Joe Waters Joe Waters

Newsletter: How to Partner with Sports Teams ⚾️ ; Domino’s Raises $9.8M for St. Jude 🍕; Greenpeace Saves the Arctic from Shell Oil ❄️

When Brittany Hill from Catalist called me last week she had had enough.

"Your past two newsletters have been all about the New England Patriots. 🏈 Blah, blah, blah," she said. "Instead of bragging, how about if you actually show your readers why and how to work with sports teams."

Of course, I was like....🤭😡😬. She had a point. So, sheepishly, I asked her what she had in mind.

"Catalist interviewed a thousand people to better understand the intersection of sports and social good," Brittany explained. "I can show nonprofits why sports teams need them."

"Like how the Patriots need Tom Brady?," I said.

"Exactly," said Brittany. 🤥 "But instead of giving your readers a reason to hate you, I’ll give them a full report, infographic and an hour-long webinar that will translate the findings into a real strategy that nonprofits can use with sports leagues, teams and even players...."

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Joe Waters Joe Waters

How the Sports Industry Can Join Gillette, Nike as a ‘Woke’ Business [SPONSORED]

Pro-athletes have always used their high profile to raise awareness for social injustices (e.g. Muhammad Ali, Bill Russell, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Jim Brown, Arthur Ashe and Billie Jean King). But we are truly witnessing a new day when a league or team’s bottom line will be directly impacted by their social purpose. 

Americans want more from our favorite coffee brand than to just a great cup of coffee. We want them to be environmentally, fiscally and socially-responsible. We want them to create actual change in our communities. We expect the same from our favorite sports teams. 

But what does that actually mean? Can standing up for a cause really jeopardize fan support for their favorite athlete or team?

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Joe Waters Joe Waters

Newsletter: Watch All the Super Bowl Cause Ads 🏈; Become a ‘Poptivist’ 🍾; How to Pitch Yourself as a Podcast Guest 🎙

Well, it wasn't much of a game to watch, but at least my New England Patriots won! And we had some cause ads to count and watch. Here's my list of this year's Super Bowl cause ads​.

Now, when I shared this list on Twitter, there was some talk that the Washington Post ad should be included. I also had second doubts about including the CBS spot because it seemed less like an ad and more like a PSA for Girls, Inc.

That said, for those of you who submitted a guess of between 7 and 9, you won a Selfish Giving t-shirt! According to my records the winners are Katherine O'Hare, Susan Roschke and Erin Mooney Phipps. Congrats! Just reply with your size and address and I'll send you your tee. Wear it with pride!

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Joe Waters Joe Waters

Newsletter: Super Bowl LIII Cause Marketing Challenge 🏈; Businesses are Paying Off Nonprofits to Change Regulations 👎; Social Networks People are Spending Time on in 2019 📣

I'm in major prep mode for Super Bowl LIII on Sunday. I have my New England Patriots shirt, hat and socks. I've stocked the pantry with munchies - both healthy and not. I've checked all the connections to my TV and made sure to pay my cable bill. And I've prepared a whole slew of biting comments if we win (and a few good retorts if we don't).

I'll also have pen and paper nearby as I plan to keep track of all the cause ads in between plays. And I'm expecting a lot! I'm betting I'll see 8 cause advertisements during the Super Bowl.

What's your guess?

Hit reply and tell me how many cause-related ads you expect to see. If you guess correctly, you'll get a swanky Selfish Giving tee! After a Super Bowl ring, this will be one of the most coveted items from the big game!

Go Patriots! Go cause marketing!

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Joe Waters Joe Waters

Newsletter: "Kondo-ing" Corporate Partnerships 👔; Big Changes at the Target Foundation 🤭; Gillette's #MeToo Ad Gets Mixed Reviews 📈

If you haven't heard of Marie Kondo you must be living in a (cluttered) cave. It seems like she's everywhere right now. Perhaps you've read her bestseller The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up. Maybe you're a fan of her new Netflix show Tidying Up. Or perhaps you were turned down for a lunch date last weekend because your friend was "Kondo-ing." You know you've made it big when people are using your name as a verb!

Marie Kondo is on a mission to declutter our homes. But the timing is also right to declutter our corporate partnership programs. Let's get rid of the things that are stressing us out and not supporting our success! A few places to start...

1. Streamline your marketing. If something isn't generating business leads, get rid of it. Focus on things that work and trying things that could work…

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Joe Waters Joe Waters

Newsletter: Conference Tips for Introverts 😬; Which Companies are Helping Federal Workers? 🥪; Wall Supporter Builds 3.5 Million Name Email List 😳

Since the beginning of the year, several of you have emailed me asking about conferences to attend in 2019. Thankfully, Rich Maiore and the team at Rocket Social Impact put together a nice list just for you. Thanks, Rich!

But can I be honest? I don't really like going to conferences - unless I'm being paid to speak at them. They're expensive. They're crowded. You have to travel to them. You have to talk to people.🙄The networking is hit or miss. And the information you glean from speakers isn't exactly new or unique. I like to say that conference are for people who don't read.

The good news is that you can still "attend" a conference and benefit from the networking and learning. Here's how….

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Joe Waters Joe Waters

Newsletter: Cause Marketing vs Corporate Giving ⚖️; Are Dollars Stores the Next Tobacco Companies? 💵; Newsjacking the New Aquaman Movie🐬

From the mailbag: Joe, I'm curious...why do you emphasize cause marketing over corporate revenue and the numerous opportunities for engagement apart from cause marketing? It seems like you regularly talk about various ways to engage corporations that are outside of cause marketing, but the focus seems to always be directed back to organizations building a cause marketing strategy.

Great Question! Three reasons.

First, corporate giving is the smallest slice of the pie. As the above graph highlights, there's relatively little money in traditional corporate giving (aka philanthropy) as companies continue to give less and less…

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Joe Waters Joe Waters

Newsletter: Why You Should Use Twitter in 2019 👍🏽; A Millennial-Friendly Charity Platform 👫; Will New Tax Laws Hurt Giving? 🤭

The day I was born it was a chilly 36 degrees. I know this for a fact because I was a spry 40-year old on December 1, 2007, the day I signed up for the social networking site Twitter. I've been active on Twitter ever since and it's by far my favorite social media site.

Don't believe all the naysayers on Twitter. It's a great place to hang out.

1. Twitter is very different from Facebook, Instagram and other sites. Twitter isn't about your friends or network. It's about your ideas. If you are curious and are a voracious learner - like I am! - Twitter is the right social network for you.

2. Twitter is less personal than sites like Facebook. Unlike the latter, you don't have to think twice - or thrice - before you "unfriend" someone. If people aren't tweeting stuff you're interested in, you can just unfollow them. No biggie. Still, like Facebook, Twitter does have a "mute" button if you'd rather silence someone but still follow him.

3. Twitter is a direct link to another person. No gatekeepers! It's like having someone's phone number so you can text them. I've tweeted with marketing executives, authors and even B-list celebrities…

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Joe Waters Joe Waters

Newsletter: A "Nutty" Christmas Sweater Gives Back 🥜; How to Get Employees to Give More to Charity💰; How to Build an Awesome Snow Fort ❄️

Hanukkah, Bodhi Day, Solstice, Yule, Dongji, Christmas, Kwanzaa, etc. Whatever holidays you observe, I wish happy ones for you and yours. See you in the New Year!

1. Something to share with your partners. How to get employees to give more to charity

2. What happens when you wander through a nut factory, a knitting facility, and a children’s charity.

3. TikTok, the social media app for sharing short lip-sync videos, will give $2 million to charity as its users post videos using holiday-themed augmented reality (AR) filters along with the #CreateforaCause hashtag. With each tagged post, TikTok will donate money to DoSomething.org, Best Friends Animal Society and Oceana.

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Joe Waters Joe Waters

Newsletter: Cause Marketing is Getting Harder 😣; Businesses are Replanting Trees in California 🌲; The Power of a Simple Postcard 📮

The latest data shows that big companies are employing a larger percentage of the workforce. That's not great news for local nonprofits that rely on smaller, regional businesses for cause marketing programs. Still, it doesn't have to be the end of the world either if nonprofits approach fundraising with businesses from the right perspective.

1. Relax, businesses were never going to be your bread and butter. Unless you’re City YearThe United WayProduct RED, or a handful of other special nonprofits, the money you raise from businesses isn't a big deal. I'd expect you to generate between 5% to 15% of your total revenues from businesses. That's it. As one development executive said to me, "I could cover all that money with one rich donor." Think of cause marketing as the cherry on top of the sundae - a great treat on top of everything else. But alone? Not very sweet.

2. Focus on the tree not the forest. Despite the growing dominance of large companies, there are still plenty of smaller companies out there, especially in the B2B sector. Approach each company as an individual opportunity and customize a fundraiser just for them….

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Joe Waters Joe Waters

Newsletter: How to Close Any Deal in Five Meetings 🎯; Lux Brand Barneys Launches #Centiments 👜 ; Six Novels on Philanthropy 📚

Have you ever heard of the Rule of 5? Last month, in the Wall Street Journal, columnist Andy Kessler asserted that five is the exact number of meetings you need to close any deal. I think this is right (or pretty close) when it comes to closing corporate partnership pacts.

The article was short - and the WSJ has a serious paywall - so here's a summary.

1. First Meeting: Sniff Test. This is the meeting where you get to know one another. Two important points here. First, don't sell. Second, find some point of identification. After all, people eventually buy from people they know, like and trust.

2. Second Meeting: Story Time. Tell stories about your organization, partnership program and what you're up to. Build attention and interest. People love stories so tell them a good one - just make sure it's true!

3. Third Meeting: Prove It. For this meeting…

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Joe Waters Joe Waters

Newsletter: Crush Your Goals with Influencers 😎; ‘Alexa, Donate to Toys for Tots’ 🚂 ; The Insanity of the Teddy Bear Toss 🧸

Ever since the team from Allison + Partners came on CauseTalk Radio to talk about how influencers can power cause marketing, I've become convinced my three-legged stool for cause marketing success, which previously included legs for sales, research and content marketing, needs a fourth for influencers.

More evidence: Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers and State Farm's efforts to raise money for wildfire victims in California. Read the whole story over at Upworthy.

While Rodgers is a special influencer because he's a sports star, the benefits of working with influencers is not limited to celebrities. When we cultivate influencers of all sizes (e.g. micro-influencers) we can reap the same benefits - albeit at a smaller scale, including dollars raised. Take this example involving Best Friends Animal Society and Instagram doggy influencer Walter Cronkite (@thedailywalter).

Here are just a few of the perks…

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Joe Waters Joe Waters

Newsletter: Recession-Proof Your Fundraising Team 💰; You Sip, Starbucks Donates ☕️ ; How to Create Emotional Content 😲

f the stock market is any indicator, this bull market won't last forever. Now is the time to prepare for the next downturn. If I managed a corporate partnership team, here's what I would be doing.

1. Focusing on larger accounts. Review all of your prospective partnerships and figure out which ones are sucking up all your energy for too little potential gain. Put your time, energy and resources into prospects that offer a big return. When the downturn comes, you'll be focused on the best and most lucrative prospects.

2. Creating a "self-service" area for smaller accounts. Create a page on your web site that outlines a few simple fundraisers any small business can execute (e.g. donation box, donate profits day, matching gifts). When small businesses write or call offering to help, direct them to this page. Make sure to include case studies of successful partnerships!

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Joe Waters Joe Waters

Newsletter: Cyber Monday + #GivingTuesday = 💰💰; JFK Tweets from Beyond the Gave ⚰️; 10 Best Thanksgiving Movies 🦃

First, have a wonderful, relaxing and delicious Thanksgiving!

Second, over the long weekend be sure to to check out a great new podcast, Purpose 360. It's hosted by two social purpose supahstahs!: Carol "The Mother of Social Purpose" Cone and Matchfire CEO Chris Noble!

In the debut episode, Carol and Chris talk about one of the most disruptive social purpose campaigns: REI’s #OptOutside, which has inspired more than 15 million people to go outside on Black Friday. Guest Alex Thompson, VP of Brand Stewardship & Impact at REI, shares the ideas and impact behind #OptOutside and the brand’s ongoing purpose-driven initiatives.​

This podcast is sure to be GOOD!

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Joe Waters Joe Waters

Newsletter: Harry’s Cuts Deep with Pledge to Men’s Mental Health🔪; Big Brothers Big Sisters Rebrands 🤑; Lessons on Attracting Veteran Volunteers from Team Rubicon🎖

A few housekeeping items today:

1. "I thought we were friends?" [For those who receive email newsletter] Does the salutation at the top say "Hi, Cause Marketer." I'd rather address you by your first name! Scroll to the very bottom and click on "Update Your Profile" and add your first name and email and that will update my database.

2. "That damn welcome mat!" When you visit Selfishgiving.com a welcome mat drops down asking you to sign up for my newsletter. But that can be irritating when you already receive my newsletter! I get it! Do this: next time you see that welcome mat, type in your email address again (no, you won't get my newsletter twice) and it should go away!

3. "Yeah, but I do get your newsletter twice!" I send my newsletter out on Wednesday mornings and again on Friday - but just to those subscribers that didn't open it on Wednesday. Still, some of you, even after opening Wednesday's issue, will get my newsletter again on Friday. I'm sorry! Two things….

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Joe Waters Joe Waters

Newsletter: James Citron Loses a Bet 🎲 ; ACS in Hot Water for Partnership Practices🔥; Ben & Jerry’s Votes with ‘Pecan Resist’ 🍨

Let me introduce you to James Citron. He's the CEO of Pledgeling. James is a friend and his company is doing a lot of GOOD. You should definitely check them out!

However, James is not good at is picking winning sports teams. 🧐During the World Series after James' Los Angeles Dodgers 🧢won their first - and only - game of the series, he contacted me about a wager. If his team won, I would have to wear a Dodgers hat. If the Red Sox won...well...you know where this is going, right? And you know who won the World Series in a rout!

Doesn't James looks great in a Red Sox ⚾️?

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Joe Waters Joe Waters

Newsletter: 5 Halloween Costumes for Cause Marketers🗽; Midas Fixes Cars for Needy 🚗; Fundraising Lessons from Scary Movies 😱

It's Halloween 🎃so let's have some fun! The question I get every October (Ok, not really, but let's pretend) is "Joe, I love cause marketing so much. What's the perfect costume for a cause marketer?"

Good question! I recommend five costumes:

1. Pick up a devil/angel costume and you can go as the Selfish Giving logo! Watch as your neighbors' mouths drop as they say, "Hey, you're Selfish Giving!"

2. A Product RED Apple iPhone costume is perfect for lovers of purchase-triggered donations!

3. To commemorate a defining moment in the history of cause marketing dress up as the Statue of Liberty….

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Joe Waters Joe Waters

Newsletter: Newsjacking for Causes 🗞; How Businesses Can Raise Money from the Stage 🎤; Marketing Channels with Highest ROI 📈

I got a great question from a reader last week...

Q. Given the current political environment, it's clear that Americans are interested in supporting brands that have deep engagement with a relevant social issue. I'm curious how you see nonprofits fitting into this conversation. Beyond being a partner for these brands, how should nonprofit organizations engage in discussions around current events through their own communications (and is it appropriate for them to do so)? Do you have thoughts on this? Are people looking to nonprofits for this kind of guidance? Or is this territory we should avoid?​

A. I think there are two things to discuss here. First, you ask if nonprofits should be getting involved in controversial issues. Judging from what you mentioned about your board, it sounds like your organization isn't up for that, which is fine! Most nonprofits shouldn't wade in on this, unless your really want/have to. I make my case for "poking the bear" here...

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