diff --git a/src/components/sponsors/reports/ByItemView.js b/src/components/sponsors/reports/ByItemView.js
index dce029a0a..1f644ef72 100644
--- a/src/components/sponsors/reports/ByItemView.js
+++ b/src/components/sponsors/reports/ByItemView.js
@@ -177,10 +177,20 @@ export const groupLinesBySponsorItem = (rows = []) => {
       purchasedCount: items.filter((it) => it.qty > 0).length
     };
   });
-  groups.sort(
-    (a, b) =>
-      b.totalQty - a.totalQty || a.sponsorName.localeCompare(b.sponsorName)
-  );
+  // Nothing sorts the sponsor accordions explicitly (the column headers reorder
+  // items WITHIN a group), so they default to alphabetical, unknown bucket last.
+  // That test keys on the NAME, not sponsorId, because the card title renders as
+  // `sponsorName || "Unknown sponsor"` — sorting on what the card displays keeps
+  // every "Unknown sponsor" card together at the end. (The pivot tree keys on
+  // the id instead, which splits them: a blank-named sponsor shows the unknown
+  // label but sorts first.) This also decides which sponsors land on which
+  // client-side page.
+  groups.sort((a, b) => {
+    if (!a.sponsorName !== !b.sponsorName) return a.sponsorName ? -1 : 1;
+    return a.sponsorName
+      .toLowerCase()
+      .localeCompare(b.sponsorName.toLowerCase());
+  });
   return groups;
 };
 
@@ -639,7 +649,7 @@ const ByItemView = ({
           >
             <ItemTable
               // Sorting reorders items WITHIN each sponsor; the sponsor
-              // accordions keep their own fixed totalQty order.
+              // accordions stay alphabetical.
               items={sortItems(group.items, order, orderDir)}
               keyFor={(item) => itemKey(group, item)}
               expandedItems={expandedItems}
diff --git a/src/components/sponsors/reports/__tests__/ByItemView.test.js b/src/components/sponsors/reports/__tests__/ByItemView.test.js
index 46aafdaf6..666df5c5b 100644
--- a/src/components/sponsors/reports/__tests__/ByItemView.test.js
+++ b/src/components/sponsors/reports/__tests__/ByItemView.test.js
@@ -106,7 +106,7 @@ describe("groupLinesBySponsorItem", () => {
     expect(group.items.find((i) => i.itemCode === "B").totalCents).toBe(100);
   });
 
-  it("sorts items qty desc then orders desc, sponsors by totalQty desc", () => {
+  it("sorts items qty desc then orders desc", () => {
     const rows = [
       line({ sponsor: { id: 1, name: "Small" }, item_code: "A", quantity: 1 }),
       line({
@@ -124,9 +124,25 @@ describe("groupLinesBySponsorItem", () => {
       })
     ];
     const groups = groupLinesBySponsorItem(rows);
-    expect(groups.map((g) => g.sponsorName)).toEqual(["Big", "Small"]);
+    const big = groups.find((g) => g.sponsorName === "Big");
     // C: qty 9, orders 2 beats B: qty 9, orders 1
-    expect(groups[0].items.map((i) => i.itemCode)).toEqual(["C", "B"]);
+    expect(big.items.map((i) => i.itemCode)).toEqual(["C", "B"]);
+  });
+
+  it("sorts sponsor groups alphabetically, not by qty, with unknown last", () => {
+    const rows = [
+      line({ sponsor: { id: 1, name: "zeta" }, quantity: 1 }),
+      line({ sponsor: null, quantity: 1 }),
+      // Biggest qty by far — it still sorts on name, not units.
+      line({ sponsor: { id: 2, name: "Nokia" }, quantity: 99 }),
+      line({ sponsor: { id: 3, name: "acme" }, quantity: 1 })
+    ];
+    expect(groupLinesBySponsorItem(rows).map((g) => g.sponsorName)).toEqual([
+      "acme",
+      "Nokia",
+      "zeta",
+      ""
+    ]);
   });
 
   it("passes canceled lines through as contributors with isCanceled", () => {