Platforms to support the entire world of causes may be the next big trend in cause-related marketing

Aug 1, 2011 9:00 AM ET

Volunteering is CSR Blog

Cause-related marketing has been around for some time now, but that does not mean it is a well-oiled machine yet. Consider the following three scenarios in one cause engagement example:

  1. Ainesh, communications manager at the nonprofit LitKids, is in charge of promoting programs that recruit college students to help at-risk kids with education and literacy. They have a large Facebook audience, but she struggles to keep the page updated with volunteer listings, job postings and literacy-related news amid her other priorities.

  2. Joanne, a college student, used to volunteer for LitKids as a freshman and sophomore but now she's turning all her attention to graduating. Still, she wants to share the work of the organization with her group of 800 friends on Facebook.

  3. Margarita, the owner of a growing flower shop, wants to give back. Recalling her own struggles as a kid and the tutors she met through LitKids, she’d like to find a way to encourage her Facebook fans, her customer base, and even her suppliers and corporate clients to get involved at LitKids.

We have three people, each with a stake in an organization and each struggling with the same problem: It takes time and skills to engage people in giving back.

One of our partners recently launched a national program that addresses all of these  dilemmas, and I'm sharing it here as an example of one of the most promising new directions in cause-related marketing I’ve seen recently...  more.

Read the rest in Volunteering Is CSR blog.

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