If there’s anything I’ve learned volunteering for an animal rescue, it’s how to expertly wield a lint brush. Kidding! I’ve just embraced the fur as part of my brand.
No. What I’ve actually learned is that when you don’t have a tangible product or service to sell, you better learn to craft an excellent story or your non-profit will go down in flames.
This is the power of selling warm fuzzies: that feeling you get when you do something good for someone else and for the community as a whole.
But this post isn’t necessarily for non-profits (not that I don’t love you!), it’s about partnering with a non-profit to enhance the profitability of both your business and the cause.
Welcome to Cause Marketing!
According to Joe Waters, the Godfather of Cause Marketing, it began in the 1970’s with Marriott Corporation hosting fundraisers to benefit the March of Dimes. According to me, Cause Marketing is when a business adopts a non-profit and in addition to marketing their own product or service, they market their involvement with the non-profit. Picture a business and a non-profit running towards each other in a field of daisies.
Here’s an example from the animal rescue world (be prepared, there are going to be a lot of those). I met an insurance agent two years ago at a networking event. Now let’s be honest, you can’t walk 5 feet without tripping over an insurance agent. But we got to chatting and he told me about a very special dog who made him feel safe and loved as a child, and how passionate he was about pit bulls and dogs in general. He said that his company offered a way for agents to donate to non-profits, he just hadn’t found one that he really wanted to support.
Let’s cut to 2 years later. Whenever we have an event, he’s there. We announce him on our social media and encourage our supporters to get a quote and earn a donation. He has become an extension of our rescue. At our recent fundraising event, he shared the most powerful statement I’ve ever heard, “You guys made my business”. As it turns out, he has closed thousands of dollars of business from rescue supporters he’s met at our events. And it’s not one-sided. He’s donated over $2000 to our organization and helped us save countless lives (not to mention some money on our car insurance).
People want to work with businesses that care about the same things they care about. They want to buy from people who are helping to improve our community and aren’t just out to make a buck. They want to have an emotional connection to the brands and the people that they do business with.
Be that brand. Find your cause and put the weight of your business behind it. Do you care about animals, kids, veterans, disease research, the homeless, etc.? Find a non-profit you can partner with and then tell your story and theirs. There are many ways that you can partner up from holiday fundraisers to pin-up programs (think more $1 donations at registers and less 1950’s bombshells). I’ll offer some suggestions in a future post. For now, think about what societal problem you’d like to help solve and why it matters to you. This is the story you will sell to your audience to improve your business and raise money for your cause.
Need some help determining your cause and writing your story? My workshops can bring clarity to your business. Contact me at sheryl@sherylgreenspeaks.com for more information.
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