By Kate Olsen | @Kate4Good

A few years ago, Proctor & Gamble launched a cause-related marketing campaign in South Africa. It was called “1 Pack=1 Vaccine,” and for every pack of diapers sold, a child was vaccinated against tetanus. It was wildly successful, boosting Pampers sales and resulting in 150 million vaccines.

A rival campaign didn’t fare so well. Its slogan was less tangible, not to mention wordy: “1 pack will help eradicate newborn tetanus globally.”

Be like P&G!  Here are 3 reasons for tangible cause marketing messages.

Keep reading...

By Kate Olsen | @Kate4Good

Research shows that, above all, emotion is what galvanizes people to act. 

People support causes because they feel something, not because they think something.  In fact, if you make people stop and think, they tend to do less good.  So what does research about emotion and giving mean to the cause marketer? 

Today, we release a brand new eGuide - The Brainiac's Guide to Cause Marketing by our own COO and CSO Katya Andresen - that explores how people’s minds really work, and what that means for your next campaign. By understanding how people think, you'll learn how to make them act.

Keep reading for a taste of what you'll get...

By Kate Olsen

The best ambassadors for your cause portfolio are the employees actively engaged in your programs.  Equip those employees to tell their personal story about why they care, how they help and what it means to be able to do it alongside other employees.  Here are a few suggestions to help your employees share the call to action to get involved and make a difference.

 
Update your Status:  If your company has an employee social network or community, seed a conversation dedicated to social impact, preferably visible to the larger community and not just people opted-in to hear about cause programs.  Then invite your employees to update their status every time they participate in a volunteer activity or hear about a cool nonprofit project.  Employees can also congratulate peers on completing social good projects and generally spread the word about how to give back. 
 

Keep reading...

By Kate Olsen

Small social good actions can be gateway opportunities to engage employees in cause without overwhelming them by a big upfront commitment.  Or they can be complementary to other offline community commitments or habitual charitable giving. 

Research from the Georgetown University Center for Social Impact Communication and Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide proves that people who engage in micro actions for good are twice as likely to volunteer their time and three times as likely to engage in peer-to-peer fundraising efforts for their cause, among other noteworthy findings.  Here are three ways to add micro actions to your employee cause portfolio.

Keep reading...

By Kate Olsen

Many companies see global volunteerism as an invaluable component of any company’s cause portfolio, even if the workforce isn’t internationally-based.  Global opportunities to give back are particularly important, though, for companies seeking to make an impact in all the communities in which they operate.  Here are a few suggestions to help take your employee cause programs global.

Give Internationally: Adding international charities to your employee giving roster allows globally-based employees to support charities in their countries through annual giving campaigns.  Global donation options also allow US-based employees to support causes they may care about doing work in other countries. 

Keep reading...

By Kate Olsen

Chris Jarvis, Partner and Business Development lead for RealizedWorth, recommends involving your employees in the development of your cause programs from day one.  Here are Chris’s recommendations to create an employee-centric engagement portfolio.

1) Find the employees who are already engaged with a cause. It doesn't have to be your company's cause. They just have to be volunteering or giving to something on a regular basis. You can find them through a simple survey or a handful of interviews with employees you know to be volunteering already.
 
2) Collaborate with these key employees. What do they need to be better volunteers at the organizations they are already committed to? Resource them in their goals. And then ask them to help lead the company’s efforts. They've been waiting to be asked to do something for a long time.
 
3) Design events that meet people at their highest level of contribution.

Keep reading...

By Kate Olsen & Allison McGuire

An important—often underleveraged—employee motivation technique is involvement in social impact initiatives. A growing body of evidence illustrates the power of enabling employees (especially millennials) to give back to their community and support favorite causes at work.

According to the 2011 Deloitte Volunteer IMPACT Survey of employed adults ages 21 – 35, millennials who frequently participate in workplace volunteer activities are nearly twice as likely to be very satisfied with the progression of their career.

Employee engagement through cause is a vital means by which to strengthen employee relationships, enhance employee morale, and even build critical skill sets and expertise.

Plus, employees are hungry for ways to get involved in cause.

Keep reading...

By Kate Olsen

Employee cause programs are coming of age. It’s no longer enough just to check the box that you have an annual volunteer day. Companies winning over employees understand that much more strategy and care must go into program planning.

That's why we've written a new eGuide around the five trends shaping employee social impact programs right now. You won't believe how this eGuide will help you improve employee morale and increase your bottom line!

Read on and download the eGuide...

By Kate Olsen

To communities involved in disaster, it’s a long road to recovery. The transitional and recovery/rebuilding phases can take years. For example, Haiti is still recuperating from the earthquake that struck in January 2010 with many people still living in tents.

Product donations can be key to assisting those who are struggling from natural or man-made disasters—both early on and years later as affected communities and areas rebuild.

Check out Good360's 10 tips on product giving here.

By Kate Olsen

In 2008, Capital One partnered with Network for Good to create the No Hassle Giving Site, a giving portal available to all Capital One credit and debit card customers. Through the site, customers can donate cash, rewards or miles to any of 1.2 million U.S.-based nonprofits. Capital One generously covers all donation processing fees, so 100% of a customer’s donation gets disbursed to the nonprofit of choice.

In the wake of a disaster, Capital One features a handful of trusted nonprofits providing relief. Through customer email communications, website banner ads, and retail bank outreach, Capital One invites customers to support relief efforts through the Giving Site, making it convenient for customers to help.  Additionally, Capital One often provides matching funds to amplify the impact. 

Read on to get the scoop on Capital One's key lessons learned.