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There's no question social media has become the great equalizer of our time – amplifying the messages of individuals, small organizations, grassroots movements and activist minorities that otherwise may not have had a voice. Through social media, people have banded together to create calls to action, solve for tough social problems and help direct corporate philanthropy. Yet even in today's wired world, sometimes there is still no replacement for the power of advertising – crowdsourced, of course.

LoudSauce is the first crowdsourced media buying platform, which helps small social ventures, nonprofits or individuals amplify their messages in a way that was once reserved for bigger brands with even bigger budgets. By rallying supporters through an online crowd funding platform, LoudSauce raises enough funds to purchase TV, billboard, radio, print or online ads that were originally out of reach for smaller organizations. In one case, 259 individuals joined forces to help a local nonprofit, Uniting NC, fund three digital billboards in North Carolina to promote religious and cultural tolerance across the state. In another example, censored Canadian environmental artist Franke James found support in just 55 funders, who raised funds to line bus shelters with ads, seen by over 1 million Ottawans, to raise awareness for her plight.

With this innovative fusion of social media crowdsourcing and traditional media advertising, no longer are Facebook and Twitter the only marketing channels at the disposal of smaller causes. These groups too can put a "CMO" to work for their cause – a crowdsourced marketing opportunity.

From ponytails to braids, long locks to updo's, Barbie's hair often reflects the trends of the times. But, according to some consumers, there's one style the iconic doll is long overdue for: going bald. A new Facebook page "Beautiful and Bald Barbie: Let's see if we can get it made," has cropped up online, driven by two women affected by cancer. The group, now more than 87,000 "likes" strong, is asking toy maker Mattel to create a bald Barbie to support children with cancer and help them deal with situations when they or loved ones lose their hair. Although Mattel has yet to publicly enter the conversation, with media coverage from USA Today to Fox News, it's hard to imagine the brand will stay mum for long. This movement signals an important shift in cause branding. Today, empowered consumers are taking the reins and have no qualms letting companies know what issues they should support.

In recent years, company-sponsored voting campaigns have given consumers an increasingly powerful voice in how and where companies direct their cause marketing and philanthropy, yet ultimately, the company is still in control. But social media and grassroots organizations like Change.org are giving consumers an unprecedented voice in a company's responsibility efforts – and they won't hesitate to use it. According to Cone's 2011 Global CR Opportunity Study, 79 percent of Americans are willing to voice their opinions to a company about its corporate responsibility efforts. So listen up.

Despite this pressure, the activist consumer is not necessarily a thing to be feared. This trend presents companies with a unique opportunity to connect with consumers and address a cause on a level that is much more personal and meaningful than a pink ribbon on a package can ever hope to be. Being open to this kind of consumer feedback may spur innovation and help craft products that reflect the attitudes and concerns of today's consumers. The result is a new level of brand affinity – one that companies, consumers and causes can all embrace.

2011 was a banner year for innovative and interesting cause marketing and corporate responsibility campaigns, from urging consumers to not buy a product to sending parents harassing text messages. In this second installment of "A Year in Cause & CR," we reveal the remaining five trends in cause marketing and corporate responsibility from 2011.

CR Kumbaya: The fact is, most CR issues extend beyond one company. Coalitions are a powerful way to address issues, so much so even direct competitors are uniting around their biggest challenges and encouraging consumers to join in. In the spirit of collaboration, Dell, Sprint and Sony have promoted environmentally sound management of used electronics through an EPA-industry partnership. Bosch Home Appliances, Kohler, Lowe's and P&G have also recently joined forces with the EPA's WaterSense program to launch "Wasting Water is Weird," a program that asks consumers to cut out their water-wasting habits.

Get Real: There's a reason the phrase "walk a mile in their shoes" is such a common idiom – it's the best way to truly understand circumstances outside your own experiences. It's also a powerful way for organizations to bring their audiences even closer to the causes that matter. Liz Claiborne is helping parents understand the true nature of a negative teen relationship through its "Love is Not Abuse" campaign, which lets parents sign up for an app that will send them a succession of controlling and harassing calls, texts and emails from a "boyfriend" or "girlfriend." And Nature Valley* is helping everyone to experience our nation's national parks by sending teams of videographers to capture the best of the parks, then sharing the footage online through the "National Parks Project" campaign.

Retail Therapy: This year, leading apparel brands are trying to get consumers to think differently – very differently – about how they buy and care for their clothes, all in the name of sustainability. It's not often you'll find a brand willing to tell its consumers not to buy its products. But that is exactly what Patagonia has done with its compelling "Don't Buy This…" ads. In turn, Patagonia promises to build useful products that last and implores consumers to only buy what they really need. To do its part in the name of sustainability, Levi's is asking consumers to freeze jeans instead of washing to kill odor-causing bacteria and conserve water.

Good.0: Few of us could operate without key websites in our day-to-day lives, and these companies believe the same goes for our nation's nonprofits. So they are putting their tech savvy to work for social good. Google is lending a helping hand to nonprofits with its "Google for Nonprofits" program, which gives approved nonprofits free or discounted Google apps, advertising and much more. Similarly, craigslist is bringing attention to a variety of causes, from veterans' issues to technology for social good through its "craigconnects" program.

Next Gen: Move over moms, cause marketers have set their sights on the next generation. Brands are inviting kids, young and old, to join them in their do-good efforts. Burger King, for one, has taken cause crowdsourcing to the kiddies. As part of its BK Crown program, children can help Burger King choose which cause to support in the areas of wildlife, environment and education. Children can also reduce and reuse with free lunch bags redeemed after the purchase of specially marked products through the "Kids Konserve" campaign, a partnership between Annie's Homegrown, Stonyfield YoKids and Seventh Generation.

See the complete list of 2011 cause marketing and CR trends and examples on our website.

*Cone Client

Here at Cone Communications we spend the entire year tracking cause and corporate responsibility, and between shark fin soap and $3,500 sneakers for a cause, we’ve seen it all. Over the next two weeks, we’ll reveal our top 10 trends in cause marketing and corporate responsibility of 2011.

Get Green: Don’t be mistaken, we’re not talking environment – we mean money, the other green thing that is imperative for companies to protect. Economic development is the leading issue consumers want companies to address, and several organizations have taken heed. Among the leaders in this area, Starbucks has worked to reinvigorate the economy through its “Create Jobs for USA” campaign, while Chipotle has enlisted the help of Willie Nelson and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ Karen O to support America’s small farms.

No Bully: Anti-bullying efforts took center stage in cause marketing this year as organizations stepped up to address this tragic trend and to ask all of us to take a stand. P&G’s Secret Deodorant “Mean Stinks” campaign empowered young women through a partnership with Pacer’s National Bullying Prevention Center and by creating a Facebook community to encourage women to stand up to “stinky” behavior. Time Warner Cable* joined the bullying battle by asking consumers to take a pledge to “Stop Bullying: Speak Up” via a Facebook app.

Limited Edition: A number of well-known brands are designing special products all in the name of a cause (think white cans or shark fin soap), and the fact that they are only around for a short time makes them even more appealing. Nike took things way back when it hosted a 10-day eBay auction of 1,500 pairs of limited edition 2011 Nike shoes inspired by the movie “Back to the Future II,” ultimately raising $4.7 million for the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research.

Every Penny Counts: Some brands hope a little penny-pinching will go a long way to help a cause. It may be small change, but multiplied by the millions of products sold and consumers engaged, these companies think donating pennies just makes sense. And to bring the point home, JCPenney’s “Pennies From Heaven” campaign raised $1 million this year, while Walgreens “Way to Well”* raises up to $3 million annually.

Zero Down: It may only take a penny for some causes, but the bar is being set even lower for a few organizations – in a positive way, of course. A number of organizations are zeroing in on impact as they pledge to cut their emissions, end diseases or otherwise achieve large social and environmental goals. Nissan went nil with the futuristic game “Planet Zero,” where players must achieve zero emissions to move on. At the end of each level, players learn an environmental fact to help them on their own personal environmental missions.

Stay tuned for the next five trends in corporate responsibility and cause on What Do You Stand For? next week!

*Cone Client

Coca-Cola made a big splash with its disruptive cause marketing campaign recently, turning its red cans white to benefit the World Wildlife Fund (WWF). Yet, only a month after the campaign began and weeks before the end of the holiday season, Coke has decided to phase out the polar bear-emblazoned white cans. A new "Phase II" will return the iconic cans to their traditional color a full two months ahead of schedule.

Loyal consumers rebelled against the new white cans, claiming they appeared too similar to Diet Coke's silver cans and caused confusion. Others believe Coca-Cola in white cans tasted different. One consumer exclaimed, "These Cokes are not the same. In fact they are about as sorry as Pepsi. If you like Coke then you know the taste and these polar bear cans are NOT the same!!!!" Coca-Cola's corporate blog received a flurry of similarly distressed consumer reactions. Coke wanted this holiday cause promotion to draw attention, but this is surely not what it had in mind. Although history shows consumers tend not to take packaging changes in stride (recall the Tropicana and Sun Chips debacles), amid all the hubbub over the can color, the cause seems to be the last thing on consumers' – and possibly the company's – minds. Coca-Cola contributed $2 million to the WWF's conservation efforts, but there was still another potential $1 million on the table that could only be unlocked through matching consumers' $1 text message donations. It's unclear at this time how this pared-down campaign will affect donation levels. Will red Coca-Cola holiday cans and packaging reflect the same cause message?

The takeaways for companies looking to make a big splash are clear: do your homework and know your customers, particularly when there is an important cause at stake. We all know cause does not trump price, quality or clearly, design, but it's still an important attribute that must be approached with care. Time will tell whether this blunder will impact holiday sales, but we hope consideration is being given for how the cause will fare, as well.

In other news, Coke announced today it's also going red in another way. This time it's launching a multi-year partnership with (RED) to assist in efforts to effectively eradicate mother-to-child transmission of HIV by 2015. No word yet on whether or how this will be communicated to consumers, but we can only hope it will be very carefully.

Does something seem a little different to you this month? You may not have been able to put a finger on it at first, but then you realized there seemed to be a lot more men with mustaches walking around. The mustaches come in all shapes and sizes but have one thing in common – they are part of a growing effort to change November to “Movember.” Even better, these mustaches are meant to get men talking about prostate cancer in a fun and unique way. With roots in Melbourne, Australia in 2003 and a rapid growth globally, including to the U.S. in 2007, Movember is one of the hottest cause movements of recent note. In just eight short years, more than 1.1 million participants have helped raise $174 million and countless conversations about the cause.

I decided to join in on the fun this year along with some friends and colleagues. Based on my experience, here are a few observations on why Movember has been so successful:

1. Owning a niche – It is well-established that consumers care about supporting causes more than ever, but much of the focus has been on women. The most visible causes are female-focused (breast cancer), and women play a leading role in family health conversations and spending, but we men have often felt a bit left behind when it comes to causes. Movember speaks directly and uniquely to us through one of the most lasting and recognizable symbols of masculinity – our facial hair.

2. Having fun – Like other edgy campaigns, including the Colon Cancer Action Alliance’s Undy 5000 and Rethink Breast Cancer’s Your Man Reminder App, Movember has recognized that pushing the envelope can help nonprofits to break through the cause clutter. It also helps them connect with Millennials, in particular, who are much more comfortable with serious social issues being discussed in humorous, provocative or smart ways.

3. Using social media – We know that humor and sex are also popular topics of discussion in social media and content that is very likely to be shared. Who doesn’t want to see photos of their friends with goofy looking mustaches? Movember has individual fundraising pages for participants and online Mo Community pages where you can check out the Mo Lodge, post and view photos and videos, track global participation and fundraising, and share personal stories. All registration and donation pages have easy links to social media and pre-populated content making it easy and fun to spread the word.

4. Engaging great partners – Movember has wisely chosen partners to support the effort, including beneficiaries like the Prostate Cancer Foundation, Livestrong, and numerous lifestyle and fashion brands like TOMS, Five Four, Threadless and PalmerCash that have similar audiences and brand attributes. These organizations understand Movember and their supporters are more than happy to join the cause.

So, as Movember comes to a close, ladies – please be a Mo Sista and thank that man you see with the cool mustache, and guys – think about joining in on the fun as a Mo Bro next year!

As Americans across the nation today honor those who have served our country, many companies are also taking this time to give thanks to veterans in their own ways. In The New York Times, Stuart Elliot showcases at least eight Veterans Day-related campaigns currently underway, including a new way for consumers to bring "cheer" to veterans by sending postcards found on Cheerios* cereal boxes. The article also highlights a new Papa John’s campaign which will extend a special USO Meal Deal for the entire year; donating one dollar for each meal sold.

Corporate cause marketing focused on Veterans Day grows in volume each year, and with good reason: 85 percent of Americans believe it’s important for companies to support military nonprofits, according to a 2010 Cone Communications survey. Yet while many promotions last a short time, a new public service campaign called "After the Parade" highlights the need for a more sustained commitment to veterans’ needs. The program, highlighted in Fast Company, helps raise awareness for the nonprofits Services for the UnderServed (SUS) and provides specific calls to action, including assisting veterans who are entering the workforce. CVS Caremark*, for one, is joining forces with first lady Michelle Obama for the "Hiring Our Heroes" campaign, which will work to provide 100,000 employment opportunities for veterans and their families. And Five Point Snacks, a new snack food company, is making veterans core to its business. Not only does Five Point Snacks make a point to hire veterans, it will also give 11 percent of its profits every day to the Veterans Aid Foundation once the company becomes profitable.

Short-term campaigns are a welcome way to pay tribute on this holiday, giving consumers and companies alike the chance to express their gratitude. But just as during Earth Day, Breast Cancer Awareness Month and other popular cause-related occasions, don’t forget that the core issues don’t fade away as the calendar changes. When it comes to honoring and supporting our nation’s veterans, consider how you can make Veterans Day every day.

*Cone Client

As cause marketing becomes more prevalent, sometimes you need to up the ante to grab the attention of consumers and potential donors. You could say two recent cause initiatives are going "all in" by promoting big ticket items and offering substantial rewards.

Threadless has partnered with the U.S. Fund for UNICEF to launch "Good Shirts," a line of shirts from which 100 percent of the profits go to the cause. This doesn't sound unusual until you learn that for a mere $300,000, buyers can get a t-shirt emblazoned with an army green airplane and fund a UNICEF charter flight from Denmark to Kenya to transport critical supplies to those in need. You might say it's a new twist on the cause marketing BOGO (buy one, give one) trend. Not to worry if this is out of your budget because Threadless is also selling t-shirts in a range of prices that support a variety of needs – from $18.57 for a shirt that will provide three insecticide-treated mosquito nets to a $1,939.96 shirt that funds a 42-square meter tent to provide a temporary school in a drought-stricken area.

It's not always about big spending, sometimes it's about big rewards, too. The new "Flipflop Wines Give the Gift of Giving" promotion is offering one lucky sweepstakes winner and three guests the chance to fly to an international location and volunteer alongside Soles4Souls, a charity that provides shoes to those in need. It's a coveted prize, but all consumers will be winners in this promotion because for every bottle of wine sold, Soles4Souls will donate a pair of shoes to someone who needs them.

Threadless may never sell its $300,000 t-shirt and only a handful of people will experience Flipflop Wine's grand prize. But by creatively engaging consumers, both campaigns have already achieved their first objective, which is to draw attention to these programs, their social needs and their nonprofit partners.

There has been an intense spotlight on American companies in the last few weeks and whether and how they will pay remembrance to September 11 in a public way. Stories in The New York Times*, PRWeek and Marketing Daily, to name a few, tackled the question head on, peppered with challenging language, such as “insensitive,” “exploitative” and “taboo.” No question this is a precarious situation for brands. Society will scrutinize those that implement 9/11-focused campaigns and communications, concerned they are capitalizing on the tragedy, while questioning those who choose to remain silent. And although some efforts seem to have passed the sensitivity test so far, such as American Express’ support of the “I Will” tribute campaign or Home Depot’s “Celebration of Service,” at least one U.S. company has gotten slammed and a few more international advertisements have been deemed outright tasteless.

In this country, we ask our companies to be good citizens. And on the anniversary of this tragic date, all citizens will be paying tribute, in their own ways, to the lives lost and changed 10 years ago. It would seem appropriate that companies stand with the nation and share opportunities for service and remembrance.

Cone’s Executive Vice President Craig Bida says five fundamental principles of cause branding will help ensure 9/11 campaigns maintain integrity:

1. Be authentic: Make sure you deeply understand your brand’s unique equity, mission, purpose and values, and act in a way that supports these.
2. Embrace risk: Leadership today is about standing up AND standing for something. This may mean taking on difficult or controversial issues. Remember, there was a time when breast cancer, AIDS and a host of other issues that are now part of our daily fabric were taboo.
3. Be unique: Develop your own take on an issue, identifying a specific challenge that you want to help solve. For example, supporting military families is broad; providing scholarships to families impacted by military service, is more specific and actionable.
4. Don’t go it alone: Nonprofit partners provide critical credentialing and expertise in achieving social impact. Given concerns about exploitation and 9/11-related marketing, this support is even more critical than usual.
5. Communicate impact: Consumers want to know what you are doing to drive change and how their support for your brand will translate into action. Be clear about your impact and think carefully whether this will be perceived as meaningful and actionable by consumers and other stakeholders.

To read Craig Bida’s full POV on marketing during 9/11, please visit the Thought Leaders Commpro.biz Blog.

On a final note, we at Cone stand with the rest of the country this weekend to honor the September 11 victims, survivors and first responders.

*Article may require login

There’s a reason the phrase “walk a mile in their shoes” is such a common idiom – it’s the best way to truly understand another person’s circumstances. What was once no more than a figure of speech is now a real possibility thanks to new technologies that are bringing issues and experiences to life. Liz Claiborne has been on the forefront of domestic violence awareness for 20 years, and the company recently made the issue even more personal with a new iPhone app that will allow parents of teenagers to understand the true nature of a negative teen relationship. Parents can sign up for the app which will send them a battery of controlling and harassing calls, texts and emails from a “boyfriend” or “girlfriend.”

In addition to simulating discomfort, technology can also provide positive experiences. Digital museums allow individuals to visit famous places and installations around the world, such as Anne Frank’s house or Monet 2010, without ever setting foot on a plane. And, Trend Central highlighted an app that actually allows new parents to see life through the eyes of a newborn with technology mimicking a child’s vision as he or she goes through the stages of development.

Immersive technologies can enhance our lives – whether promoting empathy or providing rich new experiences. Just imagine the possibilities for bringing causes to life for your supporters and influencers and taking their engagement to the next level. The days in which an organization simply tells supporters a story are winding down; today, they can experience the cause first-hand.

Fundraising galas and walkathons a bit too tame for your blood? Perhaps a little body art, a hostage goldfish or a brush with death would be more your style. You wouldn’t be alone. Cause supporters are going to extremes these days to prove their devotion to a cause.

The Social Tattoo Project is hoping a few diehard advocates will get inked in the name of a cause. The Project reveals four topics each week, and via crowdsourced voting, decides which lucky volunteer will soon have a permanent reminder of a cause or event that mattered in that moment (#humantrafficking, #Haiti, #Norway, #poverty and #Japan, so far).

To increase awareness about plastic pollution in the Pacific Ocean, Project Kaisei put the fate of real goldfish “Kai” in the hands of supporters. Only with their donations would Kai avoid moving from his safe aquatic environment into the polluted waters beyond his clear plastic wall. A live Facebook feed implored donors to help “Save Kai” as time ticked by.

Even more traditional nonprofit brands such as the Boy Scouts of America, the Special Olympics and the Make-A-Wish Foundation of America are taking a walk on the wild side. Some of their supporters are repelling down the sides of skyscrapers to solicit donations. Over the Edge, the company that organizes these events, has worked with 62 nonprofits in 2011 alone.

Perhaps desperate times call for extreme measures, but are these efforts making any real impact on the issues? The answer is, it depends. Ill-conceived stunts (remember the Twitter death of dozens of celebs a few months ago?) can easily garner more jokes than dollars, but if your supporters need a little pressure to say, fish or cut bait, a creative and dramatic campaign may be just the motivation they need.
 

When it comes to marketing your cause, are you thinking outside the box (or in it)?

It’s time to think beyond the print ad and webpage and do something a little more eye-catching to make sure your cause program gets attention. With limited budgets and an even more fragmented consumer attention span, cause campaigns are getting creative. This month, Twitter feeds were abuzz about a billboard. Nothing new, you say? Well, what about a live, plant-covered billboard that absorbs air pollution as it promotes the World Wildlife Federation and Coca-Cola? More than 46,000 pounds of carbon dioxide is certainly nothing to cough at. In Ohio, Charter One and the Ohio Association of Second Harvest Foodbanks are betting consumers won’t miss a billboard with “nothing” on it. The organizations teamed up to raise awareness that many families have nothing to eat with a series of billboards with only the word “nothing” written on them in big bold letters.

Another cause campaign is thinking a little more inside the box. That box just happens to be a pop-up store on the beach. H&M recently created a beach-themed pop-up shop where 25 percent of all sales proceeds go to support WaterAid. The company placed the shop – you guessed it –on the seashore of Scheveningen, a popular seaside resort in The Hague. Speaking of water, Denver Water, a Colorado utility, is coming up with fresh ways to utilize public space to convey a message. The utility recently launched a campaign to show just how much water a running toilet can waste with bright orange barrels piled high in downtown Denver. Other Denver residents found benches reduced to one quarter the normal size and emblazoned with the tag, “Use only what you need.” Finally, a charity book sale in Greenville, South Carolina came up with another clever use of public space with stairs that became larger-than-life books and parking garage windows that were transformed into giant bookshelves. The public space was donated by the city, and the book drive is now deemed the country’s most successful.

Can’t-miss-it advertising and marketing is not the dominion of corporate brands alone. It just takes a little thinking outside the box – or billboard, bench or bookshelf – to make an eye-catching statement for your cause.

Fifteen minutes might be the average celebrity lifespan in our reality TV world, but successful celebrity-cause partnerships require something more long lasting. Articles this week in both Fast Company and on Mashable discussed some of the pros and cons of involving a celebrity in your cause, but both touched on a common thread: long-term relationships are a key to success.

Unlike most Hollywood unions, an enduring relationship between celeb and nonprofit requires a real commitment. Celebrities willing to pursue lasting relationships with charities show they truly care about the issues, enough to want to dedicate time to the cause beyond a single PSA or photo-op. The added benefit is that over time, the celebrity’s knowledge about the issue grows and he or she becomes a credible voice for the organization, in addition to a famous face. The result is a sense of sincerity and passion, which is so critical to securing consumer trust. In fact, the 2010 Cone Cause Evolution Study found 81 percent of Americans believe that if a celebrity’s commitment to a cause is authentic, he or she can play a significant role in raising awareness for the issue.

To ensure a long-term relationship with a celebrity:
• Do your homework. Look for a strategic partner whose assets, competencies and dedication complement those of the charity and the cause.
• Tap into their assets. Beyond a pretty face or a recognizable name, celebrities can offer personal stories and connections to a cause, or offer a new, creative twist on a campaign that leverages a celebrity’s talents or interests.
• Encourage involvement. Dedicated celebrities want to go beyond an appearance or ad; embolden them to dig into the issue, like Josh Holloway’s partnership with the Nature Valley* National Parks Project. Josh volunteered to get his hands dirty at a service event at the Joshua Tree National Park.
• Emulate the power couples. Look to other partnerships that seem authentic and true for inspiration on how to make your own relationship as deep. Think Reese Witherspoon and Avon* or Pierce Brosnan and the National Resources Defense Council.
• Treat the relationship like any other program. Re-evaluate and refresh it over time so neither one of you is likely to stray.

What’s your favorite cause-celebrity partnership?

*Cone client

In last Saturday’s New York Times, reporter Stephanie Strom featured nonprofits that close shop when the cause they set out to address no longer exists. “Mission accomplished,” the article said. And I replied, “Right on!”

Nonprofits often say they want to put themselves out of business, and I’ve long admired organizations that are truly working towards that goal. Strom’s article highlights Malaria No More, which is determined to end malaria deaths in Africa by 2015, and I would add UNICEF (Believe in Zero) and the National Breast Cancer Coalition (Breast Cancer Deadline 2020) to the list of nonprofits that are counting down to end their causes.

So why are corporate cause programs counting up? Sure, global causes are massive and no one company can do it all on its own – but companies can focus on smaller, yet meaningful targets that drive replication and yield significant results.

Global health is a great place to start. Just as March of Dimes achieved its original mission of eradicating polio in the U.S., Gates is now working to end polio worldwide. And companies who invest in health can end epidemics, too. Like polio, diseases that are preventable and long gone in developed nations are often major crises in emerging markets. Pfizer* is one company that’s not afraid to take a stand. It’s partnering with the World Health Organization to eliminate blinding trachoma by 2020.

But where are the other cool corporate examples? The truth is end goals for cause are rare – especially in the private sector. Let’s hope that is going to change. We must refocus our impact on solving problems as opposed to merely reporting beneficiary results. After all, isn’t that what sustainability is all about?

We’d love to hear your examples of corporations with specific commitments to solve issues. Share them here.

- Jillian Wilson-Martin, Account Supervisor

*Pfizer is a former Cone client.