Across North America, companies in all industries are launching partnerships with nonprofits and crowdfunding platforms to collaborate and leverage their audience to execute on their CSR projects. Crowdfunding has become an increasingly accepted, indeed – expected, CSR activity, which more and more cause marketing professionals are recognizing and appreciating for its lack of a real ‘downside’ and the incredible potential …
Human nature may be fundamentally altruistic, but even if we’re hardwired for giving charitably a little incentive can go a long way with even the most generous donors. No one is going to be disappointed to see their money double – especially when that money is going to a good cause and their impact is amplified. Offering to double up and dollar-match individual …
Since when has writing a cheque engaged anyone long term, beyond the transaction? In the grand scope of sponsorship, a general cash donation is the bare minimum form of participation, and doesn’t maximize the vast opportunity that sponsorship presents as part of your community engagement. Your job is far from done when the cheque is cashed and if you’re calling it quits there, …
Community engagement programs are not new for celebrity athletes, teams, leagues, and sports influencers. What is new and exciting is the increased creativity and ambition of sports philanthropy. Tanks to this greater focus on sports as a vehicle for social change, sports philanthropy is now its own field of study at George Washington University Business School. GWU offers a program tailored to those who work in professional sports with …
With Thanksgiving fast approaching, the usual flurry of Black Friday and Cyber Monday initiatives are beginning to saturate the advertising landscape. Even when it’s an abstinence from participating in Black Friday, like REI’s brilliant #OptOutside campaign, it’s hard to scan the media and not see something pertaining to the sales. The Tuesday following the Thanksgiving weekend is #Giving Tuesday, and …
There is no doubt that cause marketing is important, and now Ipsos has done the research to prove that it greatly influences buying decisions in Canada. According to their 2015 research, 95% of Canadians (ie. nearly all Canadians) agree that it is a good idea for companies to support causes. As it turns out, it is also a very …
As the lines blur between what constitutes ‘cause marketing’ and ‘corporate social responsibility’ (CSR), they are often mistakenly lumped together and perceived as being one and the same. It is easier to think of CSR as the umbrella under which a variety of business practices related to social good and initiatives like cause marketing and sponsorship sit. Where cause marketing …
‘Cause marketing’ is one of those buzzwords that can evoke a strong reaction from marketers. It calls to mind visions of aisles upon aisles of ‘pink-washed’ consumer products, and is often credited with being a cause of increasing skepticism in customers. That’s when it’s done wrong. But when it’s done right, cause marketing can build brand buy-in, engage customers, and …