How does Cause Related Marketing Work?

Cause Related Marketing is quickly becoming a hot topic in the world of good causes and generating money to support them.  As people grow tired of a constant bombardment of donation and fundraiser requests, the concept of cause related marketing has moved into the spotlight.

But how does a Cause Related Marketing Solution work?  Is it something that you can use to help your non-profit organization?

For most not for profit groups Cause Marketing is the perfect plan to increase the funding they desperately need.  It can be used to supplement the current fundraisers they are doing or in many cases replace those fundraisers altogether.

The dictionary defines Cause marketing (or cause-related marketing) as a type of marketing involving the cooperative efforts of a "for profit" business and a non-profit organization for mutual benefit.

In simple terms, Cause Marketing is a partnership between a company and a non-profit organization.

It is a Win-Win situation for both the company and the non-profit.

The company wins because it gets to do good for the community and by doing this it can create a better reputation for itself and the products it produces.  The company can also increase its customer base and by doing this increase its profits.  Because let’s face it, even the most philanthropic companies still need to make money to survive and be successful.

The non-profit organization wins because it generates the funds it needs and it can do this without bothering people and asking them to ‘give’ money.  With donations and traditional fundraisers, people are giving money but not getting much in return except for the good feeling of helping out.  Cause related marketing allows your supporters to ‘give’ you money by buying products they would normally use on a daily basis.  In many cases it will not increase their monthly spending but it will still get your organization the funds it needs.

You might be asking yourself, “How does this get my organization any money?” 

Simply put, the company has a way to track what people  that is connected to your group.  Every time someone makes a purchase of one of those products a percent of the purchase price is given to your organization.  A good example of this is the Komen Breast Cancer little pink ribbon.  Every time someone purchases a product with the ribbon on it the Komen foundation gets a percentage of the sale.  This is cause related marketing.

The basic steps to set up a cause marketing partnership are:

1. Find a company and a program that fits your goals and form a partnership.
2. Publicize the partnership to your members and the community.  Make them aware of how they can support your ‘cause’. (The company can help with this)
3. Provide your members and the community at large a way to purchase the products. (A good company will do this part)
4. Go about your daily activities of supporting your cause and let the company handle all the money and inventory and delivery problems. 
5. Use the funds generated to do the ‘good’ your non-profit was set up to do.

As you can see, as a non-profit organization there is not much work on your part.  Once you find the right company and go through the initial setup your main job is to make people aware.  Let them know how they can support you.  Share the information with your members and let them share it with those they know.  Word will spread and in the process you have created a sustainable, perpetual money generating system for your organization.

 If you need help getting started or finding a company to work with I am here to help.  Contact me and let’s get you started generating the funds your non-profit organization needs.