keeping the passion alive: avon and breakthrough's 21 year partnership
TRANSCRIPT
Keeping the Passion Alive
Avon & Breakthrough’s 21 year partnership
James Kirkland
Corporate Partnerships Manager
Brief Résumé
Breakthrough Breast Cancer • Created in 1991 to develop the
world’s first dedicated breast cancer research centre
• Committed to developing cures for primary and secondary breast cancer
• Finances 270 scientists and clinicians across the UK
• Funds the world’s largest study into the inter-generational causes of breast cancer
• Fundraising income of £18m in 2011/12
Avon Cosmetics • 1 in 3 British women have an Avon
Representative in their social circle
• 170,000 Representatives in the UK
• Established the Avon Breast Cancer Crusade in 1992, starting in the UK with Breakthrough
• Has donated £510 million across 58 countries to breast cancer research and care
• Four Avon lipsticks are sold every second worldwide
How We Fundraise
• ‘In One Day’ fundraising efforts
• CRM Products (2-3 per year)
• PoS Pins (design changes each year)
• Head Office Fundraising (concentrated on BCAM)
• Pink Pamper Party (all year round)
– At Avon sales events
– At third party venues
– Fundraising by Avon Customers
• Fundmatching/philanthropy
• Up-sell/Cross-sell: moving supporters to new challenges and fundraising opportunities
Lesson 1: Shared interests
• Avon prides itself on being “the company for women” - empowering women through self-employment, flexibility and earning power
• Supports causes that can act as the next step in that empowerment and fit with its business model
– Truly global women’s issues
– Has a broad prevalence across society
– Affects people at the heart for their family
– A common link for a dispersed workforce
– Under-reported due to cultural issues
Lesson 1: Shared interests
0
100
200
300
400
500
600
700
800
20-29 30-39 40-49 50-59 60-69
Inci
de
nce
pe
r 1
00
,00
0 P
op
Breast Cancer Incidence by Age Group
£-
£200
£400
£600
£800
£1,000
£1,200
£1,400
£1,600
20-29 30-39 40-49 50-59 60-69
Average Total Gift Amounts by Age Group by Avon Supporters
Source: Cancer Research UK: Breast cancer incidence statistics 2010 Source: Breakthrough FRV Analysis Jan 2013
Lesson 2: Think big, get bigger
• The Breast Cancer Crusade
– Begins with a challenge for Avon Reps to raise £1m for the research centre through PoS pin sold in aid of Breakthrough
– Crusade fundraising for Breakthrough extends to CRM products
– Campaign is adopted in the US in 1995 and then in 50+ other markets
• Kiss Goodbye to Breast Cancer
– Breakthrough and Avon develop a petition to Downing Street
– KGBTBC taken global for 10th anniversary of the Crusade: raised £1.6m for Breakthrough in 1 day
– Raised over $250m worldwide
Lesson 3: Create together
• Dr Avons
– 2-4 Clinical Fellows based at the Research Centre on 3 year PhDs
– Funded directly by Avon
– Key to humanising and connecting research to supporters and fundraisers
• Target Discovery Team & Avon Academy (coming soon!)
– Direct funding of a whole research team
– Starts in 2013 for two years
– Spread across UK to give local relevance
• Talk Touch, Look, Check
– Breast cancer awareness campaign launched in 2006
– Avon talked to 1m women in 1 day about TLC
– Features in all Avon campaign literature to reach millions of women in the UK
– Key information channel: offers Avon reps the chance to offer advice at events with a trustworthy resource
Lesson 4: Get everyone involved
• Engagement with the Crusade runs from top to bottom of Avon
• £1m day driven by a key (senior) individual
• Engagement centred on the CRM Marketing Unit
• Direct connection with Avon Representatives through Pink Pamper Party
• Continuous messaging through the Avon catalogue
• Online and social network contact – Avon Connects community
Avon Representatives
MD Avon UK
CRM
Marketing
Unit
Product
design Sales
Leaders
HQ
Fundraising
Avon
Catalogue
Lesson 5: Commitment and Challenges
Commitment
• Continuity of:
– Shared interests
– Of personnel (on both sides)
– Of message
• Include partners in your strategy decisions and consultations
• Make the partner known throughout the charity at all levels and to all your supporters
• Be clear that they are more important to you than other partners
Challenges
• Engaging new representatives takes time
• Maintaining fundraising relationships with ex-Avon representatives
• The move to online selling
• Science of breast cancer has changed dramatically since 1991
• Getting the ‘pulse’ of fundraising right
• The Economy
Thank You
James Kirkland
Corporate Partnerships Manager
Breakthrough Breast Cancer
020 7025 2456