Businesses and individuals have responded to the the killings at Mother Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church in Charleston last week with donations and fundraisers.

The biggest donations to date have come from businesses that have a strong link to Charleston and South Carolina.

Today on CauseTalk Radio, Megan and I talk to Steve Scheier, author of a new book Do More Good. Better. Steve is also founder & CEO of Scheier + Group, a consultancy that shows non-profits and social impact companies how to make the most of the people they have so they can better deliver on their mission.

Tune in today to learn how to muster the bravery to ask for what you want, and to help those around us do the same! 

Today on CauseTalk Radio, Megan and I talk to Maria Redin, General Manager and Strategy Lead at GOODcorps, a social impact consultancy that grew out of GOOD Media.

GOODcorps has worked with top brands such as Pepsi, The Gap, Starbucks and Dick's Sporting Goods. (BTW, Dick's won two Halo Awards earlier this month at the Cause Marketing Forum conference in Chicago!)

Megan, Maria and I discussed new insights from phase one of a three-part research project that explores “goodness” in brands and how consumers perceive what truly makes a brand “good.”

Five core insights were uncovered from this phase one of research....

The annual Cause Marketing Forum Conference in Chicago last week was - once again - a great success! Congratulations to CMF founder Dave Hessekiel and marketing director (and my CauseTalk Radio co-host) Megan Strand and the rest of the team for putting on another great event.

I'm thankful that David regularly invites me to speak at the CMF conference. While this year was no exception, David did give me a challenging topic: global cause marketing.

The goal of the session was to give attendees "a new perspective by studying the structure and substance of campaigns in global markets" and a tour of the best international programs.

But there was one nagging problem keeping me up at night: my knowledge of international cause marketing was as empty as my passport was of stamps. What should a cause marketer do?!

I'm excited to be one of the 35 experts in VolunteerMatch’s new book, Volunteer Engagement 2.0: Ideas and Insights Changing the World.

I was surprised when VolunteerMatch asked me to contribute a chapter. I just didn’t view cause marketing as connected to volunteering - and I thought the book's editor, Robert Rosenthal, and I agreed on this point!

You see, Robert was the guy who dissuaded me from including volunteering in my last book on nonprofit fundraising, Fundraising with Businesses: 40 New & Improved Strategies for Nonprofits.

I had considered several volunteer-related strategies for the book, but in the end I only included one: volunteer grants, also known as dollars for doers programs, which match a corporate volunteer’s time with a small grant from the company to the nonprofit.

So, why would I now write a chapter on cause marketing for a book on volunteering?

Since 2011, 1,600 Denny's nationwide have sold coupons in support of Share Our Strength's No Kid Hungry's efforts to help the more than 16 million American children struggling with hunger.

For a $3 donation, guests received $9 worth of coupons redeemable at participating Denny's restaurants. 

Since inception, Denny's annual campaign has raised $1.4 million for No Kid Hungry. But Denny's wanted to save more children from hunger!

The restaurant chain had three questions heading into the 2014 campaign:

1. How could Denny's raise more money for No Kid Hungry?
2. How could Denny's boost employee excitement for the campaign?
3. How could Denny's raise money from guests online with the same success they had offline?

The answer was Booster. 

Booster, the social fundraising platform where you can support your favorite cause by selling T-shirts, is teaming up with GiveForward, one of the top online fund-raising sites for medical expenses, to help fundraisers raise more money.

Professional fundraisers call offering supporters multiple ways to give integrated fundraising. The point of integrated fundraising is to never to miss a chance to raise money. You don’t have to be a professional to tap its power. But you do need to think strategically about your fundraising objectives.

Today on CauseTalk Radio, Megan and I talk to Todd Krim, President & CEO of The Krim Group, a Los Angeles-based agency that connects charities with celebrities.

Todd, Megan and I discuss how nonprofits can choose the right celebrity for special events, personal appearances and cause marketing campaigns.

• How a healthcare lawyer became a broker for charities and celebrities.
• When a celebrity should be paid, and when they shouldn't.
• Todd's advice to nonprofits on how to work with any celebrity, including the local celebrities in their own backyard!
• How charities can be the star in a crowded field of nonprofits and attract their favorite celebrities.
• What are good "Door-Openers" with celebrities? (Hint: Tap their loyal fans via social media!)
• How you can learn from Todd at the upcoming Cause Marketing Forum Conference in Chicago later this month!

Today on CauseTalk Radio, Megan and I talk to Jon Bromley, Founder & CEO of Canadian-based Chimp, an online giving tool.

Megan, Jon and I discuss the advantages of online savings banks for giving and how companies can and should join individuals on a platform that is effective and efficient.

• What is Chimp, which is a blended form of "charitable impact," and how do people use it?
• How the online giving industry is changing, fracturing and consolidating, and what's on the horizon for the industry.
• How online giving platforms can be a better delivery mechanism for corporate giving dollars.

Megan Strand and I don't have a new episode of CauseTalk Radio for you this week (the show will return next week). But we have an excellent substitute! It's an ebook with some of the best insights and wisdom from our podcast. 

Megan and I are pleased to present: 14 Cause Marketing All-Stars Share Their Winning Strategies.

This 24-page ebook features the advice of some of the top cause marketers on the planet.

You'll learn from Children's Miracle Network, Build-A-Bear, Donorschoose.org, KIND Healthy Snacks, Dosomething.org, Pencils of Promise, Good Scout, For Momentum, Public Inc and more! The ebook covers everything from checkout fundraisers to crowdfunding to keeping your cause marketing program on the right side of the law.
 
How do you get this new ebook? It's easy. Just sign up for my weekly newsletter and you'll never miss a post! Of course, you can unsubscribe at anytime. But I bet you won't!

Today on CauseTalk Radio, Megan and I talk to David J. Neff, author, speaker and consultant for PwC. Dave is also the founder of Lights. Camera. Help., a nonprofit that is dedicated to encouraging cause-driven organizations to use film and video to tell their stories.

On today's show, Dave, Megan and I discuss:

• A new crowdfunding bill of rights for nonprofits that Dave and his team are seeking comments and feedback.
• The importance of transparency to nonprofit success - and the need for nonprofits to be as accountable as their counterparts when it comes to meeting expectations.
• The need for nonprofits to proceed carefully in dealing with the many new platforms offering crowdfunding services.

Today on CauseTalk Radio, Megan and I talk to Gary Zarr, Partner, at Phil & Company, a New York-based cause marketing agency, on their new report on Mobile Cause Marketing and Millennials & Generation Z. 

On today's show Gary, Megan and I discuss:

• The difference between Millennials and Generation Z.
• How organizations like UNICEF, Arts Brookfield and Amnesty International are creating mobile campaigns specifically for Millennials and Gen Z.
• How to pick the right social and marketing platforms to reach Millenials and Gen Z.
• The challenge nonprofits face in generating awareness with and raising money from younger audiences.

Alyson Genovese has written a thoughtful piece on the Realized Worth Blog on re-thinking charity pinups. 

According to Alyson, charity pinups have several major liabilities.

• Charity pinups and the millions they raise allow companies to pad their philanthropic totals. Companies profit from other people's money - and not from their own giving or generosity.
• Yes, pinups are lucrative, but they make companies look lazy. Where's the passion? Where's the commitment?
• Customers. Hate. Pinups. Point taken.

Alyson goes on to explain how charity pinup programs could be improved. She has some good ideas. I have a better idea: let's get rid of them altogether. Here's how it could happen.

Today on CauseTalk Radio, Megan and I talk to Phil Haid, Co-Founder and CEO of Toronto-based Public Inc. about Starbucks controversial cause campaign: Race Together. While aimed at starting a conversation around race issues in America, the campaign has drawn a lot of criticism.

Naysayers call Race Together ill-timed and self-serving. But our guest Phil Haid has a different perspective. He describes the campaign as a bold and ambitious effort by Starbucks that while not perfectly executed is unflinching and a great example of a company "walking the talk." 

On today's episode, Megan, Phil and I discuss:

One of the most persistent questions I get from my readers is: "Which cause marketing fundraiser is the best?" 

It's not always an easy question to answer because it depends a lot on your business partner. While pinups, register programs, donation boxes and are great fundraisers for retailers and other B2C businesses, they won't work at an accounting firm. You'll need a different fundraiser!

Still, it's helpful to be clear on which cause marketing fundraisers raise the most money and are the easiest to execute. It's also good to know which fundraisers are lucrative but harder to execute, etc. 

That's the goal of The Cause Marketing Fundraiser Matrix!

Today on CauseTalk Radio, Megan and I talk to Buddy Teaster, CEO of Soles4Souls. Nashville-based Soles4Souls is a global not-for-profit focused on fighting the devastating impact and perpetuation of poverty.   

Soles4Souls advances its anti-poverty mission by collecting new and used shoes and clothes from individuals, schools, faith-based institutions, civic organizations and corporate partners. They distribute those shoes and clothes both via direct donations to people in need and by provisioning qualified micro-enterprise programs designed to create jobs in poor and disadvantaged communities.

Soles4Souls is fortunate to have many corporate partners, but two of their best are Stride Rite and PUMA. While both of these companies are known for their outstanding footwear, Buddy and his team also know them best for taking bold steps to support Soles4Souls' mission.

On today's show, Megan, Buddy and I discuss....

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

With Mollye, we tackle one of the toughest issues for nonprofits - how to identify, sell and close new corporate partnerships. It's not easy! Fortunately, we have one of the best partnership experts in the business on today's show. 

Since Mollye founded For Momentum in 2003, she's helped over 60 clients with projects ranging from setting strategy to valuing campaign ROI. She and her team have created and grown more than 75 partnerships, raising tens of millions for non-profit clients and directing millions in support to corporate clients.

On today's show we discuss...

Today on CauseTalk Radio, Megan and I talk to Mason Wartman, owner of Rosa's Fresh Pizza in Philadelphia. Over the past several month's Mason has become a media darling for his efforts to feed the homeless in his neighborhood. He's even appeared on Ellen!

Like all great ideas, Mason's is simple but powerful. When customers buy a slice of pizza they can buy another for someone in need. Rosa's walls are lined with sticky notes and well wishes that the homeless can redeem for a slice.

Since the program began last year, Rosa's has given away nearly 11,000 slices in a neighborhood that needs all extra dough it can get.