Cause Practices | Selfish Giving

Cause Marketing: Coming Soon to a Neighborhood Near You!

Written on February 26, 2013 in Cause Practices

This is a guest post by ThrdPlace interviewing Dawn Wilcox at Allison+Partners. ThrdPlace sat down with her to explore the emerging need for brands to make local impact in the communities they serve. I love the talk about local cause marketing!

Dawn Wilcox is the Managing Director of Social Impact at Allison+Partners with nearly two decades of experience helping brands make our world a better place.

ThrdPlace is a social platform for local action that brings consumers together with for-profits and non-profits to change the way community development projects get done.

3P : How has the field of Cause Marketing evolved and where does it stand today?

Dawn: Cause Marketing has evolved over the past 30 years in that partnerships with nonprofits have almost become the “price of admission” when it comes to doing business. Companies are realizing we have to figure out some way to be connected because it’s important to our employees, it’s important to our consumers, and, hopefully, there are a lot of companies out there that believe it’s actually a part of their mission as a business to leave the world a better place and have a positive impact.… Keep reading

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Nonprofits Should Take a Page from This Survival Guide

Written on January 23, 2013 in Cause Practices

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There’s isn’t a more endangered business than independent bookstores. Margins are low and competition from Amazon – never mind everyone else – is fierce. Still, some bookstores are doing more than just surviving. They’re thriving, thanks to marketing smarts and a lot of hard work.

Take Green Apple Books, which has been a fixture of San Francisco’s Richmond neighborhood for over forty years. I read about them in the Wall Street Journal. Their success is a real page-turner, and nonprofits would be smart to bookmark these three chapters.

The value of (instant) gratification. Pete Mulvihill, the co-owner of Green Apple, knows his store is a natural for the harried shopper that’s forgotten a party gift. That’s one reason why he’s grown his children’s book section from three book cases to twenty-five. Giving people what they want NOW is something Amazon can’t do.

Instant gratification is important for nonprofits too when do-gooders are searching for that local charity to give a holiday or year-end gift to.… Keep reading

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Nonprofits, Gun Makers are Aiming at the Same Target

Written on January 15, 2013 in Cause Practices

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Nonprofits and gun makers are polar opposites in many ways, but not in marketing. That’s what I learned from this Wall Street Journal article on the new CEO of Smith & Wesson, a gun manufacturer since 1852.

Like the nonprofit industry, the gun industry is in the midst of a revolution – and an upheaval because of the deadly shootings in Newtown last month. Prior to December 14, gun makers were evolving in a similar way with an emphasis on women, Millennials, consumer product marketing and now, crisis management.

The future is female. Smith & Wesson has gotten the memo on the marketing power of women. It turns out that women are interested in a lot of things, including guns. According to one study, gun store owners had seen a 75% increase in female customers. The dramatic increase in women gun users may have been the motivation behind a pink gun to support breast cancer causes.… Keep reading

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Transparency & Cause Marketing: 5 Best Practices

Written on December 12, 2012 in Cause Practices

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Oh, really. What portion of portion of proceeds? What scientific and educational endeavors?

I saw this sign in the gift shop at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City last weekend. Someone in the state’s Attorney General’s Office needs to have a conversation with these folks.

Last month, the New York Attorney General issued guidelines entitled “Five Best Practices for Transparent Cause Marketing.” It’s not the first time this issue has come up. Tim Ogden and I were talking about guidelines two years ago.

The guidelines the New York Attorney General issued include:

1. Clearly describe the promotion. Which charity is benefiting from the program, how much will they receive, what consumers must do to trigger the donation and the minimum donation, if there is one, and a start and end date for the promotion.

2. Make sure consumers know how much is being donated. The guidelines suggest a “donation label” with this information.… Keep reading

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Halloween Fundraising 101: A Killer Guide for Nonprofits

Written on October 31, 2012 in Cause Practices

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It’s Halloween!

Halloween is my favorite holiday, especially when it comes to fundraising and cause marketing. I could write yet another post on Halloween but I’ve said it all before. Here’s a round-up of some of my best Halloween posts on fundraising and cause marketing from my blog and around the web.

My Own Experience with Hallowen

Halloween Town Boston [VIDEO]

Halloween Town by the Numbers

Countdown to Halloween Town: Pinups to the People

Halloween Cause Marketing is a Treat, Not a Trick

Why You Should Have a Halloween Fundraiser

5 Reasons to Have a Halloween Fundraiser

4 Reasons to Have a Halloween Fundraiser Next Year, 8 Ways to Get Started

Halloween Cause Marketing

Halloween Cause Marketing Scares Up Funds for Nonprofits

Halloween Cause Marketing Board [PINTEREST]

Halloween Inspired!