When standing in the checkout line at Whole Foods, I periodically see a display with tear off tags ($1, $2, or $5) inviting me, the customer, to select a tag in the amount I would be willing to donate to the Whole Planet Foundation. The mission of the Foundation is to create economic partnerships with the poor in developing world communities that supply Whole Foods Market stores with product by providing microloans to encourage entrepreneurism.  Microcredit is one of the causes my company, Business Nonprofit Connections, Inc., supports through various local and international NGOs.  So…what’s a buck?  A good cause that I believe in and it’s easy for me to take a tag and make a small donation.  Requires no preplanning, no strategic thinking, and I won’t notice not having that money.  Even if I wasn’t such a microcredit fan, it is still easy to do.  Combine my buck or two with the money from a lot of other customers and it can really add up.  This is a great example of a way any retail business can engage their customers to support the cause selected by the company, build reputation and customer loyalty.  Requires no big up front cash outlay by the company – just some signage and tags and a way to track donations in the cash register system.

Today in the Baton Rouge Whole Foods checkout line, I saw the Whole Foods Market 2008 Calendar for sale for $2.00.  What a deal!!  I needed a calendar to hang in my office and this one was the perfect choice.  It is a glossy page calendar with great photos from various countries and of Whole Foods team members with $13 in savings coupons inside for a super deal of a price…AND…100% of sales of the calendar go to benefit the Whole Planet Foundation.  On the January page of the calendar, it states that Whole Foods covers Whole Planet Foundation’s annual operating budget and that donations received by the Foundation are directed to microlending programs in the developing world.   The calendar reports on every photo page that “As of November 2007, Whole Planet Foundation has authorized over $5.9 million to support microlending programs in Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, India and Indonesia with plans to expand to east Africa in 2008. This support has helped 14,429 entrepreneurs create small businesses in the developing world.   Average loan size is $157 with an average repayment rate of 99.8%.” 

Go buy your own calendar while they are still available! 

For information, go to:  www.wholeplanetfoundation.org  

I have been having trouble with my computer since I loaded Microsoft Office 2007.  Instead of doing the smart thing and taking my computer to some tech guy to run a diagnostic, I have been trying to figure it out myself.  Never a good move…  Anyway, I have spent a bunch of time on the Microsoft website lately.  While clicking around in the site, I found a link to Microsoft’s ”i’m Initiative” from Windows Live Messenger. (http://im.live.com/messenger/IM/Home/?source=banner_WLM_MSCOM_typing_DL)  There I learned more and liked what I saw. 

Every time you start a conversation using i’m, Microsoft shares a portion of their advertising revenue with the social cause organization you preselect from their list of ten when you sign up to use their free service.  So how does it work?  “It’s simple.  It’s free.  You IM, we give.”  Microsoft provides instructions for how to get started.  First you download the Windows Live Messenger (8.1 or higher) instant messenger service at no charge.  If you already have it, there is a link that gives you information about how to proceed.  Then you place a text code corresponding to the cause of your choice into your Display Name.  They make it easy by providing the list of the ten organizations and the codes you need to use as well as graphics that make it very clear how to do it.  (http://www.im.live.com/Messenger.IM/runonce/default2.aspx?source=homepage) As per their example, if you wanted your Display Name to be “Tude Palma” and the contribution every time you IM to be made to UNICEF, you would set up your Display Name as “Tude Palmer *unicef.  Pretty easy, eh?

The ten nonprofits Microsoft supports through this initiative are:

·         American Red Cross

·         Boys & Girls Clubs of America

·         Humane Society of the United States

·         National AIDS Fund

·         National MS Society

·         ninemillion.org

·         Sierra Club

·         StopGlobalWarming.org

·         Susan G. Komen for the Cure

·         U.S. Fund for UNICEF

I think this is a creative example of cause marketing (for a free service) to build reputation and customer loyalty through Microsoft’s partnering with its customer base to give back.  They encourage you to use their service and then use some of their advertising budget (NOT their charitable donations line item!) to give back.  An interesting spin on advertising, eh?   If you are going to IM anyway either for personal or business reasons, using Microsoft’s free Windows Live Messenger, why wouldn’t you also set up your account to do good at the same time?  I have not done much instant messaging yet but I am definitely going to sign myself up with UNICEF as the beneficiary and have my network of consultants do the same.

My only suggestion for an upgrade here would be to make sure this is more widely known.  And somewhere on the pages about the Initiative to not only list the codes with the names of the 10 nonprofits selected by Microsoft, but also to give a one sentence description of what each organization does.  I personally am familiar with all of them except ninemillion.org but is everyone that might want to IM for free and give back?  Probably not.  At least the names of the nonprofits could be links to take you easily to their websites.

When I went to the United Airlines home page (http://www.united.com) tonight to sign in and print out my boarding pass for tomorrow, I noticed a link saying “give a teddy bear to a child” under the United News and Details section in the center of the page. The link took me to a landing page that describes United’s promotion with the American Cancer Society.

“Give a teddy bear to a child who needs it the most.  Funds and Mileage Plus miles raised during the Kenny Hugyou campaign will support the American Cancer Society’s efforts to eliminate cancer as a life-threatening disease, educate individuals about cancer prevention, support those with the disease, and fund research to find new and better treatments.”  (http://www.united.com/page/article/0,6722,52401,00.html)  The promotion invites customers to “give a great, big bear hug and join United Airlines and the American Cancer Society® in bringing a smile to a child with cancer.” For a contribution of $50 or 7,500 Mileage Plus® miles to the American Cancer Society, United will arrange for a huggable, limited-edition 17 inch Gund® teddy bear, Kenny Hugyou (can-he-hug-you) to be delivered to children in hospitals across the country that have been pre-selected by the American Cancer Society. Contribute $250 or more and a second teddy bear will be sent to your home.  The bears will be delivered in February 2008.  Tax-deductible contributions need to be made online by January 31, 2008. All miles will be donated through United and that all cash donations must be made directly to the American Cancer Society.

Nice thing for United to do — I’ll be interested to see if they post any update about how the special promotion went when it is over.  The American Cancer Society is of course one of the well-known giant nonprofit organizations.  Cancer is tough at any age and especially when it involves children.  However, I am left with some questions.  Why the ACS?  Is this being run through United’s foundation or..?  Was this a strategic choice linked to business or specific stakeholder goals or…a nice thing to do?  Is there an employee component to this, or is it just for customers and people that happen onto the site?  It is almost sacrilegious, so I hate to say… I am a little underwhelmed about the link between an airline and teddy bears in hospitals.  Are they being flown in?

My sister gave me an ornament for Christmas this year – an angel made from a Sprite can.  I thought it was very cute…and then I read the attached card and saw what a thoughtful gift it was for me given my interest in business support for causes globally.  The front of the card had a stylized drawing of the angel with the words “angels with attitude” along the edges.  Inside, it said that the angel was made from a recycled soda can by Zulu teenagers orphaned due to the AIDS epidemic as an extra-mural youth entrepreneurism activity.   “Purchasing an angel will impact directly on the students , assisting them to feed, clothe, and educate themselves and at the same time giving them a sense of pride and selfworth.”

Even after reading the hangtag, I still had no idea what the angel REALLY symbolized.  When I went to the Angels Against Crime website (http://angelsagainstcrime.co.za/background.htm), I learned more about the tragic story behind the 25 year old Sutton family’s Zulu handicrafts business, Ilala Weavers, support of these angels.  Jeremy, one of two sons involved in the family business was murdered on the job in 2000.  “Jeremy was working with a group of handcrafters on a Beaded Angel, which was to be sold as a Christmas decoration. On the 30th August 2000, he went on a field trip into the Maputoland region of Kwa-Zulu Natal to meet with a group of crafters, to collect work and pay them for it. He hadn’t long been there, when two men approached him, one pulled out a gun and cold bloodily, in front of twenty people, shot him through the heart and took the money. The murderers have since been taken into custody and are serving two life sentences each.

The family decided to dedicate the Angel, which because of his work on it, had become known as Jeremy’s Angel, as a symbol against crime and of peace, and to use the proceeds from the sale of the Angels to curtail crime and to assist crime victims, by supporting organisations and projects which do this.”

The mission of Angels Against Crime is:” To promote peace and goodwill, create awareness and reduce crime by supporting education, training and skills development projects that create sustainable income generation and improved standards of living for the youth of South Africa.” (http://angelsagainstcrime.co.za/index.htm)  The four goals of the project are as follows. “To create employment for the rural people of Northern Kwa-Zulu Natal.  To Promote peace and goodwill. To assist campaigns and projects aimed at curtailing crime in South Africa. To assist those who have become victims of crime and violence.”

The website also provides consumer education on safe travel tips for South Africa.  The Ilala Weavers business website, http://www.ilala.co.za/, provides a link to the Angels Against Crime website, and offers the beaded and recycled can angels for sale through their website, as well. 

One of the difficulties I have encountered talking about business engagement with nonprofits and other community organizations is the varied terminology that is used depending who I am talking with.  Terms I hear a lot include:

• Community involvement
• Business philanthropy
• Corporate philanthropy
• Strategic philanthropy
• Strategic partnerships with nonprofits
• Strategic alliances with nonprofits
• Community relations
• Community investment
• Giving Back
• Charitable giving/contributions
• Charity
• Paying it forward
• Philanthropreneurism
• Venture philanthropy
• Social (civic) entrepreneurism
• Social enterprise
• Corporate citizenship

And the list goes on.  It is mindboggling!  To me, while many sound similar, they have subtle differences under the surface.  So which to use?  I have struggled with this terminology issue for years!!  What is the best term to represent my philosophy and vision concerning the interaction between organizations labeled as businesses and those labeled as nonprofits in the eyes of the IRS?   Do I use one in common usage and define it for my purposes or do I create something new and have the uphill battle to get it recognized and understood like the LOHAS folks?  Generally, I have opted for the terms “community involvement”, “strategic partnerships”, or “business nonprofit connections.” 

Some people strongly prefer “community investment” because it indicates more clearly the notion of two-way benefit and the need for some ROI for the business, as well as the community.  Though growing in popularity, it is still not a term used by the bulk of businesses – especially smaller ones.  I am all about mutual benefits and all-win approaches but I am still lukewarm to using that term in my work.

For years, I also shied away from using the term “philanthropy” because I felt it can imply a sense of noblesse oblige – where the “rich” company (or business person) is providing a handout to those less fortunate from a feeling of burden or guilt.  That certainly doesn’t feel like a strategic partnership or “teach a man to fish” approach to me.  It can seem more like a one way grand gesture from the powerful to the weak that does not fully acknowledge the assets and experience in the trenches of the nonprofit colleague.  Also, it seemed easy to confuse individual and business forms of philanthropy.  However, when I looked it up in Merriam-Webster’s dictionary the definition seems fine:“goodwill to fellowmen; especially : active effort to promote human welfare.”  That’s not so bad, right? “Philanthropic,” however, is defined as “dispensing or receiving aid from funds set aside for humanitarian purposes.” Coming out of the international development field where there was a lot of talk about “trade not aid”, I tend to associate some forms of aid to continued dependency – not breaking cycles poverty and other social issues.  Instead, I sought a term that implies a greater sense of partnership and potential synergy for positive social change that can result from different types of organizations with their varied skill sets, networks, and other assets working together.  So which term IS best for that? Frankly, I have been stumped.  I also have not wanted whatever word choice to seem ”old hippy”, “granola”, or political because I feel that business engagement in communities is for everyone.

The truth is that as much as I originally avoided the term because of the undertones I perceived it had, business people do use “philanthropy” all the time to talk about their efforts as evidenced, for example, in their online search terms to find more information about how to strengthen what they are doing; business people that have good intentions and want to grow their companies and actively show their values through their engagement and support of communities.  Those are the people with whom I want to work.  So why shy away from it anymore?  Why not get off my idealistic high horse and go with a commonly used term?  Wouldn’t that be the easiest path in to a substantive dialogue – later sharing my specific philosophy and principles to help businesses rethink and tweak what they are doing to be more strategic and “all win”?  I now think so – hence the name of this blog!

What terms do you prefer? What do you see as their shades of meaning? What do you see as trends in how people are talking about such activities and initiatives?

As a birthday gift this week, my sister gave me a red glass heart INSPI(RED) ornament by Hallmark.  Not only is it pretty and a sentimental gift from my only sister, it was even more meaningful because she knows how much I believe in business playing a role in addressing global concerns.  Part of the purchase price of the ornament goes to helping eliminate AIDS in Africa.  The perfect birthday gift for me!!

That birthday gift started me on a roll.  Today I decided to break down and buy an iPod shuffle to help with my annual New Year’s Resolution of going to the gym more often.  In the Apple store, I decided (especially for the same price!) to get the (PRODUCT)RED Special Edition – I was going to buy one anyway, I can find red in my purse, and I know my purchase would be doing a little bit to help the RED effort on AIDS.  After I got home, I realized while I knew RED was associated with Bono, but I did not know enough about the details so I went surfing to http://joinred.com as instructed by the little card that came with my shuffle.   I found out that (RED) was created by Bono and Bobby Shriver, Chairman of DATA “to raise awareness and money for The Global Fund by teaming up with the world’s most iconic brands to produce (PRODUCT)RED branded products. A percentage of each (PRODUCT)RED product sold is given to The Global Fund. The money helps women and children affected by HIV/AIDS in Africa.”  I was especially interested to read that RED is a brand designed to engage business and consumer power in the fight against AIDS in Africa. “(RED) works with the world’s biggest brands to make unique (PRODUCT) RED-branded products and direct up to 50% of their gross profits to the Global Fund to invest in African AIDS programs with a focus on the health of women and children. (RED) is not a charity or “campaign.” It is an economic initiative that aims to deliver a sustainable flow of private sector money to the Global Fund… (PRODUCT) RED launched on March 1, 2006 in the UK and on October 13, 2006 in the US. Current product partners include Converse, Gap, Motorola, Emporio Armani, Apple, Hallmark, and American Express (UK only). “  To date, their partners’ (PRODUCT) RED contributions to the Global Fund have reached over $50 million.  VERY impressive!!

Food for Thought: 

So while they aren’t labelled or discussed this way on the website, (PRODUCT)RED items are considered “for benefit” products.  A “for benefit” product is one which is developed purposefully to generate dollars to support a cause.  A percentage of every sale of the product is allocated to tackle the identified social issue.  For benefit products are a great way to enlist consumer support and buying power to raise dollars.  All good, right?  I know such offerings definitely influence my purchasing decisions as a consumer – I love opportunities to “do double duty” with what I buy.  However, I know from my discussions with some business thought leaders committed to social innovation, there are concerns about some for benefit products generally.  (NOTE: I am not making any accusations about (PRODUCT)RED by mentioning this.)  Sure, for benefit products “do good” by raising dollars but some business folks are concerned about how some of these products were sourced.  Were they produced in ways to minimize potential negative environmental and social impacts?  No huge nasty smokestacks or sweat shops paying slave wages, right?  Because wouldn’t that be sort of an oxymoron – produce products which raise money, perhaps to address some of the conditions exacerbated by the production of the product? Hmmm.. 

Interesting to think about…what are your thoughts on for benefit products?  For now, I personally will keep buying for benefit products as I find them and assume the best.

Here I sit on New Year’s Night, watching a little TV.  I am watching the first episode of the new season of the Biggest Loser, a show I do not usually watch.  At one point, one of the trainers mentions their efforts to reduce disposable water bottle use in conjunction with their sponsor, Brita, and the FiltersforGood program.  So of course my antennae go up immediately as I am always on the look out for best practice examples…and I head to NBC’s Biggest Loser website at  http://www.nbc.com/The_Biggest_Loser_5 to learn more.  One of the banner ads across the top of the Biggest Loser page is for FiltersforGood.  Clicking on the image redirected me to http://www.filterforgood.com/index.php .   

Investigating further on the Brita sponsor page http://www.nbc.com/The_Biggest_Loser_5/sponsors/brita/, I read, “Americans send about 38 billion plastic water bottles a year to landfills. This season, “The Biggest Loser” has partnered with Brita’s FilterForGood campaign to eliminate bottled water from the campus. We’ve always been dedicated to improving your health and now we’re helping Mother Earth, too!  Brita transforms tap water into healthier, great-tasting water. When combined with a Nalgene bottle, filtered water is an ideal solution for “going green” at home, at the gym or on the go. Visit FilterForGood.com and join us by pledging to give up bottled water, too!”

The FilterForGood home page asks viewers to sign up for the pledge to reduce bottled water waste, offers additional pages with facts and eco-friendly tips, has an ad for the Biggest Loser show including a description of the partnership, as well as links to receive Brita coupons or buy a water bottle.

When clicking the Buy Now button, I was redirected to the Nalgene site, http://www.nalgene-outdoor.com/store/detail.aspx?ID=91.  There I see a picture of the bottle and read, “Want to reduce the amount of waste you produce? Want to help reduce global warming and help make safe drinking water a universal reality? Buy this commemorative Filter For Good – Refill Not Landfill bottle and Nalgene and Brita will donate proceeds to Blue Planet Run.”  For every FilterForGood refillable bottle purchased between August 10th and January 31st, 2008, a donation of $4 will be made to the Blue Planet Run Foundation.

Next I googled Blue Planet Run and learned “Blue Planet Run Foundation is a non-profit 501(c)3 organization dedicated to raising global awareness about the lack of safe drinking water, and funding working solutions today for the billion people living without ready access to this life sustaining resource.  Since 2004, the U.S.-based foundation has funded 11 non-governmental organizations worldwide which have in turn implemented 135 sustainable water projects in 13 countries impacting 100 thousand lives. The Foundation’s signature awareness and fundraising event is the Blue Planet Run, the first-ever around-the-world relay run.”

I think this is a great example of a cause marketing effort conducted by two companies that sell water container and purifying products - their choice of the Blue Planet Run Foundation as the beneficiary shows a clear link to their respective business missions.  Also, it makes good business sense to promote their products as a solution to the environmental issue of disposable water bottles by offering consumers not only an easy thing to do but a way to support a nonprofit working on water issues internationally at the same time.  Having a partnership with a popular national television show was brilliant and really boosted the visibility of the FilterforGood program, the companies and their products, and provided consumer education on the issues of disposable water bottles, as well as got great mileage for the TV show and their attention to environmental issues.  Blue Planet Run received dollars to help support their programming as well as invaluable exposure to a broader audience then they probably could afford through their own marketing/advertising efforts.  FilterforGood definitely appears to be an all-win partnership with an excellent ability to cross-promote all four entites – Biggest Loser, Blue Planet Run, Brita and Nalgene.

My only recommendation for improvement of the campaign would be either to have a 1-2 sentence description of the nonprofit beneficiary, Blue Planet Run Foundation, on the FilterforGood and Nalgene websites or provide a link so consumers can learn more about the nonprofit they are supporting through their purchase.  There are clearly visible links to Nalgene and Brita on FilterforGood.com but not for Blue Planet Run.  They seem like a cool organization, so why not feature them?  A lot of people won’t make the extra effort to search Google like I did to find out more – not having more information readily available is a missed opportunity to raise awareness about the nonprofit and the showcase the companies’ strategic choice to support it in light of its mission connection with what they do.  I’ll give you the link since they didn’t: http://blueplanetrun.org/foundation.

Are there ways your company could engage in a win-win cause marketing initiative instead of checkbook philanthropy?