Monthly Marketing Tip:

Create a colorful CAUSE MARKETING/GIVING campaign

You spend thousands of dollars on direct marketing campaigns asking your donors for financial support. Over ten “asks” landed in our mailbox last week! NOT ONE offered to send anything to show that we HAD indeed donated OR asked us to spread the word about their mission. Imagine if just ONE of the asks we received offered to GIVE a bright colored GivingBand™ as a THANK YOU for a $50 donation. The donation would live on as the bracelet was worn, and so would the fundraising campaign.

A brightly colored postcard featuring your logo GivingBand™ can engage your donor and will stand out in the mail. The donor can donate online, and when the bracelet(s) is sent, the envelope provides another opportunity to market to the supporter about your cause or upcoming event.

Better yet. Do a direct mail CAUSE MARKETING campaign. Your sponsor underwrites the cost of the GivingBands™, mailing, and fulfillment. They receive acknowledgment & thanks, and the end supporter receives a coupon to support the business as well as the charity.

Supporter or not, spending money to make money is necessary for non-profits as well as businesses. If the cost per GivingBand is $5 (or less) and can bring in a $50 donation…isn’t that a great ROI?

Cause Marketing Forum

Charity Charms was a sponsor at the Cause Marketing Forum in Chicago in June and we learned and shared so much! Any non-profit or business that wants to learn more about Cause Marketing can benefit from the very strong presentations from organizations like Pepsi, Nike, or Feeding America... here is a way to access them. (per David Hessekiel/President/Cause Marketing Forum)

If you did not attend, but would like to view the presentations, you can purchase a virtual pass on their website.

Or e-mail him at dh@causemarketingforum.com.

Cause Marketing can Change the World

Charity Charms was a sponsor at the Cause Marketing Forum in Chicago this month and it was an invaluable experience. Our goal was to meet national charities and corporations to introduce them to our Shared Giving Program. The Shared Giving program combines GivingBands™ as the vehicle, Charities as the platform, and a key corporation collaborating in a program to “BAND together to SUPPORT AMERICA’s CHARITIES”… a win/win for all. We certainly achieved our goal, but the ultimate benefit of attending the conference was interfacing with over 400 dynamic charities, consultants, and corporations and hearing about CAUSE MARKETING programs that have made history (like Nike’s LIVESTRONG).

Businesses are increasing the focus on their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and sustaining relationships with charities whose causes align with their goals or products. New ways of connecting and supporting each other HAVE to happen and there was a lot of BUZZ about changing the world.

Wendy MacGregor, the Senior Vice President, CMO of Feeding America gave a moving presentation with the theme “Selling Doesn’t Mean Selling Out.” Wendy shared with the attendees the importance of marketing of their brand and mission in order to see a Hunger-Free America in our lifetime. Feeding America won the 2010 Golden Halo Award for a non-profit, and in her acceptance speech she thanked “our wonderful, smart and generous partners for making this recognition possible. For it is these very partnerships that are critical to our mission of feeding American’s hungry and engaging the public in the fight to end hunger, through increased financial resources and increased brand and issue visibility.”

As you plan your Fall initiatives, encourage your team to seek out businesses that align with your mission and create a Cause Marketing campaign to benefit all parties.

If you need a meaningful product to fuel your campaign, like GivingBands™, we can help.

Not only do we provide the products, but we can help craft campaigns.

Charms to Change the World

Cause Marketing: marketing or cause-related marketing refers to a type of marketing involving the cooperative efforts of a "for profit" business and a non-profit organization for mutual benefit.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cause_marketing

Cause Marketing Forum

Check out our video from the Cause Marketing Forum in Chicago last week!



Thank you to 3BL Media for the coverage!

Collaboration is the key to success

The world has changed…and the way the world now operates is through collaboration. Collaboration increases opportunity, solves crisis, and addresses the needs of the whole.

In this economy we need to work tighter to support all charity missions and each other…and collaboration is a holistic approach to accomplishing TOGETHER what cannot be done individually.

Whether your organization utilizes a collaborative brain trust or you actually partner with others to achieve your goals, collaboration can accomplish your goals more quickly and effectively.

Charity Charms products are often part of large scale collaboration initiatives. Our “In the Spotlight” section of the May Newsletter features a retail collaboration that benefited 13 charities. We feel our role is to create unique awareness and fundraising products that benefit charities and help support their branding. This fall we are facilitating a national campaign to “Band Together to Support America’s Charities” ™. This campaign, called SHARED GIVING will be underwritten by key corporations to help raise millions for charity.

The SHARED GIVING program will feature our newest and most popular item, GivingBands^TM, which are a great vehicle for collaborative initiatives. The program will also be launched City by City. Let us help you create a “charming” collaboration in your community.

Collaboration: A mutually beneficial and well defined relationship entered into by two or more organizations to achieve results that are more likely to achieve TOGETHER than alone.

Team-up with Corporations to benefit your cause

Seeking out and partnering with corporations whose services, products or goals align with those of your organization can make a huge impact on your organization’s bottom line.

Charity Charms’ products are often underwritten for charities by corporations or private donors. This allows charities to spread awareness for their cause by either gifting our charms, or, if they are sold, retaining 100% of the donation/sales price of the charm.

When corporations underwrite a charm program for you, they are billed at the retail price, so the true value of their donation to your charity is actually double what they have given.

Our newest and most popular item, GivingBands^TM, is a great way for corporations to GIVE a product to you that helps spread awareness for your cause and maximizes your fundraising. When donors GIVE you $10, you GIVE them one of the GivingBands… and the GIVING continues!

We offer custom packaging to acknowledge your donor and can even recognize them on the actual charm (view our Case Studies to see examples).

Let us help you “Charm” your corporate partners to maximize your donations and the impact of your cause marketing.

Charm Your Supporters By Thanking Them

Your organization depends on board members, event committees, donors, and volunteers to help you successfully carry out your mission. With limited staff and so much to do, often, a heartfelt THANK YOU is overlooked. Use Charity Charms as a recognition gift that has meaning and lasting value for these important people. A charm created from your logo or campaign will be worn over and over….and your charity and/or event will remain in the spotlight, and in their hearts…..continually.

In the March newsletter we share ways that charities have used our products and hopefully give you some innovative ideas.

Our trained staff is here to help you create the perfect recognition gifts for your needs. Our goal is to help you “Charm” and thank your supporters in an innovative way.

Outdoor Events Make Yours Memorable

Outdoor events raise funds and awareness for your cause and help participants to personally connect with your mission. Show your appreciation to the people who volunteer their time and support your events with donations by rewarding them with a gorgeous Charity Charm.

They'll wear it with pride... and tell their story about your event over and over again. Your one-time event lives on through the power of word-of-mouth marketing.

If a custom logo program is out of your budget, we have hundreds of in-stock items like those in our Non-Logo Item section.

Planning for Success in 2010

If you haven’t done so already, it’s time to finalize your plans for 2010. A key component of any successful plan is the schedule of events. Whether your planned events are walks, runs, auctions, black tie dinners, open houses, music festivals or neighborhood cleanups, events that draw a crowd can create a “feeding frenzy” when it
comes to boosting donations.

Having helped our charity partners raise over $1 Million in donations over the past 5 years, we’ve become experts at how to use Charity Charms to raise money at charity events. Selling a Charity Charm with your charity’s custom logo not only generates income, but also creates added exposure for your cause when donors wear your charity Charm to show their passion and commitment. It’s a double win for your charity!

If you’d like some creative ideas on how to boost donations at your next event, give us a call (800.615.3120). We’re always ready to help.