Donor Fatigue?

You’re a non profit organization. You’re passionate about the positive difference you’re making. You value the relationships, and ongoing commitment, of those who support you. What do you do when these donors simply run out of extra money?  And, how do you empower even more people to affect the positive social change you’re striving for?

Most 501(c)(3) tax-exempt, non-profit charitable companies fund their organizations through various methods that usually come down to ‘asking for money’. But increasingly, as good charitable people struggle just to make ends meet, “extra money” is hard to come by. And, regardless of cause, more and more companies are competing for those limited funding dollars from the same pool of caring donors. So, NPO’s need a Plan ‘B’.

Enter CAUSE MARKETING

What is Cause Marketing?

Cause Marketing (a.k.a. ‘Cause-Related Marketing’) is the partnering of For-Profit and Not-For-Profit companies to benefit both. In our case, the goal is to create ongoing Sustainable Fundraising, while helping to make people, and the planet, healthier.

Cause Marketing is another expression of good corporate responsibility that empowers the consumer. It enables people to “vote with their purchases”. Customers can give, indirectly, to the causes they care about simply by choosing products from a company who supports those causes.

You’ve probably already seen it for many years:

In 1983, American Express helped fund the restoration of the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island.

Celebrity Paul Newman founded “Newman’s Own” foundation specifically to help Charities.

Grocery shoppers now had the ability to help alleviate poverty, support healthier nutritional food choices, and a myriad of other programs for social good. By purchasing groceries they would buy anyway, everything from Salad dressing and Pasta Sauce to cookies and pet food, consumers were now empowered to help decide who would benefit from the profits of their product loyalty.

Or, perhaps you’re familiar with U2 rock icon and activist Bono who helped launch the “Buy Red” program in 2006. This is a broad spectrum consumer product charity incentive. It’s mission is to help those suffering with HIV in Ghana, Lesotho, Rwanda, South Africa, Swaziland, and Zambia. It also focuses on preventive measures, and raising awareness, to stem the spread of AIDS around the world.

Being a force for positive social change no longer has to look like the traditional nonprofit business model. Credo Mobile is a privately owned (mostly by employees) for-profit telecommunications company. Their focus is on progressive social change, including Human rights, and environmental issues. Because they are not publicly owned, they are not beholding to the financial considerations of Wall Street, or vulnerable to hostile takeovers. Their activism is not dependent upon traditional fundraising methods, therefore their independence can not be constrained by the whims of a few large benefactors. Customers may simply designate a portion of their mobile phone bill to go towards causes they support.

 The Global Edelman Goodpurpose™ Study (2012) found that three out of four people say they would switch brands if another brand of similar quality supported a good cause. It is OK for brands to support good causes and make money too. The prominence of ‘purpose as a purchase trigger‘ has risen over 26% since 2008. People want their purchases to count towards making a difference. In “bull” markets, like the one we’re in now, 2/3 of cause-related purchases are made at least monthly. In “bear” markets, still a full 1/3 make monthly cause-related purchases.

But how do you know who to partner with? 

Do you feel your donors would be interested in redirecting their purchase power if given the opportunity to help your organization? If so, what causes would they support?

What is your donor base passionate about?

• Environment, Conservation, Recycling
• Health, Wellness, and Nutrition
• Chemical sensitivities, Allergies, Indoor Air Quality
• Foods that are Kosher, Non-GMO, Gluten-Free, Chemical-Free, and Meat-Free with packaging that is biodegradable, recyclable, and safe.

If these values ring true for your organization, I have a suggestion for you. But before you consider associating your good name with just any company, You’ll want to protect the goodwill already earned by your non-profit. So, here’s a pertinent question:

Is this manufacturer known for it’s commitment to social purpose?

We partner with an excellent company that offers a Cause Marketing Program to NPO’s seeking to create another stream of income. This Family-owned Health and Wellness Product Research and Manufacturing company has been a leader in Environmental, Nutritional, and Social Issues for over 60 years.

Here are just a few of the dozens of Milestones they’ve achieved over the years:

…1960’s introduced one of the first nontoxic, biodegradable cleaners

…1970’s Introduced one of the first Biodegradable Laundry detergents containing no phosphates, nitrates, or borates

…1980’s products selected by notable Environmentalists like Jacques Cousteau and Will Steger

…1990’s Products selected by NASA for Shuttle Astronauts. Also selected for first official Earth Day and to be used in Biosphere 2 project as well as the Ocean Alliance and Whale Conservation Institute.

…2000 Became the first company in the world to be certified Climate Neutral™ (totally offsetting its greenhouse gas emissions, resulting in a net-zero impact on the environment). Receives the US EPA Climate Protection Award in 2002.

…2004 Became official nutritional supplier to US Olympic Ski Team who went on to win 11 gold medals, 7 silver, and 4 bronze.

…2005 Became a major partner of the Green Belt Movement, founded by Dr. Wangari Maathai, the 2004 Nobel Peace laureate. Together they created a program to plant 1 million trees, the millionth tree successfully planted in 2009.

…2007 They were selected by the nation’s leading child advocacy group, Healthy Child Healthy World, to be the exclusive partner for a new video, Creating Healthy Environments for Children.

What would this Ongoing Fundraising Relationship look like?

Encourage Consumers to Redirect a portion of money they’re already spending towards the purchase of Shaklee products. No need to completely redo one’s entire household budget, or find extra money. We’ll provide all the information needed to those donors who are ready, willing, and able, to switch brands. Our program is like a Vehicle that will allow donors to move forward in their own lives while helping their favorite cause. Total purchases each month fuel this vehicle.

Is there any selling involved?

The only thing the NPO would possibly ‘SELL’ is INCLUSION, not products. We’re proposing to give your donors the opportunity to try one or more high quality product alternatives each month. There are no quotas, no minimums, and no recurring membership fees. The idea is to offer a higher quality alternative they may not currently be aware of… because, when we know better, we do better. Remember, these are consumer products your donors are already buying off the shelf from various places. It is hoped, and advised, that one or more members of the NPO try an assortment of products themselves. Personal word-of-mouth testimonies greatly increase the chance of fundraising success.

Potential Donors would create an online account from a professionally designed website free to the NPO (Website is setup and maintained on behalf of the NPO, and at no cost to them). 

Consumers could Then Shop Online to their heart’s content, 24/7, from home in their PJ’s if they’d like. The NPO’s ‘Online Store’ operates 24/7, regardless of weather or location of the customer, just like any other point-of-sale Website. Add products to your online ‘cart’ and ‘check out’ when ready.

All order processing, billing, shipping, customer service, returns (if any) and account management, is handled by the manufacturer. We at FreedomEffect.com become the Liaisons between your NPO and our product supplier. The NPO can be as involved, or uninvolved as they’d like. In our experience, most NPO directors and volunteers are already very busy, and would hesitate to take on administration of yet another program. That’s where we come in.

Let us coordinate with your Director of Marketing, Legal, Accounting, Website Development, and any interested Volunteers. Promotional material may be included in whatever marketing channels and advertising you’re already using. In addition to adding literature and website links to any existing promotional mailings and publications, we would leverage the power of social media to promote this new program. Online promotional channels could be utilized (e.g. Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Linkedin, YouTube, and WordPress blogging) for greater public reach.

         

Together, we will empower Anyone to help themselves while helping your cause.

Contact Anne and Jeffrey today (912) 399-1903 to schedule an appointment to discuss the feasibility and implementation of an ongoing fundraising program for YOUR 501(c)(3) tax-exempt, non profit organization.

PS: Please read Part II to Donor Fatigue in an upcoming Blog post!