CASE STUDY

Global Software Company Earns 321 Homepage Placements via Nonprofit Sponsorships

Summary:

To build a natural and diverse backlink profile, our client ran a nonprofit sponsorship campaign that earned 321 links from homepages to a new sales page. The effort boosted search visibility while reinforcing brand values with real community exposure.

Results Snapshot

  • 321 homepage links secured
  • Links built to key product page
  • Client featured in nonprofit newsletters
  • Promoted via social and event channels
  • Reached 300+ grassroots communities
Download this case study

Summarize with:

Challenge

The client wanted to stay top of mind in a highly competitive search environment with numerous, well-known competitors.

Our champion, a seasoned outreach manager with extensive expertise, came into the campaign with a strong and well-maintained backlink profile. However, like many large brands, most of their existing links originated from guest posts, press coverage, or internal content.

The brief was clear but demanding: build hundreds of branded links to a key subdomain in a way that diversified the link profile while adhering to strict brand guidelines.

At the same time, the internal link-building team was focused on other outreach priorities. Bandwidth was limited and the team needed to build hundreds of links within a tight timeline.

OUR SOLUTION

Working with Citation Labs, our partner, ZipSprout designed a targeted sponsorship strategy to support the client’s link goals through trusted community partnerships.

The campaign focused on a single objective: building branded, high-credibility links to the client’s subdomain—using placements that felt natural, aligned, and publicly visible.

Every link came from the home page of a vetted nonprofit or community organization, accompanied by the client’s logo and brand-safe language.

ZipSprout prioritized creative with thematic alignment partners and existing brand affinity, ensuring every sponsorship felt organic.

To earn these community sponsorships, the team managed every detail: outreach, coordination, content alignment, QA, and reporting.

Key Features

  • Homepage-only placements: Every link came from the homepage of a nonprofit or community organization, not subpages or blogs
  • Branded presence: Each placement included the client’s logo and language aligned with brand guidelines
  • Single target focus: All links pointed to the client’s subdomain, creating consistent authority for a high-priority product
  • Creative-aligned orgs: Partnerships focused on nonprofits in art, design, and education for natural brand relevance
  • End-to-end execution: ZipSprout managed outreach, sponsorships, content alignment, and QA with no oversight required from the internal team

OUR PROCESS

The campaign was built for precision, brand alignment, and operational scale. The Zipsrout team executed their process without draining the client’s internal resources.

The Process:

  1. Created a campaign roadmap based on the client’s link target, budget, and branding standards.
  2. Identified nonprofits with homepage placement opportunities, prioritizing those in thematic spaces.
  3. Source prospects from a curated database of over 140,000 non-profits and additional manual research.
  4. Used a two-phase vetting process: first confirming nonprofit interest and fit, then securing final approval from the client before sponsorship.
  5. Balanced the budget across high- and low-cost opportunities to maximize link volume without compromising quality.
  6. Provided orgs with brand-safe logo files and approved language to ensure every placement met the client’s standards.
  7. Verified homepage links post-placement and delivered consistent updates throughout the campaign.
  8. Shared reporting with the Citation Labs team in the preferred format of the client’s department.

TOOLS

To help identify the link gaps, build the campaign, and customize the reporting, we used our custom link-building tool Suite: Link Launch.

ROADBLOCKS

While the campaign ran smoothly from the client’s perspective, it required constant coordination behind the scenes.

The homepage-only requirement significantly narrowed the pool of eligible partners. Many nonprofits were eager to participate, but few could guarantee visible homepage placement. Others needed multiple reminders or hands-on guidance, particularly when the org was volunteer-run or unfamiliar with digital sponsorships.

ZipSprout also had to disqualify entire categories of organizations to maintain brand safety, further limiting the eligible pool and increasing the effort required to fulfill the link target.

Even when a match was identified, approval delays sometimes slowed progress. Internal bandwidth created occasional stalls, putting otherwise viable placements at risk.

Throughout, ZipSprout maintained full brand compliance.

This meant getting every detail right (placement, partner, and execution) across dozens of organizational workflows.

RESULTS

ZipSprout placed 321 branded homepage links for the client.

Each placement came from a vetted nonprofit or community organization and pointed directly to the client’s subdomain, reinforcing credibility and visibility across trusted, hyper-local sites.
But the value went far beyond backlinks.

The campaign put the client in front of real, grassroots communities: artists, educators, and creative nonprofits—where the brand message resonated.

Many organizations promoted their sponsorship through social media, email newsletters, and event listings, giving the client an additional layer of exposure that extended beyond search.

The campaign blended community goodwill with measurable SEO value, creating a layer of brand familiarity and relevance that no guest post or directory link could replicate. It was attention earned in the right places, from the right voices.

Key Results:

  • 321 homepage links placed
  • 100% pointed to the client’s subdomain
  • 100% brand-aligned and logo-inclusive
  • All hosted on vetted nonprofit/community org homepages
  • Social, newsletter, and event exposure layered on top
  • Reached a hyper-relevant, grassroots audience
  • Reinforced brand values, earning goodwill

WHAT'S NEXT

The client renewed the campaign with ZipSprout, repeating the same format to expand its presence across more grassroots organizations and high-trust nonprofit homepages.

The team is now exploring new ways to connect with community partners through values-aligned visibility efforts, such as Coupons for Good and Surveys for Good. These initiatives extend beyond SEO, helping brands like the client show up in local conversations in ways that are useful, generous, and credible.

This campaign set the foundation for a long-term approach to brand alignment: building visibility where it matters most, through organizations people already trust.

THE CLIENT

A software company that provides digital tools for marketers, designers, and small to large businesses, supported by multiple specialized product teams.

  • Industry: Software / Digital tools
  • Size: 10,000+ employees
  • Location: San Jose, California