Cause Marketing

Helping local NPO’s tap into this potential source of support

Charlie Mason □ Al May □ John Brooks

“Cause marketing is a strategic marketing partnership that pairs a company or brand with a social cause or cause-related organization for mutual benefit.”

Cause Marketing Forum

The term: “cause-related marketing”

Introduced by

in 1983

$1.7MM, 28% increase in card usage

Consumers approve

83% want their productsto support causes

67% won't cannibalize other giving

Consumers most motivated

For Corporations…

…it is a way to simultaneously demonstrate a sense of social responsibility and satisfy shareholders’ demands for increased profits and market share.

97% see CM as valid business strategy

Currently 67% use CM

Conditions for mutual success

OrganizationFit

ContinuingCommunications

InstitutionalSupport

The “other” possible partner

NPO

CorporationMedia

Scope of support

Types of Cause Marketing

• Message Focused -- utilize business resources to share a specific cause-focused message 

• Events -- partner a cause and a company to raise money via runs, walks, celebrations, etc.

• Licensing -- legally permits use of nonprofit brand by a company in exchange for a licensing fee 

• Transactional -- unlocks a business donation on purchase • Digital -- utilize online microsites or social media to unlock

business donations

• Contest to support kids’ education by inviting participants to tell the story of what their school needs with videos, pictures and an essay

• Voting generated donations to DonorsChoose.org

Our School Needs (OSN)

Best Digital Campaign 2011

• Social media: Twitter parties, Blog Tours, cause blog, playlist on YouTube, contest webinar

• Teacher incentive• Bing launched

Double-Your-Impact with DonorsChoose.org, to helpschools that submitted entries to OSN but were not determined to be winners

Best Digital Campaign 2011

Our School Needs (OSN)

Best Digital Campaign 2011

• Results: – $200,000 from Bing– 422 teachers participated in the incentive and drove 6,926

redemptions to 565 projects. – 2,711 public school classroom projects funded in all 50

states, affecting 252,974 students

Our School Needs (OSN)

• Overall strategy– Use PR to drive awareness– Cause marketing helps gain repeat coverage

• 4th of July weekend–

– Promoted locally and nationally– Donation for each bagel sold– Sales way up over traditional

volume

Good resource

www.causemarketingforum.com

Shoestring Cause Marketing:Getting “Zing” When You Have

No “Bling”

CCA’s Thanksgiving Food Basket Initiative

•Held annually for more than 25 years;•Provides turkeys and bags of holiday-related food to more than 1,500 low-income families, seniors and persons with disabilities;•Involves churches, civic groups, CT Food Bank, schools… and now, increasingly, businesses.

Business Partner Selection

• Start with those who know you, i.e. Board members, other supporters;

• Best candidates: businesses that rely on walk-in traffic;

• Make it easy to participate;• If cash donations are sought; stay away from

businesses where staff rely on tips.• Publicize, publicize, publicize your partners’

involvement.

Other campaign tips

• Track results – increased sales, increased PR, number of items donated per location, etc.

• Recognize your partners & thank them;• Look for ways to expand the partnerships in the

future, i.e., coupons, collection cans, helping to introduce partners to potential customers, other mutually beneficial efforts.

How Can CRM Work For Your Organization?

How Can CRM Work For Your Organization?

• First, seek out a business that is not controversial or that does not inherently go against your organization’s mission, vision and values.

• Identify businesses with large customer base.

• Look for a company that has an established marketing/advertising program.

Local Initiatives

Local Initiatives

• 10% of total commission on all group medical policies sold is donated to the policyholder’s charity of choice.

Local Initiatives

Metro Taxi dressed one of its cabs with "Take Heart, Take Notice" decals and a red rooftop advertisement and donated $1 from each fare driven in that taxi to help fund American Heart Association educational & programs.

How Can CRM Work For Your Organization?

• Remember, it’s a partnership.• Do not get stuck becoming a marketing firm.• Do not become an extension of the company sales force.• Agree to the terms and then get everything in writing.• Remember the value that your organization’s name and

reputation brings to the agreement.• Ask for a minimum revenue guarantee for the use of your

organization’s name.

Additional Resources

• www.afp.net

• www.sponsorship.com

• www.coneinc.com

• www.causerelatedmarketing.blogspot.com

Questions?