by Jason Dick on February 22, 2008
The (Red) Campaign is evidence of something even bigger going on here than just cause marketing. If our shopping in even a subtle tiny way can begin to make a difference, it makes me ask, “What else can?” I think that we are being provided the opportunity to look at fundraising and giving/donating as a lifestyle. The products we purchase the places we go can affect the world around us in a profound way.
One thing that (Red) has shown us is that businesses can do social good. I’ve been reading Bill Clinton’s book, Giving, and he has a chapter discussing this very issue.
“There are enormous opportunities for businesses to increase profits, and for NGOs to make contributors’ money go further, by organizing and enlarging [public good] markets.”- Bill Clinton, Giving
When businesses see a direct benefit to social good they start mass-producing this social good to a wider audience than the non-profit world has the ability to do. Look at the work that World of Good is doing. They have set up two organizations one that is non-profit and one that is for-profit. The non-profit organization sets up standards that any business can use to enact social good. The for-profit organization acts out those standards in a profit-making environment. They currently have a partnership with eBay setting up a community to highlight social good business ventures.
My point is that we live in a different world today where non-profits are having an impact in business. The (Red) Campaign in some ways is the forerunner of what I think the consumer world is going to demand more of. Already consumers tend to favor a product that is connected to benefiting a charity or cause in some way. As businesses continue to see this trend it could force them to take a real look at how they are giving. I think there is a real opportunity for businesses to differentiate themselves from their competitors based on how they run their foundations and charitable giving.
by Jason Dick on February 20, 2008
Have you heard of the (Red) Campaign? You have probably seen them partnering with huge organizations like GAP, American Express & Motorola. Basically the way the campaign works is you buy a (Red) product and they donate a percentage of that sale to the (Red) Campaign. They have received some negative press recently and I wanted to hear from you what your take on it is. For more details read:
The February 6, New York Times article
Joe Waters’, Selfish Giving, recent post
Susan Hyatt’s The Business Coach, Posting 1, 2, 3
One argument is that these organizations are spending more money marketing these products than they are giving money to Africa. Many say that shopping as a response to human suffering is disrespectful. Businesses need to be careful about how and why they get involved in cause marketing. I agree many businesses could do a lot more than they already are and that more money could be given than already is. It is important that businesses are transparent about how much they are actually giving.
Cause marketing is about more than just financial donation it is about raising awareness. The amount of air time, publicity, and recognition that (Red) has received is invaluable for The Global Fund. If no money was ever donated many charities will spend millions of dollars to receive the community recognition that (Red) has provided. Is shopping for a (Red) product disrespectful? If buying a (Red) product is all that you do and you think you are making a radical difference, maybe.
Ben Davis has started a movement called Buy (Less) CRAP and his idea is that instead of buying a computer to benefit Africa you should give directly to the non-profit and then all the money goes to the charity instead of just a percentage. Great idea, if we want to make a difference in our giving lets give to the source. However, we need computers, we need shirts, we need credit cards. Why not make a difference when I’m purchasing an every day product that I need in addition to my other giving.
Why did this issue make people so mad? I think that there is a larger question here. The problems in the world are bigger than our answers and often times we have a feeling of guilt that comes with our inability to save a life or make a difference. I’d love to talk to you more about the response I’ve found—send me an email and we can chat offline.
by Jason Dick on February 11, 2008
Cause marketing is all the rage now days. I have heard many organizations talk about how they are doing or want to do cause marketing. But what is it and how can you do it at your non-profit? Fortunately for us in the non-profit world we have Joe at Selfish Giving. He is an expert in cause marketing and he as offered to help us out and get us started.
What is cause marketing?
Cause marketing is a partnership between a for-profit and a non-profit for mutual profit. When I say “mutual profit” I mean two things: visibility and money. Both parties are trying to enhance their brands and generate revenue from the relationship. -Selfish Giving
How does it work? At the organization I’m a part of we have been doing cause marketing & marketing partnerships formally for about a year. We have had some little success and some medium size ones. I wrote Joe and he provided me with some great ideas I wanted to share with you as to how you can grow or build your existing program.
- Create partnerships with businesses that directly benefit from the work your organization does.
- Use your existing partnerships to create new marketing relationships and to branch off to working with other businesses in the same industry.
- Approach some local organizations and pitch an idea to their senior management.
Joe has created some great cause marketing tips to get you started check out his blog:
Have a few more questions? Feel free to ask Joe a question, visit Selfish Giving and post a comment. Go ahead and talk with some local businesses and get a program started. Let me know how it is going or post a comment about a marketing partnership you have at your organization right now. Some places to start could be your local grocery store, bank, or bookstores. Many of those organizations have existing programs to help out their local community.
by Jason Dick on January 17, 2008
Foundations of the past traditionally gave a large number of small grants to many different organizations. It was about helping as many organizations as possible and granting to organizations that had the very best proposals. I think that today (and it will continue in the future) foundations are starting to become more and more strategic. They are choosing specific problems or community/global areas that they want to make a difference in and are granting in large capacities to these organizations. They want more information and they want more outcomes. They are starting to ask real questions and really want to be a part of the non-profit’s current and future success. I know it is true with business foundations and from other conversations I’ve had it seems to be true in community foundations as well that they are giving out fewer grants at a higher dollar value.
One thing that I’ve been really encouraged to see from a number of foundations is their commitment to matching dollars and multi-year giving. It is a brilliant idea for a foundation to ask a non-profit to leverage their dollars in such a way that it doubles the value of their gift. With multi-year giving it enables a non-profit to have a stead flow of support for more than one year in a small non-profit this allows the organization to spend time thinking strategically about the future and build a stronger financial position.
There is an increase in foundations that want to help small non-profits succeed. The Craigslist Foundation has created what they call a “Non-profit Boot Camp” where they have podcasts and training sessions from experts on how to start and run a small non-profit. The Mission Increase Foundation has regular workshops to train their grantees in board development, fundraising, and other high level strategic organizational issues. Every grantee is required to be a part of the program and they are doing incredible things in the communities they are in. Social Venture Partners takes an active volunteer role in the organizations that they partner with the organization and take and active role in strengthening systems, management practices, and strategies.
I’m participating in the January 21st Giving Carnival: What will foundations look like in 10, 25 or 50 years? A few predictions below:
• Granting organizations will continue to become more strategic funding only those areas.
• There will be fewer grants but at a higher level.
• There will be more “online foundations” like GiveWell.
• Today more and more foundations are starting to have blogs. I think in the future some blogs will have foundations. Who know maybe one day A Small Change will be a foundation to fund the fundraisers.
Do you have any stories or comments about what you see foundations doing in your area or with your non-profit? Do you have any predictions of your own? Leave a comment below.
by Jason Dick on January 15, 2008
A donor tour is possibly one of the most exciting parts of fundraising. Tours give you the opportunity to show off your organization and talk to your donors face to face. They provide you the chance to share all your organization’s wonderful stories and provide a context for the work that you do. In a solicitation letter you might have a brief story, or at an event you will often share a few facts about your organization, but in a tour you can explain more in-depth exactly who you are and what you do.
Here are a few things that I do on my tours that might help you as you give tours.
- Have a key program staff lead the tour or make sure to stop by a number of program staff members desks and ask them to talk about what they do (make sure to let them know you’re coming). This allows the donor to hear a “hands on” tale of what the organization is doing. And who knows their project area better than the staff member in charge of it.
- Practice your tour. Make sure that you know where you are going to go next and what you are going to say. If this means you walk through a practice run then do it, for me I take a minute at my desk and mentally think about where I’m going to go and what I’m going to say.
- Schedule enough time and take a deep breath. Pause for a minute as you go through each stage of your tour. I tend to get excited about what I’m talking about and who I’m touring. A deep breath before you get started and as you go can help you to take your time. A donor wants to see the organization unfold before their eyes not have it thrown at them all at once.
- Let the donor talk. Make sure you are allowing the donor time to ask questions and reflect on what they see. A tour should be an interactive two way dialog.
- Have a meeting room. Have a place where you can start and end the tour. This allows the donor to take off their coat and set their purse or briefcase down. It gives you a place to give a brief introduction to the organization (make sure your introduction is brief as the donor is there to see the non-profit not just hear about it). After the tour is finished bring them back to the meeting room and ask them their reflections and talk about how you can partner together.
- Have a “Tour Packet” to give to the donor at the end of the tour. Pull together a recent newsletter, your general agency brochure, and/or your annual report. At the end of your tour take out the packet and give it to them briefly mentioning what is inside. This allows the donor to have some information to take home with them if they want to learn anything more about the organization.
Do you have any great success (or failure) tour stories from your organization? Do you have any tips or advice of your own you’d like to contribute? Please leave a comment below I’d love to hear from you.
