Cause Marketing

I'm out in Kansas this week doing a cause marketing workshop for one of our corporate clients.  They are interested in the association perspective and we'll be reviewing best practices.  This client has just completed its second year of a relationship with the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation.  SGK has done a good job of attracting major corporate support through their cause marketing efforts.  One of the most successful (not our client) has been with Lee Jeans and their Wear Jeans to Work days.  It's now in its tenth year and raised over $8 million this year alone.

As I prepared for this workshop, I became aware of just how many cause marketing campaigns take liberties or completely disregard the Better Business Bureau's Standard 19 that requires companies clearly disclose exactly how the charity will benefit at the point of sale.  If your association or company is involved in cause marketing, it would be worth taking a close look to avoid public scrutiny on this one.  You can find the standards on their Wise Giving Alliance site at www.give.org.