Cause marketing is magic.

Bear with me while I get a little academic, just for a sec. First, a broader topic: Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). Heard of it? Perhaps not by name, but the concept should be familiar.

Corporate social responsibility has been around, as we know it today, since the 1950s. According to an article published by the National Institute of Health, it is “defined as ‘a concept whereby companies integrate social and environmental concerns in their business operations and in their interaction with their stakeholders on a voluntary basis.’” (Bhatti, Galan-Ladero, Galera-Casquet, 2022) In other words, CSR is a company’s efforts to do good in their communities, locally and globally. Companies engage in CSR in a variety of ways: making philanthropic gifts to charities, offering volunteering opportunities for employees, sponsoring events, socially responsible business practices, and others engage in cause marketing.

Cause marketing is a mutually beneficial partnership between a for-profit and not-for-profit organization. The for-profit organization raises funds and/or awareness for the not-for-profit while the for-profit benefits from a boosted brand image. Done well, it’s good for employee engagement and organizational culture, too! It makes sense, right? Do good, feel good.

Consumers have, in many cases, endless choices for where and how they spend their hard-earned dollars. Obviously, affordability is a competitive factor, but when given the choice, I tend to believe that consumers choose to support businesses who not only have a good product, but who do good in their community, too. You might even be introduced to a new brand through a cause you already love.

CSR isn’t just for big, Fortune 500 companies. It’s for the little guys, too! While making a large financial contribution to your favorite charity might not yet be possible, you can contribute in a big way by engaging in cause marketing.

For not-for-profits, cause marketing is an area of fundraising that deserves some attention. It’s a wonderful way to open doors with new donors, and your existing donors will enjoy hearing about these community activities as well. Cause marketing is magic. It has the power to unite a diverse group of people under a single cause and invites individuals who might not have otherwise been able to support a cause to be a part of giving back.

Wondering if you’ve ever been part of a cause marketing campaign? Chances are, you have. Have you ever walked into a store and seen its walls plastered with brightly colored paper icons signed by other customers? Or has a cashier ever asked, “Would you like to Round Up today?” These are examples of cause marketing campaigns happening regularly in our communities. Perhaps you’ve slipped some spare change into a canister at a checkout counter or decided to treat yourself to a special purchase after learning that a portion of your purchase would support a local charity…cause marketing is at play in these scenarios. Consumers feel good, employees feel good, businesses feel good.

I spent nearly a decade managing Children's Miracle Network hospitals programming at local hospitals: working with corporate partners and local retailers to successfully implement a wide variety of cause marketing efforts, like point-of-sale fundraising campaigns as well as events, big and small: bake sales and employee festivals, casino nights, and galas. While the amount of funds raised vary, what is consistent across the board is the passion of the people doing the fundraising - the retail associate enthusiastically asking their umpteenth customer for a donation, grinning widely when they get a "yes!"; the excited small business owner who has just decided to donate a portion of their profits back to their favorite charity; the store manager who proudly talks about her employees' successes during their six-week long fundraising campaign; the feeling that everyone involved has when they hear how much money they've raised to support a cause that is near and dear to their heart. This is the magic of cause marketing.

So, what are you waiting for? Let's get started.

The Reverie Workshop partners with both for-profits and not-for-profits to develop cause marketing programs. As you creative partner, I can both strategize and implement a cause marketing campaign on behalf of your not-for-profit organization; I can also identify charitable partners for businesses and help them to build a successful and beneficial cause marketing program.

References:

Bhatti HY, Galan-Ladero MM, Galera-Casquet C. Cause-related marketing: a systematic review of the literature. Int Rev Public Nonprofit Mark. 2023;20(1):25–64. doi: 10.1007/s12208-021-00326-y. Epub 2022 Jan 8. PMCID: PMC8741538.