filter by tag: nonprofit

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!

It used to be that it took two to tango in a cause branding partnership – the company and the nonprofit. But today, thanks to social media, consumers are looking to cut in. As crowdsourcing allows consumers to suggest, vote for, support or criticize the union of a company and nonprofit, social media has propelled consumer engagement in cause initiatives forward – and helped to raise money and awareness for the issues along the way. But in some cases, this new player has also weakened the bond between company and nonprofit, changing the relationship from partner to beneficiary.

Yesterday, Cone’s vice president of cause branding and nonprofit marketing, Craig Bida, spoke at the Social Media Strategies Summit in Boston on how nonprofits can once again become indispensible to a cause campaign. Craig emphasized that power partnerships are not entirely a thing of the past – Levi’s and Goodwill and Macy’s and DoSomething.org are two recent examples of partnerships in which the nonprofits solve distinct needs for the companies. They bring something to the table in a way that no other organization can, so it’s no surprise that they also earn top billing as an equal in the effort.

Nonprofits are a powerful, even critical, aspect of a cause campaign and offer distinctive assets that can enhance a partnership:

1. Access: Nonprofits have access to the story and the constituents that care.
2. Credibility: Nonprofits not only define the issue with on-the-ground examples, but show the impact so consumers know companies are making a difference.
3. Expertise: Nonprofits have in-depth issue expertise that can help companies solve problems in new and innovative ways.
4. Brand Halo: Nonprofits represent the passion behind the cause and can bring a program to life.

Social media may be changing the cause landscape, but nonprofits are still an essential element to any cause program. The next time your nonprofit aims to partner for a cause campaign, remember to promote your assets and ensure corporate suitors save the last dance for you.

How did you find out about the East Coast earthquake this week? We heard it first on Twitter, then felt the rumbles on the ground.

Twitter reached a fever-pitch within seconds of the quake as people hit their phones and computers to react to the event, post pictures and send messages to friends and family. The wave of earthquake-related tweets was massive – over 1.7 million at its peak. In fact, many people learned about the earthquake through social media before mainstream news sources even had a chance to react.

Some savvy organizations have joined the conversation at its source. Disaster relief organizations such as FEMA, the Red Cross and the Salvation Army are already active participants on Twitter and Facebook – sending alerts, preparedness tips and accepting donations. And, new media communications are becoming even more sophisticated. Residents in Japan will soon have an advanced warning system that can alert residents two minutes before an earthquake – via iPhone. Even the U.S. Geological Survey is now using social media to its advantage. The organization used Twitter and Facebook post-earthquake to both inform the public and to create an online map of the tremors’ location. The organization has also created a Twitter Earthquake Dispatch, which searches for earthquake-related posts in different languages across the globe.

Today, there’s really no question that companies, nonprofits and government agencies must be active and engaged on social media, not only to push messages and alerts, but to track impact and calls for help. According to a recent American Red Cross survey, more than 80 percent of Americans expect disaster relief groups to be monitoring social media, and 35 percent say it’s reasonable to expect assistance to arrive within one hour after someone posts a plea for help online.

As Hurricane Irene makes landfall on the Eastern seaboard this weekend, government and nonprofit disaster preparedness plans should and hopefully will include social media. Can you anticipate what hashtags to track on Twitter? Do you have a response team to handle the inquiries that will come through social media? Is there a contingency plan in the event that power or communications are down at your location? The social media conversation is instant and widespread, and it’s going to occur whether or not your organization is an active participant. Make sure social media is in your disaster response toolkit.

Just a year ago, mobile giving was the new darling of fundraising. It was an easy and effective way to tap in to new and established donors with an immediate call to action. Today, the future of mobile giving is already ominous. A new study from the Association of Fundraising Professionals and Kaptivate Research reveals over 50 percent of nonprofits have been disappointed with the results of mobile fundraising campaigns – disenchantment that has led to a 20 percent decrease in the use of mobile giving technology in campaigns over the last year.

Is mobile giving dead? Hopefully it's experiencing more of a rebirth. Although the overwhelming success of campaigns like the American Red Cross’ Text 2Help campaign prompted many nonprofits to rush to use mobile as a fundraising mechanism alone, some organizations are taking a step back to realize the potential of mobile as a communication tool first.

Silver Ring Thing, a Christian group that is using mobile to inform rather than solicit, is sending out news and links to blogs twice a month. DoSomething.org saw radical results from a call-to-action text message sent to its teenage constituents. Since then, DoSomething.org has used texts as a central part of its communication strategy – but it has not asked for donations. Doug Plank, chief executive at MobileCause, explains in a recent Chronicle of Philanthropy article, “The old rules of establishing trust, building community, fostering engagement still apply regardless of the medium.”

Nonprofits don’t need to reinvent the wheel when it comes to mobile fundraising; your best practices still apply. Tell your story first, grow a relationship and then ask for a donation. And yes, it can all be done through the simple text message.

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.

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.

We’re getting our sports fix in 2010, bouncing from the Super Bowl right into the Olympic Winter Games. Luckily for us, cause marketers have reason to cheer, as cause connections with sports are gaining prominence. Street & Smith’s Sports Business Journal even noted in a recent issue, “as sports properties have grown in prominence, so has the sentiment that they must do more for the community, beyond wins and losses.”

The immense passion and strong commitment required of both sports and causes make them ideal teammates, and cause marketing for sports can be approached in a number of ways: from the perspective of the individual athlete, league, corporate partner or nonprofit. Here are a few examples of sports causes in action:

• Individual Athlete – Several Olympic athletes are giving back, including 2010 halfpipe silver medalist Hannah Teter, who began selling maple syrup called Hannah's Gold in an effort to raise money for underprivileged children around the world.
• League – The NFL PLAY 60 campaign is tackling childhood obesity by encouraging kids to be more active. Engagement takes place through in-school, afterschool and team-based programs, and through online child-targeted outreach and in partnership with like-minded organizations.
• Corporate Partners – Possibly the most notable sports-related cause is the Lance Armstrong Foundation, raising money for cancer research largely through the success of its partnership with Nike.
• Nonprofits – This week, the Ad Council engaged athletes Drew Brees and Tony Hawk for its latest PSA campaign supporting First Lady Michelle Obama's Let's Move! effort to fight childhood obesity.

1. Focus – Identify an issue that is relevant to the person or organization and stick to it.
2. Leverage All Assets – Think beyond the big check and utilize other valuable assets, such as volunteers, airtime and celebrity appearances.
3. Engage – Think of ways to engage multiple audiences, such as fans, the media or others in the sports community.
   
4. Commit Long-Term – Cause commitments made over a long period of time offer the opportunity for the player or organization to gain the reputational benefits of the cause association.
   

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is taking a results-driven approach to promoting American investments in global health efforts by releasing an advertisement centered on impact. The video, part of the Living Proof Project, will strike a chord with policy-makers, philanthropists and citizens alike not by centering on unmet need, but by highlighting true and measureable change: “Polio cases reduced by 99%;” “Mother-to-child HIV prevention in 16 million pregnancies;” “Malaria cases down 50% in 29 countries.” This approach instills confidence that funding saves lives.

Aimed at policymakers to sway additional funding, the positive message will reach stakeholders beyond those already engaged with the project. The Gates Foundation hopes the commercial, and specifically the measured results, will encourage grant makers and individual philanthropists to give where it counts. As Bill Gates points out, “We see that these things are working, and we’re willing to continue to make investments. I think then other people say, Okay, it must be working or people wouldn’t put their own money into it.”

Additional messages on the project’s Web site encourage advocates to pass along the positive thinking and to “Dispel the myths. When you hear someone say ‘It’s just money down a hole,’ or ‘Saving lives just leads to overpopulation,’ tell them why they’re wrong. These investments work. They empower people, and they’re appreciated."

In the bevy of important social and environmental issues that ask stakeholders for financial support every day, programs that show impact are in high demand. The pressure is now on nonprofits to show the ROI.

Last week, 13 winners of the 2009 Getting Attention Nonprofit Tagline Awards were announced, giving due credit to this often-overlooked but powerful marketing element.

Over 4,800 nonprofit professionals voted for taglines that best delivered the vision and mission of the organization, putting power in the hands of practitioners who live and breathe nonprofit branding. Winners spanned a range of issues and represented organizations that focus on local, national and international causes, indicating that any nonprofit can benefit from a clearly communicated brand.

A theme among the winners is a clear connection to the organization’s mission. Essentially, the winners followed the simple yet often disregarded best practice of “say what you do.” In fact, Cone’s research showed nonprofits who clearly state their issue focus in their brand names reaped the benefit of stronger consumer relevance – a key component to strong reputation. For more tips on how to foster a strong nonprofit brand, check out the "10 Essentials for Enhancing Brand Power," part of The 2009 Cone Nonprofit Power Brand 100 report.

For the full list of tagline winners, check out the Getting Attention blog.

It’s the little things that count - when you add up the small efforts of many, they can create real change. As consumers, we adopt simple behaviors that can make a collective difference; turn off the faucet, pick up a piece of trash, buy a product that donates to a cause, recycle a soda can. When times are tough and cash donations are in short supply, how can companies adopt this concept to make a difference in society?

While cash remains critical to any nonprofit’s ability to fulfill its mission, this recession has led to innovative examples of companies leveraging assets, beyond cash, to solve social problems. Patrick Rooney, executive director of the Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University notes that many companies wanting to conserve cash have shifted from financial donations to in-kind contributions – taking a little and making it into something bigger.

Some companies offer employees a few hours time to volunteer for nonprofits, which combined can amount to hundreds of hours in professional services otherwise unaffordable. Others are donating new or unused materials that meet the needs of nonprofits, which when taken collectively can have big results.

In an interesting new approach to in-kind, a group of airline financiers has established a program called ISTAT AirLink that allows easy donation of unreserved airline seats and cargo space to causes who need to get volunteers and supplies abroad. The program brings together several airline carriers with excess space, offering valuable resources to nonprofit organizations.

A key part of this program’s success is the centralized organization, which allows aid agencies to list people, medicine and supplies they need shipped on a Web site, and permits airlines to post spare seats or cargo space. The result; nonprofits get people and resources on the ground, and companies are able to put to harness space which would otherwise be vacant. There is small added investment for the airline – extra cargo handling or passenger service – but the benefit to the nonprofit is huge. As airline financier and founding member Bob Brown notes, "If we can save an NGO a dollar in cost, that should flow right through to the people they're serving."

What excess capacity does your organization hold, and how can it be put to use for the greater good?

Voting for the 2009 Getting Attention Nonprofit Tagline Awards is now under way, and you can help determine the best of the best. According to founder Nancy Schwartz, voting will:

• Sharpen your understanding of what does and doesn’t work in nonprofit communications.
• Inform and inspire your organization’s messaging.
• Give you the chance to register for the free 2009 Nonprofit Tagline Report, with 2,500 tagline examples.

What are you waiting for? Be heard by casting your vote for 13 different categories, and then register to receive the free report, including the 2009 winners. Polls close on Wednesday, September 30 at midnight, so don’t delay!

Want to build a brand relevant to your supporters? Then say what you do in a crisp and clear way.

The Cone Nonprofit Power Brand 100 found that organizations who clearly state their issue focus in their brand names are perceived by consumers as more familiar and personally relevant. For example, the National Cancer Coalition captured higher consumer relevancy ratings than organizations whose names were more ambiguous. Clever or creative branding is good, but clarity makes communication easy - donors, volunteers, clients and potential advocates can easily understand who you are and what you stand for.

Another brand element to consider: your organization or program tagline. Does it support the mission of your organization? Does it say what you do? To explore this topic, nonprofits and foundations of all sizes can enter their taglines in the 2009 Getting Attention Nonprofit Tagline Awards. Visit Nancy Schwartz’s blog for more details about the friendly competition and to submit an entry.

Since yesterday’s launch of The Cone Nonprofit Power Brand 100, we’ve had many great discussions about the research. Every conversation starts with the same question. “What is it about the Top 10 that makes them the Top 10?” The answer, in a word, is ENGAGEMENT.

Whether 100+ years old, or newer kids on the block, these nonprofits are experts at leveraging multiple points of consumer engagement. Many have bricks-and-mortar facilities (YMCA, The Salvation Army, American Red Cross, Goodwill, Boys & Girls Clubs) or in-your-face marketing (Habitat, American Cancer Society) that keep them top-of-mind with consumers, donors and other stakeholders.

Other common threads include:

• Their services have broad appeal to an array of stakeholders
• They are entrenched in hundreds or even thousands of local communities across the country with extensive consumer touch points
• They provide a credible voice and are a sought-after resource to help in difficult times
• They have successfully partnered with companies to reach a broader array of constituents with a clear call-to-action
• They have derived significant revenue through cause commerce (selling goods or services that help fund their cause)

It’s also notable that six of the Top 10 Nonprofit Power Brands are domestic social needs organizations (The Salvation Army, United Way of America, American Red Cross, Goodwill Industries International, Catholic Charities USA and Habitat for Humanity International). This sector is thriving as Americans turn their attention homeward since the devastating disasters of September 11 and the 2005 hurricane season. And, in these tough economic times, individual support of nonprofits providing life’s basic necessities has actually increased, and we expect this sector and its organizations will only sustain their upward momentum.

Visit our Web site to get branding insights straight from the Top 10, or to hear from the CEOs of the United Way, Catholic Charities and the American Cancer Society.

The Cone Nonprofit Power Brand 100 is officially in the marketplace, and not surprisingly, amid all the chatter about who is ON the list, there is some about who is NOT. So, how did we choose the 100 leading organizations to evaluate? The answer is quite simple- we used Forbes 200 Largest Nonprofits list to give us a starting point. Check out additional info on the filter criteria.

We looked at 100 impressive organizations, but in the end that’s a fraction of the 1.5 million total nonprofits in the U.S., so there are bound to be some favorites that aren’t on the list. To the right, on our blog poll, we’ve listed a few notable absences. Who did you miss?

In an “always online” culture, it is increasingly important to communicate with and engage audiences where they’re plugged in. At Cone, we define new media as “technology-facilitated dialogue^sm among stakeholders.” Engaging audiences through technology is a powerful tool to increase awareness of issues. In fact, The New York Times recently highlighted an organization using new media - the Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention Campaign of North Carolina (APPC), whose innovative Birds and Bees Text Line offers information to curious teenagers about sexual heath on their mobile devices.

The state faces growing teenage pregnancy rates and risky behaviors - issues that weren’t being mitigated by traditional classroom education. The APPC knew its target audience of 14-19 year-olds had mobile phones, and that the anonymity provided by text messaging would offer a safe and comfortable forum to ask difficult questions about sexual health. The choice of mobile devices as a communications tool shows the APPC understands new media is less “build it and they will come” and more “build it where they already are.” APPC health educators respond to text inquiries within 24 hours, and refer to the service as “sex ed on their turf” - therefore creating a dialogue with teens as opposed to talking at them.

Unlike similar programs in other cities and states, the program provides for one-to-one interaction, demonstrating that new media can still be an intimate forum for communication. The Birds and Bees Text Line is only a piece of a larger strategic plan to educate teens about sexual health beyond the classroom, but it has allowed the organization to reach its target audience more effectively and in a way that is culturally relevant.

Cone will be speaking more about how to align new media with a corporate responsibility communications strategy at the 2009 Sustainable Brands Conference, where Mike Hollywood, director of new media, and Jonathan Yohannan, senior vice president, will be leading a workshop about New Media for Sustainability.

For much more news on this topic, please see our weekly newsletter. Subscribe to Cone's newsletter here.

As we seek to develop new marketing communications solutions for nonprofits in today’s climate, fundraising will take a front seat across the board. Carefully consider the following tips to help boost your nonprofit’s recession resilience in 2009.

1. Focus on individual giving: The largest portion of overall fundraising during recessions (80%) comes from individual givers, according to COP. So nurture your loyal donors and make sure they know just how important they are to you.
   
   
2. Curtail or re-purpose large galas or costly events: Consider creating lower-tier ticket opportunities for existing galas; swapping costly events for smaller, mission-aligned gatherings; or seeking donations “in lieu of event” for a targeted list of urgent, micro-philanthropy needs.
   
   
3. Avoid spending too much time and energy on engaging new corporate support: Five percent of fundraising comes from corporate support, which on average declines 1.5 percent in times of economic recession, according to COP. So, focus on servicing, communicating with and adding value for existing corporate supporters to maintain or grow current funding rather than seeking out new partners who may not be able to fund new beneficiaries.
   
   
4. Cut back, but do not eliminate, direct mail: Direct response fundraising makes up close to 60 percent of giving, according to the Direct Marketing Association, and COP reports that 62 percent of organizations surveyed reported gains over time using direct mail. To lower costs, consider paring down your contact list to active donors and continue to contact them. Bolster e-fundraising: For cost-effective communication vehicles, you can’t beat the Web. Consider transitioning important acquisition strategies to less costly e-fundraising techniques versus direct mail, moving select fundraising transactions online or creating “pledging” opportunities for individuals to give over time.
   
   
5. Create turnkey fundraisers: Inspire your donors to co-create fundraisers with you to reduce costs or create simple offline or online auctions. Also, try to seek gifts in-kind to bolster net proceeds.

Anne Erhard, Vice President 

It’s troubling, as Dress for Success founder Nancy Lublin argues in her recent Fast Company editorial, that intentionally or not, some companies are learning to cause market without the cause.  Lublin cites Macy’s “Shop for a Cause” last fall, which promoted its cause-related shopping day through full-page newspaper ads saying simply, “in support of nonprofit groups.” In reality, Macy’s raised more than $9 million dollars through the promotion which benefited several important charitable organizations (listed on its Web site), but consumers reading the ads wouldn’t know that. The nationwide event benefited local organizations, so logistically, communicating these details may have been complicated. Yet that doesn’t preclude Macy’s from providing its nonprofit beneficiaries with the recognition they deserve. In the end, the organizations benefited from the funding, but they did not have access to the immense awareness and brand building power that a well-marketed cause partnership should provide.

Clearly, insufficient details can quickly undermine the credibility of even well-conceived cause programs and may eventually threaten consumer support. For example, a majority of consumers (91%) want to hear about corporate efforts in supporting causes, but far fewer (58%) believe companies are providing sufficient details about their cause marketing efforts. Mitigate this communication disconnect by providing the detail and transparency consumers and other stakeholders need to believe in your campaign. In many states, legal regulations dictate what must be disclosed, but in general, sufficient details should include the nonprofit partner(s), the amount of the donation, the donation cap and/or the portion of each sale which will go toward the cause, and the length of the promotion.