March 12, 2010 at 11:28 AM by Knowledge Leadership

As more than 1.5 million nonprofit organizations in the U.S. vie for the attention of potential donors and supporters, the newly released 2010 Cone Nonprofit Marketing Trend Tracker reveals a powerful, if unexpected, ally – for-profit companies. According to the new survey, more than three-quarters (78%) of consumers believe a nonprofit’s partnership with a trusted company or brand makes a cause stand out.

 

We have long known such cross-sector partnerships benefit companies, but the results of this survey reveal the nonprofit is perched under the same halo. Not only do many consumers feel better about a nonprofit when it partners with a company (56%) – they are also more likely to support it:

• 59% of Americans are more likely to buy a product associated with the partnership;
• 50% are more likely to donate to the nonprofit;
• 49% are more likely to participate in an event for the nonprofit; and
• 41% are more likely to volunteer for the nonprofit.

American consumers are highly attuned to nonprofit-corporate partnerships in the marketplace today and, as a result, want to see the complete picture. They are seeking details of partnerships (61%) before deciding to support the cause, and they want to see results – 75 percent want to hear about the effect on the social issue or the0 money raised for the cause. In light of this penchant for detail, fewer than half (45%) think nonprofits and companies disclose enough information about their partnerships.

Leading nonprofit brands can harness the power of strategic corporate partnerships and, by offering complete details and a compelling call-to-action, enhance relationships with existing supporters and rally new cause ambassadors.

For additional results and insights from the 2010 Cone Nonprofit Marketing Trend Tracker, download the release and fact sheet from our Web site. 

Tags: cone corporatepartnerships nonprofitcausebranding research

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March 5, 2010 at 2:15 PM by Knowledge Leadership

Donations for relief efforts in Chile pale in comparison to those for Haiti. The Chronicle of Philanthropy reports in an interview that a mere $250,000 raised by Americans three days following the Chile disaster, which starkly contrasts the nearly $97 million raised three days following the Haiti earthquake. Despite experiencing a stronger earthquake, Chile’s existing building codes and infrastructure better prepared it to cope with damages. However, several other factors may have influenced the difference in donations:


Consumers Are Tapped Out – Many Americans responded to the Haiti crisis by taking part in the widespread text-to-give campaigns promoted by major relief organizations, through which the American Red Cross alone raised $32 million. Mobile giving was a fast and easy way to respond to the crisis, but some may simply be overwhelmed by donating to the second major disaster in a two-month period. In addition, there has seemingly been more media attention for the Haiti disaster, which continues to capture headlines amidst the Chile crisis.  

Call To Action Was Less Urgent – The Chile government’s call for aid didn’t take place for several days after the disaster which influences donor urgency. According to The 2010 Cone Text-to-Give Trend Tracker, more than one fifth (22%) of respondents indicated they would donate to causes via text message only when the need was urgent.

Haiti Activated Grassroots – In Haiti, the need for donations was immediate and urgent. Individuals were activated to help not only through popular donation campaigns by organizations such as the American Red Cross and Yele Haiti, but also through their own grassroots efforts that utilized events and social media. The Wall Street Journal this week highlighted some of the more extraordinary methods for individual fundraising, such as a skydiving nun and pajama-clad office workers.

Celebrity Involvement – The star power that surrounded Haiti undoubtedly drew additional attention to relief efforts. Whether sports stars making a statement on the courts or a star-studded telethon, celebrities came together for the cause and inspired other Americans to do the same.

None of these factors are the responsibility of any one stakeholder. Governments, relief organizations, businesses, influencers and consumers need to work collaboratively toward a common solution for maximum impact, and we saw this collaboration in top form following the earthquake in Haiti. The sobering reality of the back-to-back earthquakes of 2010, however, made it clear that no two disasters, or their resulting relief efforts, are the same. What will you and your organization proactively prepare to do when another disaster strikes?


Tags: global newmedia crisis donation currentevents cause fundraising

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February 26, 2010 at 1:23 PM by Knowledge Leadership

To infuse passion into a cause, organizations can look to this classic adage for inspiration - “Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime.” In the cause-related marketing space, we’re seeing this concept play out as some organizations offer not just philanthropic dollars and product tie-ins, but the actual tools and infrastructure needed to empower consumers to rally their own supporters for the cause.  


Case in point is the recently launched Bisquick Pancake Nation (Cone client), which provides consumers with the tools they need to host a successful pancake breakfast in support of a cause. Bisquick bypassed the more traditional cause route (i.e., donating a portion of sales) and instead is offering a collection of resources to help the organizers of the nation’s many community pancake breakfasts plan, promote and execute successful events.  The Web site offers everything from pancake recipes to signage templates and downloadable placemats. In addition, there are grants available for organizations to promote their events.

Other recent examples of “teach a cause to fish” include Macy’s holiday 2009 “Come+Together” campaign and Yahoo’s 2009 year-end “You In?” campaign. Macy’s approach encouraged consumers to host a dinner party and ask guests to donate money to Feeding America (Cone client) in lieu of the traditional hostess gift. In addition to matching any donations, Macy’s provided celebrity recipe ideas/meal plans, invitations and music ideas to create the perfect dinner party. Yahoo harnessed the power of consumers by asking users to commit to random acts of kindness and use the Yahoo network to post their good deeds and encourage others to do the same.
 
Empowering consumers to lead cause efforts encourages a deeper level of engagement with both the brand and the issue and a bigger impact in the communities where it’s most needed.  When consumers have an active role in the program, they’ll be evangelists for your message and more likely to engage in future efforts, too.

Have you seen other examples of this approach?  Please share!


Tags: trends newmedia corporategiving causebranding campaigns

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February 22, 2010 at 1:16 PM by Knowledge Leadership

The following is a guest post by a Cone client. Evan Hochberg directs Deloitte’s national Community Involvement program where he provides strategic direction for philanthropy, volunteerism, pro-bono and workplace giving.

 

It has been 10 months since the Serve America Act was passed into law. During that time, the tremendous buzz created by President Obama and others on the subject of service has been palpable. However, much of the discussion has been focused on driving numbers – volunteers and volunteer hours. Today, as the corporate giving community celebrates International Corporate Philanthropy Day, I encourage the corporate philanthropy and nonprofit communities to extend the service dialogue beyond transactional goals and metrics. If volunteerism is to be a powerful driver of social impact and business value, we must focus not just on more volunteers, but on more productive volunteering.

 

It is not enough to simply encourage our employees to volunteer, when volunteerism too often equates to unskilled labor. Nonprofits are sophisticated organizations and they need more from us. When it comes to impacting critical issues through volunteerism, we must remember that this is not an area where more volunteers necessarily equals greater impact. Volunteers are a means to making a positive contribution to society, but it's what these generous people do with their time that is really important. We must design volunteer efforts that can truly make an enduring difference. For example, at Deloitte, we have developed initiatives that harnesses and contributes the best thinking of our people, including our $50 million pro bono program, our Deloitte Center for Leadership and the Community, and many other skills-based volunteering programs. By sharing our personnel’s critical business skills and knowledge, we are able to deliver more valuable outcomes to the nonprofits with whom we work and to the communities that depend upon them.

 

Deloitte has also been proud to serve as a co-convener of Reimagining Service, a coalition of leaders from the government, nonprofit and corporate sectors who seek to increase the impact of volunteers and their ability to address our country’s most pressing social issues.

Too often, talented people with good intentions are given volunteer tasks that do not leverage their skills and knowledge. A key to our success as a service nation is not just getting people to care, but also helping them figure out how they can make the greatest difference, given their time, their skills and the pressing needs of the community.

- Evan Hochberg, National Director of Community Involvement, Deloitte Services LP 

Tags: corporategiving philanthropy research

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February 19, 2010 at 3:58 PM by Knowledge Leadership

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.

Regardless of which sports figure or organization is driving the cause message, there are a few best practices that hold true for all:

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.
   

Tags: nonprofit charity celebrityengagement charitablegiving nonprofitcausebranding causebranding

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