Selfish Giving For The Little Guys

July 24, 2008

Here is an excellent post from fundraiser Joe Waters, who blogs at Selfish Giving.

Joe offers smart advice on how small- and mid-size nonprofits should pitch cause marketing relationships to small- and mid-sized businesses.

Two of his observations:

"As a mid-size nonprofit working with similar sized businesses on cause marketing programs I always get questions on how cause marketing will impact the bottom-line. I find that larger businesses are less concerned with cause marketing being a sales driver and can afford to lump it under the do-nothing moniker of "branding." But not so with small business owners. Every dollar spent has to drive sales and grow the business."

Indeed, that’s why Joe prefers to call cause marketing "selfish giving." He adds:

"Unlike the media salesman that wants you to write a check for another flight of ads, the cause marketer wants access to something that you (the business) value but costs you nothing to deliver: your customers."

Here are the questions Joe answers …

  • Will my participation in a cause marketing program boost sales?
  • How does the costs of cause marketing compare to other types of media (e.g. radio, TV, print, billboard, etc.) I invest in?
  • How is cause marketing different from the other ways I invest my time and money to promote my business?
  • If I run a point-of-sale program, how do I handle customer questions on how much my business is donating?
  • Don’t customers find these programs a hassle and would rather not be bothered?
  • If I do this for you every charity in the City will be hitting me up to do something similar or to give them money. Won’t I have a gigantic bulls eye on my business?
  • When I die and go to hell, can I use my cause marketing efforts as "Get out of hell" free card?

Good questions … practical advice. Joe, you deserve a raise!

Tom

 

Posted by tbelford | Filed Under You Deserve a Raise, cause marketing, fundraising | Leave a Comment 

Buy Dove

July 8, 2008

I’m an unabashed shill for Dove’s Campaign for Real Beauty, which aims to improve the self-esteem of teen girls.

The Campaign plans to reach 5 million girls by 2010, with most outreach through the Girl Scouts. Dove’s Self-Esteem Fund will spend $1.5-2 million this year.

Are they doing enough? Dove will rake in $2.5 billion in sales this year. Is anyone ever doing enough? Is anyone "clean" enough. I think this Real Beauty effort is for real.

The Campaign’s latest turn is described here by the NY Times, and here is "Under Pressure," the latest in their series of attention-getting videos.

Tom

 

Posted by tbelford | Filed Under Don't Miss these Posts, cause marketing, creativity | 1 Comment 

Thank You For Stealing

July 1, 2008

 

The maxim very successful fundraisers live by was set forth by George Bernard Shaw 80 years ago: "The mediocre borrow, genius steals."

In short, when you see a winning concept, campaign, technique, whatever, just steal it. Adapt it. Run with it.
Which brings me to today’s plea: All of us need to be sending more samples of good and great campaign or one-off efforts to SOFII the marvelous fundraising attic (aka: swipe file) where you can find all kinds of useful, informative and stealable stuff.
SOFFI just posted its June additions yesterday. For example:
§ActionAid’s controversial Bollocks to Poverty campaign.
§ Inspirational direct mail from a seven-year-old schoolgirl.
§ How Giving Scotland turned a crisis into a triumph.
§ A simple but brilliant idea for involving business people in the fight against heart disease.
§ Croatia’s campaign for mobility and independence for blind people.
§ A small organisation’s low-cost solution to recognising donors.
§ Hannah’s make and bake cake and biscuit sale.
§ The launch of a high level monthly giving product designed to upgrade donors in their thousands.
§ How a beautiful flower, the Edelweiss, became an involvement device and a symbol of hope for a hospice in Romania.
§ Make–A-Wish and upgrade your donors.

§ Twenty years before Barack Obama, the tale of an African American’s bid for the White House. Common Cause takes on the excesses of the American legislature. [Hey, this is copy I wrote 20+ years ago, long before "mid-level donor programs" were even a glimmer in whatever consultants’ eyes and it’s still good, he says, in all modesty :) ]

Seriously, so much great thinking, great creative and great innovation occurs every day in our trade, but we need to be far more energetic in sharing it with the rest of our world.

So please, vow to take 15 minutes, find one or two samples and get it up on SOFII’s site.

Thank you for stealing.

Roger

Posted by rcraver | Filed Under Uncategorized, advocacy, cause marketing, charities, communications, copywriting, creativity, direct mail, direct marketing, drtv, email marketing, fun | Leave a Comment 

Is Cause Marketing Right For You?

June 25, 2008

Most of us, when we think of cause marketing, probably think it’s relevant to only the biggest and "safest" nonprofit brands, like Habitat for Humanity or Bono’s RED.

But here’s down-to-earth advice from Selfish Giving blogger Joe Waters, for whom cause marketing is only part of his day job. He says that, if you set realistic expectations, cause marketing can be a worthy component of many nonprofits’ fundraising and communications toolkits.

He’s right.

Tom

Posted by tbelford | Filed Under cause marketing | Leave a Comment 

Celebrity Power

June 23, 2008

Of course not every nonprofit has access to a celebrity to help raise its profie … or fundraise.

But if you do, should you jump at the chance?

This article from the NY Times provides some excellent insights into the world of celebrity marketing. Does it work? You bet your Rihanna umbrella … your Patrick Demsey cologne … your Nicole Kidman perfume it does!

Here’s why.

First and foremost, sheer awareness … capturing attention:

“As consumers, we see over 3,156 images a day. We’re just not conscious of them,” says Marshal Cohen, from consumer research firm NPD Group. “Our subconscious records maybe 150, and only 30 or so reach our conscious behavior. If I have a celebrity as part of that message, I just accelerated the potential for my product to reach the conscious of the consumer.”

Second, emotional connecton trumps rationality:

Even savvy, skeptical consumers who understand that stars are paid to support a product may still rely on an endorsement and buy the brand anyway, says Robert Cialdini, a professor of psychology and marketing at Arizona State University.

“We’ve used our cognitive capacity to build a sophisticated informational and technological environment,” he says. But overloaded with information and stimulation, shoppers’ brains revert to a more primitive, raw association of celebrity and product, Mr. Cialdini explains.

So, should we all jump on the phone to Nicole Kidman’s agent? You wish!

Assuming you can access a celebrity, there are obvious issues of "fit" (Is there any actual compatibility between your nonprofit mission, your target audience and the celebrity, or relevance that connects the two "brands"?) and "durability" (What is the desired lifespan of this relationship and how might the affair turn sour?) that need to be assessed.

Is celebrity marketing limited to the "killer" brands of the nonprofit universe, like UNICEF and Amnesty International?

No, not at all.

Celebrities are defined by the pond in which they swim. If your nonprofit has a local or regional focus, there are still likely to be plenty of high profile personalities — outstanding athletes, media celebs, artists & performers — who just might help your nonprofit break through the clutter and help deliver your message.

And don’t forget … every star was born somewhere. It might just be your nonprofit’s hometown!

Happy celebrity hunting.

Tom

P.S. Don’t get your hopes up, Kidman was born in Australia. Rihanna in Barbados. But Patrick Dempsey … Lewiston, Maine!

 

Posted by tbelford | Filed Under Don't Miss these Posts, branding, cause marketing, celebrities, communications, fundraising | Leave a Comment 

Red … Tell Your Critics To Stuff It!

February 6, 2008

I just can't believe the idiocy communicated in today's NYTimes article on the Bono/Bobby Shriver cause marketing venture called Red.

The NYTimes covers all the bases …

One bunch of bleeding hearts doesn't think Red is generating enough money. In just over a year it's generated $22 million to fight H.I.V. and AIDS in Rwanda, and $59 million overall to the Global Fund (nearly all its corporate money).

Another group of yoyo's thinks the companies involved are too self-promotional. Merchants exist to promote … DUH! If my company gave away $1 million to fight AIDS, you bet your ass I'd tell my customers, my potential customers, my suppliers, my investors, and all my living relatives.

Then there are the moralists who just don't like the entire notion of people giving as consumers, as opposed to donors. Last time anyone in Rwanda suffering from AIDS looked, a buck was a buck.

And finally, we have the academic pinheads who worry that “business marketing is taking on the petina of philanthropy and crowding out philanthropic activity (take that Bill Gates!) and even substituting for it.” Thank god these guys aren't let out of the classroom too much.

Says another patronizing academic: “Do we really want something as important as H.I.V-AIDS to be funded by holiday shoppers?” No, god forbid, Dr. Baker, we don't want the riff-raff involved … we'll leave it to you and your departmental bake sales. That will get the job done.

To satisfy all these critics, perhaps Red should just retrieve its $59 million and give it back to these misguided consumers who aren't worthy to be involved in such rarified matters as saving lives. Say it was all a mistake … the money is tainted, not given for pure-as-snow reasons.

Then I'll call upon Dr. Baker or one of his colleagues to write to Dr. Anita Asiimwe at the Treatment and Research AIDS Center in Kingali, Rwanda. Dr. Asiimwe clearly needs to be set straight by these American academics, because here is what she thinks:

“When I was going to medical school a few years back, we would see patients and send them home knowing they were going to die without medication. I don't feel that way now. The money we get from Red through the Global Fund is helping to save lives. That's the important thing.”

Oh, and Dr Baker, don't forget to send your $59 million bake sale check!

Tom

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I Like Walmart

January 25, 2008

And I'm not the least bit ashamed.

This week, Lee Scott, CEO of Walmart, delivered a speech to his store managers called The Company of the Future. I urge you to read it.

In the speech, Scott sets forth a series of pro-social goals for the corporate behemoth. He says in effect, that with enormous power comes enormous responsibility. He illustrates that there's nothing but upside to using Walmart's market power to advance environmental, health care and other social improvements. And he ties those aspirations to the values and self-regard of Walmart's employees.

Ironically, the same day Bill Gates was giving a speech to a much more rarified audience in Davos, sounding a similar theme of “creative capitalism” and noting that the market could deliver far more resources to “doing good” than governments and charities. Cool.

But somehow, I think Scott's speech will produce more results than Bill's, because Scott is actually imbedding a responsible worldview in the fabric of his company and its rank-and-file. Gates is still leveraging his private wealth.

I write of all this because so many nonprofits are struggling with the issue of how they should relate these days to the corporate world. Should they bash corporate excess or harness market forces. Should they advance their missions via the powerful machinery of corporate PR and advertising?

To me, these are “no-brainers.”

The ultimate head-in-the-sand position would be to adopt an anti-corporate stance as a matter of principle. Sure, there are plenty of corporate bad actors … and outright villainous ones. Sometimes we should just sue the bastards!

But that's not a valid reason for throwing the baby out with the bathwater.

The power of the marketplace to effect change is stupendous … and undeniable. As just one example, soon or later — and I believe sooner — billions of dollars will be made by inventors and entrepreneurs working on alternative energy sources. And in so doing, they will have more positive and direct impact on our environment than any constellation of environmental groups.

Al Gore thinks he might urge students to lay down in front of bulldozers to stop contruction of coal-fired power plants. That's cool.

Meantime, over the last two years, with aggressive low pricing, Walmart sold 145,000,000 low-energy light bulbs, enough to offset the need for three such plants (while saving customers $4 billion over the life of the bulbs).

Do I want to see Walmart wade into these issues. You bet I do … warts and all (for any human enterprise bigger than say, two people — from the Red Cross to Walmart — will have warts). I have no problem with win/win situations.

Do I want to see nonprofits collaborate with the Walmarts of the world? Absolutely!

Corporate and market power is a reality. It behooves nonprofits to do everything they can to channel and harness that power. Public opinion polling by both nonprofit and corporate sponsors delivers a consistent message … the public is expressing higher and higher expectations that corporations must behave in a pro-social manner. Nonprofits must, forgive the expression, capitalize upon those expectations.

Do nonprofits need to proceed with caution? Absolutely.

They need to be very explicit about their goals in any corporate relationship, and totally convinced that the purposes of each party, though not necessarily exactly the same, are clearly aligned. Genuine, substantial program advancement must be at the core of the relationship. And of course, they must be satisifed with the core integrity of their partners.

So right on, Lee Scott! Today you get an Agitator raise … on the condition that you donate it to charity.

Tom

Posted by admin | Filed Under You Deserve a Raise, cause marketing, nonprofit management | 1 Comment 

“Idol Gives Back” Starts Giving Back

October 30, 2007

Awhile back The Agitator applauded the “Idol Gives Back” extravaganza in which program sponsors and voting fans donated more than $75 million to fight illness and poverty in Africa.

Critics ranged from saying this project was simply promotional hype to arguing that the money given by fans was faux charity, since they were really paying to vote for an entertainer, with the cause being purely incidental.

To which we said cowpies!

We won't repeat our arguments here.

We simply want to point you to this International Herald Tribune article on where the donated funds are actually now flowing.

To groups you might have heard of — UNICEF, Malaria No More, Nothing But Nets, Save the Children, the Global Fund to Fights AIDS, TB and Malaria, and others — who are fighting specific diseases, helping victims of genocide, getting dropouts back in school and ameliorating poverty across a broad range of programs.

Are the “donors” of these funds really donors? While philanthropic scholars debate the issue, millions of lives are being improved … many outright saved.

That's good enough for us. Case closed.

Roger & Tom

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Do You Stand For Something

October 26, 2007

This is not a question. It's a fairly new blog from Cone, Inc. focused on cause-marketing … or what they call cause branding.

Either way, if you're thinking about associating your nonprofit or cause with a corporate partner (or vice versa), there's no better source of advice and insight than Cone. This blog opens the door to their 25+ years of experience in the field.

Founder Carol Cone, a social justice-inspired child of the 60's, started Cone in 1980. Her first cause branding project linked then-unknown Rockport footwear to the “cause” of walking for fitness and health. Rockport became The Walking Shoe Company. Since then, Cone has bonded dozens of corporations and causes in deeply authentic ways … from Reebok and human rights to Avon and breast cancer.

From a nonprofit's perspective, learning how to leverage the reach and visibility of socially-responsible businesses with integrity and impact, whether in a local community or globally, must be part of today's marketing equation.

Doyoustandforsomething.com provides an excellent resource for both novices and seasoned nonprofit marketers.

Check it out.

Roger & Tom

Posted by admin | Filed Under Don't Miss these Posts, cause marketing | Leave a Comment 

Cause Marketing Advice

October 12, 2007

Brian Reich at Cone has written this helpful series of profiles on the following cause marketing initiatives:

  • Alliance for Climate Protection (Al Gore's project)
  • “Start!” — a campaign of the American Heart Assn to combat adult inactivity
  • Timberland's multi-faceted integration of philanthropic objectives into business practices
  • Dove's “Real Beauty” campaign aimed at improving the self-esteem of teen girls

The article also links to this media release on the 2007 Cone Cause Evolution Survey.

Surprise, surprise … more than ever, consumers say that pro-social business behavior is important to their purchase decisions. And as employees, people want to see their companies act responsibly … and visibly so.

Some different numbers from the survey struck The Agitator though:

  • 22% have used the internet to engage in grassroots activism
  • 37% have gone online in search of issue information
  • 38% have forwarded issue messages to family and friends

Reich's article is pretty basic … best for beginners taking a first look at cause marketing.

Tom

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