.”

Cannon says it has been challenging to get employers to launch new giving campaigns for the United Way because many are reticent to ask more from employees. Since 2009, her organization has seen only a 4 percent increase in giving through its workplace campaigns. In Broward, the United Way’s biggest donor in 2011 was Publix Supermarkets, which matched employee contributions and gave a total of $2.5 million. “Some companies understand that giving boosts morale,” she said. “Employees want to see an investment in the community where they live.”