Giving Back

I've been reading a lot lately about the cause marketing trend in corporate America. Essentially, in cause marketing a for-profit business partners with a nonprofit organization, typically one that complements the company's mission and core values, to give back to the community, help the nonprofit raise money, and boost their own profits at the same time. Think Yoplait and its "Save Lids to Save Lives" campaign. For every pink Yoplait yogurt lid a customer mails in, Yoplait donates 10 cents to the Susan G. Komen for the Cure benefiting cancer research.

The phrase "cause-related marketing" was first used by American Express in 1983 to describe its campaign to raise money for the restoration of the Statue of Liberty. American Express made a one-cent donation to the Statue of Liberty every time someone used its charge card: the number of new card holders soon grew to 45%, and card usage increased by 28%. (Source: foundationcenter.org)

I found this interesting article written by the chief marketing officer for the Boys & Girls Club of American. He describes his ten commandments for cause-related marketing efforts. A second article describes the asymmetrical benefits a for-profit company may enjoy depending on the nonprofit organization it ultimately partners with.

What about your company? What organizations have you partnered with to better your community? How have those partnerships impacted your business?