The 2016 Cause Marketing Forum Conference was held in Chicago last week. As usual, it was excellent and full of learning, inspiration and friendship. Congrats to David Hessekiel, Megan Strand and the whole CMF team for an outstanding event.

The conference is that one time of year I get to see everyone in the cause marketing world. I'm definitely recharged! Here are the slides from my preso, 5 interviews and 29 must follow cause marketing peeps to follow on Twitter.

Public's Phil Haid and I spoke at the 2016 Cause Marketing Forum Conference in Chicago today! 

We presented Get Your Creative Juices Flowing: 20 Kick-Ass Concepts. Check out the slides and the links below for additional learning! 

Today on CauseTalk Radio, Megan and I talk to Linn Jordan, Director of Retail Marketing for Walgreens, about its efforts on behalf of Red Nose Day. This UK import is dedicated to raising money to help children who are most in need, both in the U.S. and in some of the poorest communities in the world.

Walgreens has sold more than 12 million Red Noses and raised $18 million since kicking off their campaign on March 28th - twice the amount sold during the entirety of the campaign last year!

On the show, Megan, Linn and I discuss...

Today on CauseTalk Radio, Megan I talk to Hil Davis, founder of BeautyKind, an online retailer where consumers can shop prestige beauty brands while raising funds for charitable causes.

Launched In November 2014, BeautyKind is an online beauty retailer with charitable giving at its core. Customers can shop their favorite beauty, hair, fragrance and skin care brands, while directing five percent of every purchase to causes of their choice, whether that is a local cause or a national organization.

On the show, Megan, Hil and I discuss...

I had a great trip to the National Restaurant Show in Chicago on Saturday. It was quick trip - in and out so I could be at New Strategies at Georgetown University on Sunday afternoon - but I had the chance to moderate a panel of speakers who were there to discuss the powerful intersection of cause marketing and employee engagement to support Share Our Strength.

All three presenters - reps from Arby's, Grimaldi's Pizzeria and Dairy Queen - did an excellent job explaining why they were involved with Share Our Strength and how cause marketing has had a powerful - if not profound - impact on their respective businesses.

Here are their slides and some key takeaways from each presenter.

Last April my family checked a big destination off our bucket list: the Grand Canyon. Looking out over its colorful, steep slopes we were hushed into silence. I was the first to speak: "No Starbucks as far as the eye can see."

An elbow poked my ribs. My wife had responded. It might as well have been the whole world. No one wants a corporate logo to despoil the Grand Canyon - or any other national park.

But that's just what park lovers are afraid of. Steve Casimiro, writing in Adventure Journal, is downright angry: "What a sad day, when America's best idea has to whore itself for a few dollars here and there."

Before Steve and other park lovers throw themselves off the North Rim, let's be clear on what companies want and what the National Parks Service (NPS) would be losing by not prioritizing corporate support. Finally, I'll share three ideas on how corporate support doesn't mean replacing Lincoln's face on Mount Rushmore with a McDonald's sign.

Today on CauseTalk Radio, Megan and I talk to Gentry Lane, founder of TDO Productions, a company that is harnessing the power of virtual reality and leveraging it for social good. TDO's virtual reality experiences are formulated to inspire massive empathy that drives viewers to immediate action. 

On the show, Megan, Gentry and I discuss...

Purchase-triggered donations (or percentage of sales fundraisers) is a long name for a simple cause marketing promotion. When shoppers buy a product or service from a business a portion or percentage of the sale is donated to a good cause.

For example, Dunkin Donuts ran a one-day promotion here in Boston that donated $1 from every ice coffee sold to Boston Children's Hospital.

After a charity pinup program, purchase-triggered donations are one of the more lucrative cause marketing fundraisers. So pay attention!

Here are three resources to learn more about purchase-triggered donations.

Today on CauseTalk Radio, Megan and I talk to Crayton Webb, Vice President, Corporate Communications & CSR for Mary Kay, about the cosmetic giant's Don’t Look Away campaign which works to educate the public on recognizing the signs of an abusive relationship, how to take action and to raise awareness for support services.

To date, Mary Kay and The Mary Kay Foundation have given $50 million to domestic violence prevention and awareness programs in an effort to end the cycle of abuse.

On the show, Megan, Crayton and I discuss...

I've had a ton of new signups for my newsletter and I'm getting more questions about what exactly is cause marketing? Great question! 

These three posts will give you some answers - and will surely give you a few more questions that I'm happy to answer in the comments or in future posts.

Today on CauseTalk Radio, Megan and I talk to Steve Spangler - America's Science Teacher - about Fueling Education, a CITGO program in partnership with National School Supply, We Are Teachers and Steve Spangler that offers educators a chance to win up to $5,000 in school supplies as well as STEM-teaching workshops.

On the show, Megan, Steve and I discuss...

Nonprofits and businesses that run charity checkout programs are always asking me how they can run a more successful program and raise more money. Are there proven strategies that work? You bet there are.

Here are three strategies that are guaranteed to raise you more money....

At Good360, we have been actively and aggressively developing and using new digital technologies and platforms to revolutionize charitable giving.

We recently developed a new platform called DisasterRecovery360, which is designed to ensure that nonprofits and disaster-relief organizations receive the specific goods they need after a disaster.

While there is often an outpouring of support to help communities struck by disasters, it is common that in-kind product donations do not always meet the immediate needs of disaster survivors. 

Today on CauseTalk Radio, Megan and I talk to McCall Gosselin, Vice President of Public Relations at Planet Fitness, about the launch of its first-ever national cause initiative. Building off its Judgment Free Zone policies, Planet Fitness created a pro-kindness, anti-bullying movement called The Judgement Free Generation through a partnership with STOMP Out Bullying and Boys & Girls Clubs of America. 

On the show, Megan, McCall and I discuss...

Children's Miracle Network raised over $200 million in 2014 with its corporate partnership program. Ninety percent of those dollars come from point-of-sale and 50 percent of that money comes from just one POS program: charity pinups!

Even a local pinup program can break six figures with charity pinups. I know this for certain because I did it myself when I worked for nonprofits in Boston!

Here are three sources that will help you join the six-figure club of charity pinup fundraisers.

Today on Cause Talk Radio, Megan and I talk to Jenny Fouracre-Petko, Director, Public Relations and Charitable Giving, at Domino's Pizza about their longtime partnership with the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA).

As part of Fire Prevention Week, Domino’s and NFPA are partnering up to promote home fire safety this spring, using Domino’s box toppers to share electrical safety tips. Participating Domino’s stores will also work in conjunction with local fire departments to deliver pizzas in fire engines!

On the show, Megan, Jenny and I discuss...

There’s nothing sadder than an unloved coin canister. We’ve all seen one of these abandoned canisters, also called donation boxes. Dirty, neglected, and empty, we conclude, “Why would anyone want to use a coin canister for fundraising? What a waste!"

I used to think the same thing until a business partner of mine raised tens of thousands for my nonprofit with coin canisters. Following that success, I did some research on other organizations that had successfully used coin canisters. Some nonprofits have raised millions in quarters, dimes, and nickels.

I'm convince the problem isn't with coin canisters, but with how, when, and where they are used. That's why I've handpicked these three resources to show you when and how donation boxes can work.

I think this will be an interesting case study for those in the charitable sector as well as my colleagues on the brand side.

I was working with a fairly small, grassroots organization who were approached by a consumer goods company. The plan? To sell their products at the point of purchase of various stores across the city. The charity would get $5 per sale, the rest going to the consumer goods company.

There were some problems with this at the outset...