Category Archives: Cause Marketer’s Journal

Christmas Vacation Education

Written on December 28, 2010 in Cause Marketer's Journal
5 Comments

I hope you’re taking a few days off over the holidays to relax or even do some planning for the new year. I’m doing both, along with some reading, which, honestly, I haven’t done with an actual book in a long time.

These are the books I’ve been reading lately. Perhaps you would enjoy them too.

First We Read, Then We Right by Robert Richardson. A great book on writing advice from the 19th century transcendental writer Ralph Waldo Emerson distilled from his best modern biographer.

I’m lingering over these pages. There’s an instructive chapter on reading that everyone should, well, read. Read it before you move on to the rest of the books in this post!

  • Shocker: we shouldn’t read to learn or to escape from the grind of our lives. We should read so we can CREATE world we want to live in.
  • “The glance reveals what the gaze obscures.” Emerson almost never read any book cover to cover.

    • … Keep reading

…

Target, JAM’N 94.5 Use Cause Marketing to Help Kids Lift Heavy Load

Written on December 17, 2010 in Cause Marketer's Journal, Cause Marketing In Action
1 Comment

I have a sad story to tell you, but it has an ending that will make you smile and give you hope.

Because my hospital serves families from some of Boston’s poorest neighborhoods, we get our share of children in our emergency room who are victims of neglect and violence. Sometimes it’s a toddler who arrives with a parent who’s relapsed on a heroin habit. They can’t care for their child anymore, and if there is no relative the child has to go to foster care.

Sadly, it happens a lot more than you think.

To help kids make the transition to their new homes, the caring people at my hospital created Pieces of Home. These good people collect new items like blankets, toys, stuffed animals, pajamas, even underwear (Remember, these kids aren’t going home again. They have nothing.) and sort them by age group from infant to teen and give them to needy kids in brand new back packs.… Keep reading

…

Bagel Bakery Makes Cause Marketing a Priority

Written on December 8, 2010 in Cause Marketer's Journal
4 Comments

In all the years I’ve been doing cause marketing Finagle-A-Bagel is one my favorite partners. They don’t raise the most money. Not even close. They can’t boast the hippest programs. They raise most of their money through simple coin canisters at their registers.

But the qualities they share with our best partners are irreplaceable: dedication and persistence.

We started working with Finagle-A-Bagel, a nine store bakery and cafe best known for its delicious bagels, a few years ago when they supported Halloween Town and sold pinups in their stores.

Next, they developed and sold a travel coffee mug with a percentage going to pediatric programs at the hospital.

Then, eighteen months ago, they began a coin canister program in their stores that had customers donating their loose change to the hospital.

No one was quite sure how generous consumers would be and how much we would raise.

Last Friday I picked up a check for $25,000 from Finagle.… Keep reading

…

Job Lot Breaks $1 Million with Cause Marketing Pinups

Written on November 17, 2010 in Capplause, Cause Marketer's Journal
10 Comments

What started with 40,000 pounds of chicken has grown into a million dollar cause marketing program.

Since 2004 when Ocean State Job Lot began selling their signature red gift box in their 100 stores to support cancer care services at the hospital, Job Lot has hosted multiple pinup programs that will surpass $1 million shortly after they start their winter program this weekend.

(It’s not s a surprise considering how well their business is doing, even during a recession!)

Last year’s winter program, which ran for four weeks, raised $212,000. For the past two years, OSJL has done a second program in the spring in support the food pantry at the hospital.

Cause marketing is just one way the owner of this New England discount retailer, Marc Perlman, helps us. In addition to being a major individual donor to the hospital, his company gives us  clothes, coats and food for our patients.… Keep reading

…

Cause Marketing & The Boston Common: An Open Letter to the City of Boston

Written on September 29, 2010 in Cause Marketer's Journal
3 Comments

Note: As promised, I took your comments from Cause Marketing Challenge: The Boston Common and offered our help to the City of Boston. Based on my outreach to my contacts at City Hall, they advised I send our suggestions to Toni Pollak, Boston Parks Commissioner. Here’s a copy of the email I sent her this morning.

Dear Ms. Pollak,

My name is Joe Waters and I’m a local cause marketer who writes the blog Selfishgiving.com. I read recently that the City is considering opening the Boston Common to company sponsorships to pay for repairs and improvements. I got to thinking about how cause marketing might play a supporting role.

I’m unsure how familiar you are with cause marketing. There are other definitions, but I define it as a partnership between a nonprofit and a for-profit for mutual profit. The “profit” for the cause is generally funds and greater public awareness.… Keep reading

…

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...
  • About Joe

    Joe Waters shows nonprofits and for-profits how to use cause marketing and social media to establish and grow relationships with stakeholders. [...]

  • Resources

    Your ultimate guide to doing well and good is here! Cause marketing is on the tongue of nearly every cause and company you talk to [...]

  • Upcoming Webinars

    05.14.13 - Charityhowto.com: Fundraising with Businesses - 6 Tactics that Will Raise More Money

    06.04.13 - Charityhowto.com: Fundraising with Businesses - 6 Tactics that Will Raise More Money

    • Copyright © Selfish Giving 2013