Last week, the Wall Street Journal published an article on how small companies should give to charities. The article included some good, basic information. But small businesses will need more than the basics if they hope to help nonprofits.

Here's how small companies can really help charities - and boost their own bottom-line at the same time.

Today we honor the men and women who have served in the armed forces. For many years, I only knew of one veteran in my family. My dad served in the Marine Corp and was stationed at Guantanamo Bay during the early 1950's.

Through his research, my twin brother, Jeff, has discovered other family members who served in the military. Of course, they include grandfathers, uncles and cousins.

My great-great-grandfather, Edward Waters, served in the Civil War with his brother, John, and his uncle, Patrick. With the "Fighting Irish" 10th New Hampshire Regiment, Edward was involved in many campaigns, including the brutal Siege of Petersburg, 

This is a guest post from Sharna Fulton, Director of Communications at Chastain Park Conservancy in Atlanta. Businesses are supporting nonprofits in all sorts of ways, both big and small. Are you a business, nonprofit or do-gooder that has a story to share? I would love to hear from you!

As a builder in the upscale Buckhead district of Atlanta two decades ago, Ray Mock never thought he’d one-day care for Atlanta’s most prestigious 268 acre park.

But this morning, instead of unlocking doors for new homeowners of a million dollar home, his keys open padlocks on a barn door. Inside is a new truck donated by Atlanta auto dealer Hennessy Ford Lincoln.

Today on CauseTalk Radio, Megan and I talk to Jacqueline Hart-Ibrahim, Global CEO of Starlight Children's Foundation.

Founded in 1982, Starlight Children's Foundation has been a leading global charity that partners with experts to improve the life and health of kids and families around the world.

With the help of movie maker Steven Spielberg, Starlight was one of the first organizations to launch its own private social network in the late 1990's.

Starlight divides its work into two areas: Starbright World, a social network for teens with chronic and life-threatening medical conditions, and the Starlight Wish List platform.

The Starlight Wish List is an online portal that connects donors with hundreds of facilities to support the unmet needs of millions of kids and families directly at the point-of-care.

For example, my former employer Boston Medical Center, is one of many Massachusetts hospitals on the Starlight's list. BMC's wish list includes everything from toys to underwear to batteries. 

The wish list streamlines an organization's in-kind needs to one list and prevents well meaning but unnecessary in-kind donations.

To date, the wish list has fulfilled over $2.5 million in requests. Starlight built it and they came!

I asked 16 fundraising experts if nonprofits could learn anything from scary movies. What they said made my hair stand on end. But one expert made me laugh.

If you've been reading my blog for a while you know how much I love Halloween. With Joanna MacDonald, my co-author on Cause Marketing for Dummies, I used to run Halloween Town here in Boston. This two-day event attracted 15,000 people and was a big draw for companies hungry to talk to our "four-legged monsters" - moms with kids!

This year, I asked 16 of America's top fundraisers two questions:

• What's your favorite horror movie?
• From that movie, what lesson can we learn on fundraising and/or cause marketing?

As you'll see in the above slideshow, I got some great responses. I heard back from more people than I could include! .... 

Today on CauseTalk Radio, Megan and I talk to Mollye Rhea, Founder and President of For Momentum, an Atlanta-based cause marketing agency.

#GivingTuesday is quickly approaching on December 2nd. Last year's #GivingTuesday saw a 90 percent increase in online giving! This is one day that nonprofits can't afford to take off.

No worries if you haven't started. Mollye has some timely advice on how your nonprofit can still make a profit on the biggest giving day of the year. We also talk about the role social media plays and on which platforms nonprofits should focus.

Finally, Mollye talks about For Momentum's FREE Power of Partnership #GivingTuesday Toolkit, which includes free planning tools and worksheets.

If you're planning to take part in #GivingTuesday - or just thinking about it - you don't want to miss this episode.

Breast Cancer Awareness Month (aka "Pinktober") has had a great run. It's done a lot of good and has heightened awareness of breast cancer to "Santa Claus" status. Who hasn't heard of Santa AND Breast Cancer Awareness Month! Truly, no one.

But like all the things we clung to when we were kids, we have to grow up and see Pinktober with mature eyes. That bright pink ribbon we used to admire is now pale, worn and barely recognizable to the women it claims to help.

Here's are five reasons why Pinktober needs to fade to black.

You're sitting in front of your executive director and you have one simple request. "Can we please invest more time and money into raising money from businesses?"

She stares at you and her mouth opens as if to speak. But she says nothing. She looks away. Then she looks at you again. You're thinking, "What will she say? ..... How will I answer her?!"

I know what she'll say, and how you should respond. Here's how to convince your executive director that business giving is worth the investment of time, money and resources.

Today on CauseTalk Radio, Megan and I talk to Missy Sherburne, Chief Partnerships Officer at DonorsChoose.org, about their fundraising success with flash-funding, crowdfunding and corporate partnerships.

DonorsChoose.org's success recruiting corporate partners is impressive. Just check out some of the companies on this page.

Missy had good news and bad news for cause marketers. The good news is that with a lot of hard work you can recruit corporate partners. The bad news is that it never gets easier.

What's the final say on the Ice Bucket Challenge (IBC)? Did it achieve all its goals, or did people get all wet for nothing?

Michael Hoffman, Kivi Leroux Miller and I sat down for a Google Hangout to hash out the answers. I couldn't have picked two smarter people to discuss the fundraiser.... [Includes show notes and additional resources]

Purchase-triggered fundraisers - sometimes called percentage-of-sale fundraisers - with businesses are one of the more common and lucrative types of fundraisers. You'll see plenty of these fundraisers next month during Breast Cancer Awareness Month. During Pinktober, some of the largest companies in the United States donate to breast cancer charities when consumers purchase specially marked products.

The percentage or portion of sales donated to charity varies by company and promotion, but the dollars can really add up.

While McDonald’s donates just a penny from the sale of each Happy Meal, it raises millions of dollars for the Ronald McDonald House Charities, an independent nonprofit organization that provides a homelike environment for families with critically ill or injured children who must travel to receive health care.

With over 34,000 locations worldwide, McDonald’s sells a lot of Happy Meals! Your business partner may not span the globe like McDonald’s does, but a well-executed purchase-triggered fundraiser of just about any size will make you smile.

Today on CauseTalk Radio, Megan and I talk to Richard Swart, the Director of Research on Crowdfinance at University of California at Berkeley and author of the World Bank’s Report On Global Crowdfunding, on how nonprofit and for-profit brands can strategically use crowdfunding.

Companies across America are partnering with nonprofits and crowdfunding platforms to leverage their social reach and extend their CSR messaging. Crowdfunding has become an accepted CSR activity, with very little downside and incredible potential.

Pouring ice water on your head isn't the only way to raise money with Facebook. Here are eight more ways!

The Ice Bucket Challenge proved that social awareness and fundraising need one social network to succeed: Facebook. As the challenge grew, millions of people rushed to Facebook to share their videos and to challenge others to post their videos. While not one dollar was raised for ALS on Facebook, tens of millions of dollars were raised because of Facebook.

I've asked my friends at CafeGive, a company that specializes in social media apps that help businesses, nonprofits and marketing agencies get more from social media, to show my readers other ways they can use Facebook to build awareness and raise money for good causes.

Who's responsible for the success of the Ice Bucket Challenge? My pick is Jerry Lewis. While others are responsible for the launch and promotion of this very successful fundraiser, Jerry Lewis put muscular dystrophy - of which ALS is one form - on the map.

Lewis' annual MDA Telethon raised BILLIONS over four decades. But, more importantly, Jerry's efforts elevated public awareness of an obscure and rare disease. The organizations that are benefiting from the Ice Bucket Challenge - like the ALS Association - wouldn't be in business if it wasn't for the groundwork Lewis laid.

In addition to putting muscular dystrophy in the public eye, Jerry and the Muscular Dystrophy Association were early practitioners of cause marketing.

This 2010 post from my blog highlights just how forward-thinking Lewis and MDA were. To date, the Ice Bucket Challenge has raised $22 million. Impressive, for sure. Jerry Lewis raised $2.5 billion for people with muscular dystrophy.

Jerry has a thing or two to teach you about fundraising!

Have you heard of the Ice Bucket Challenge? I thought so. Here are seven ways businesses can ACT NOW to support the challenge and raise money to fight ALS!

Make a Cash Donation

People claim that companies don't donate enough money. They're also complaining that the Ice Bucket Challenge is wasting a lot of water and not raising a lot of money. Companies can correct two misconceptions at once. 

Here's a challenge for when you make your donation. Donate to a local organization that supports ALS patients and caregivers. Identify and support the ones in your community.

Last week, I discovered one right here in Boston. The ALS Therapy Development Institute. I had never heard of them. But the Ice Bucket Challenge gave me the opportunity to meet and to learn more about their mission.

Resource: Visit Guidestar for a Listing of ALS Nonprofits in Your Area

The conundrum of retail fundraising is that you can raise millions at checkout. But your success hinges on the support of an underpaid and uncertain ally: cashiers. Fortunately, your friend is their friend. Jennifer Askjaer and Sally George of Swell Giving Explain how social impact can soothe the savage beast.

We've all stood in a checkout line and been asked: ”Would you like to donate a $1 to this worthy cause?”  

Most of us have said yes on some occasion, either motivated by the public shaming or a true desire to help. Whatever the reasons, there are plenty of donors out there keeping checkout fundraising alive.  In fact, these campaigns raised $358 million in 2014. That's a dollar from every man, woman and child in America!

The true power of these campaigns isn’t the customer’s open wallet, but the "ask" from the cashier. The person ringing up your groceries is also bagging millions for causes.