I came across three articles from the news worth sharing.  They’re all interesting and sometimes fun sources of revenue for charities.

1 – Hewlett-Packard (HP) has changed its corporate giving policy.

HP’s new policy means they’ll not only give money to charity, but also “…the expertise of its employees to build solutions for nonprofits.”  No doubt about the fact that receiving their expertise has considerable value!

One example cited (article by VentureBeat.com) was for the NGO “mothers2mothers” in South Africa.  By collecting and sharing data via basic mobile phones, they can serve more patients.  Ultimately this means they reduce the HIV-transmission rates from pregnant women to their child.

HP focuses on education and health.

Takeaway:  Is your mission related to education or health?  Does HP know about you?

2 – Get a drink, help a charity

“Since early December, Eldon’s Restaurant in Sioux City, Iowa has taken on a guest bartender every Thursday night.  That bartender chooses a charity and Eldon’s donates 20% of bar profit, and sets out tip jars, with that money going to the charity.” (KTIV.com news article)

Apparently it is standing room only and folks enjoy helping while they socialize, and the bartenders don’t have to be pros (e.g., radio hosts scheduled to be guest bartenders).  Oh, and it’s mostly up to the bartender to spread the word and draw in the people.

Takeaway: Is there a restaurant in your area that’s willing to get publicity, help a cause, and draw in more customers? 

3 – Springtime Sweethearts Charity Zip Wire Challenge

This particular event takes place in the UK in February.  The special event is organized by The Stroke Association and the Motor and Allied Trades Benevolent Fund.  Two charities encourage companies and individuals to form teams that raise money for the charities. 

Sounds like this zip wire (zip line) is fairly high up.  Challengers tackle the 250m (that’s 820 feet or about 0.16 miles long) zip wire off the Imperial War Museum North.  The biggest zip-line I’ve dared to try is only about 30 yards long and a few feet off the ground.  I’d definitely be a spectator at this event in the UK.

Takeaway:  Could you team up with another nonprofit (charity or association) and organize a fun event for people?  If you don’t like the idea of a zip-wire/zip-line, how about a go-cart race?  Or if your charity has anything at all to do with aviation (and many do), have a toy airplane flying contest.  Make them out of paper, balsa wood, or whatever you choose.

Consider every opportunity to raise funds.  Perhaps suggest ideas to businesses (e.g., bartender fundraising, contests on just about anything … including zip-line challenges).  And be on the lookout for surprises like the three examples I cited here today.  Perhaps you can join in.

There are many diverse ways for charities to get help: money, gifts-in-kind, plus expertise and services.  And they come in a wide variety of ways as today’s post illustrates.

UPDATE: Dec 14, 2010 (Idea #7 at end of post)

During this past week I’ve come across six examples of creative fundraising.  Perhaps a few may even fit the category of guerilla fundraising.  In any event these are six ideas worth sharing.

Below you’ll find a link to each news story and a synopsis of the article.  Your challenge is to remain open-minded about how you might do something similar. 

1 – Trivia contest will aid food charity: Several businesses in town are participating as food drop-off centers for a local pantry – the Shepherd Center.  People must come to the stores/businesses to collect answers to trivia questions.  When they have all 12 answers they mail in their entry form to the newspaper for a drawing – either a trip or a gift card at a grocery store.

Takeaway: You don’t have time to organize this for the holiday season, but could your food bank / pantry do something like this for another holiday?  Valentines Day, Easter, or Mother’s Day? 

Or could a museum team with the historical society to raise funds for a project?  Get businesses to fund the prize; people pay an entry fee; solve the puzzle and are eligible for the prize drawing.  Get creative!

2 – Morgan Stanley Smith Barney “Perspectives in Philanthropy Gift Catalog” :  “Many of our clients are looking for advice on how to make their giving more impactful and they are turning to us for advice,” said Melanie Schnoll-Begun, Managing Director of Philanthropic Services, Morgan Stanley Smith Barney.  This company uses a gift catalog to showcase meaningful gifts and funding opportunities.  In includes a wide spectrum of 20 nonprofit organizations. 

Takeaway: Can your nonprofit get listed in next year’s catalog?  Or if you’re a small local or regional nonprofit, can you team with a financial planner locally to suggest your nonprofit as an investment option? There are several companies besides the one featured in this article. And don’t forget insurance agents because many of these companies also offer investment services.

3 – Concertgoers getting ticket to philanthropy: Musician Dave Matthews is testing an idea in Seattle in partnership with the website JustGive.  Matthews hopes it will inspire more charitable giving. 

“Matthews is letting fans direct the proceeds of two upcoming Seattle shows to the charities of their choice. Every ticket is matched with an equal donation to philanthropy.  For each ticket sold, the buyer will receive a credit back for the full $150 ticket and handling price to apply to any of the 1.5 million charities in JustGive’s database.”

Takeaway:  If not already, then become a member of JustGive.  And if you are a member, are you encouraging your donors in this geographic area to attend the concert?  Or encouraging donors to give someone else the gift of a concert ticket and a donation in their name to your charity?

4 – Philanthropy gives books to Africa’s students:  A fraternity at Iowa State University is giving students another way to get rid of old textbooks – about 80-90% of which end up sitting on a shelf or packed away somewhere.  Pages of Promise, a philanthropy of ACACIA fraternity partners with Books for Africa in St. Paul, Minn., to ship and distribute the books among the libraries and universities in Africa. 

It’s an alternative option for students to give their books to underfunded schools, universities and libraries in Africa to improve literacy.

Takeaway: Can your college, university, fraternity or sorority also partner with “Books for Africa?”  Or if your nonprofit works with the very poor overseas (including any form of education or literacy), could you team with a college or university somewhere to get more quality books for the people you help?  What do other schools in your area – elementary, middle and high school – do with their old textbooks?

5 – Intentional Chocolate™ Provides Sweet Relief to nonprofit, USA Cares:  This chocolate maker “… has partnered with USA Cares pledging a 20% donation of net profits to the military charitable organization serving post-9/11 service members, veterans and their families.”  Intentional Chocolate will donate 20% of net profits up to one million dollars. 

USA Cares helps veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and traumatic brain injury (TBI) by relieving them of the financial burden of maintaining their households while they seek in-patient treatment.   One reason this partnership is so strong is that Jim Walsh, CEO of Intentional Chocolate knows how difficult TBI can be. At the age of 32, he suffered a traumatic brain injury.

Takeaway: What partnering opportunities can you find?  What CEO or business owner can you connect with by effectively sharing your story through speaking engagements, press releases, social media, grassroots supporters, and so on? 

Depending on your mission, it might make a lot of sense to ask people who have experiences similar to those you help to contact you. There may be some very unique ways they can help you – spokesperson or even matching gifts such as International Chocolate is doing.  Opportunities exist on local, regional, national and international levels for nonprofits of all sizes.

6 – Red Sox baseball and philanthropy: The Red Sox Foundation selects 25 economically disadvantaged fifth graders from public school each year. The students receive tutoring, mentoring, after school enrichment and summer camp assistance through the 12th grade, culminating with a $10,000 college scholarship.

Takeaway: Are you located anywhere near a professional sports team?  Do you know what charities they support?  As shown by this article they don’t all focus on national programs, but also look to their local community.  This is because their fans that buy tickets to live events are from the local area.   Consider assembling a press kit / marketing kit to share with them.  Yes it needs to be well written, but I doubt they’ll expect glossy 4-color brochures from a small local nonprofit.  Take the approach of helping their fan base.

For example:  Do you help underprivileged kids in any way?  Maybe you can get a batch of tickets donated so the youth can attend a game.  Great PR opportunity for you and the sports team.

That’s all for now!  Creative fundraising opportunities abound.  Just be open-minded and don’t hesitate to ASK.  And remember, you’re not always asking for a direct donation.  Nonetheless, the right partnership can lead to more donors and fundraising as you work together to spread the word.

UPDATE Dec 14, 2010 – Idea #7:  Today I found another possible source of funding for nonprofits.  I came across this resource on Twitter and haven’t heard anything about it one way or the other.  But it seems worth checking out.  “Credit Cares” is the name of the company founded by Heidi Anderson.  And Credit Cares is a Division of Electronic Commerce International (a registered ISO/MSP of Wells Fargo Bank, N.A., Walnut Creek, CA).

To quote what’s on the website: “Through her numerous volunteer experiences with many non-profit organizations Heidi developed a strong desire to make it easier for non-profits to raise money in a way that benefits everyone without costing anyone.  Heidi created Credit Cares so businesses could contribute to their favorite cause directly from the monthly processing fees they already pay without paying any additional fees and possibly even saving money.”

Last Friday I wrote a post with a similar theme: Get Your Nonprofit Ready for 2011.  Well, this post is inspired by an article today on MarketingWeb, “11 brand and marketing trends for ’11” by Dr. Robert Passikoff.

Donors are also consumers.  That’s why this article — and how I’ve adapted it for nonprofits — is relevant to your charity.  Because throughout their day donors receive considerable exposure to the for-profit world and its marketing.  But that doesn’t mean for-profit marketers are in full control of the scene anymore than you are of yours.

Power to the people.  Consumers and donors are driving the train most of the time. 

11 trends and how they relate to nonprofits

According to Dr. Passikoff, “… these 11 trends will have direct consequences to the success – or failure – of next year’s branding and marketing efforts.” 

1 – “Value is what the consumer donor says it is”

Give me a reason to donate.  Saying you have a need isn’t enough.  Give meaning to my action of giving.

2 – “Brand, meet value . . . “

The lines between brand and value are blurring.  Donors will brand your nonprofit based on what they believe you stand for.  And what they value is intertwined with your brand.

3 – “Zappos-ification”

This expression comes from Zappos shoes.    “… its brand equity lies primarily in the emotional driver of service – how it gets shoes to customers and accepts returns.”  What do donors really expect?  Is it great service?  Is it expecting friendly staff on the phone; staff that can answer their questions; and staff who are trained to guide donors to the next giving step?

4 – “Ethosnomics”

“Corporate social responsibility efforts will need to be believable, sustained, and engaging.  Some of the strongest will come from those brands that connect the public and the personal in today’s financially-strained world.” 

For-profit companies are under a lot of pressure too.  Choose your corporate partners (cause marketing) carefully.  And be ready to give what they need from you in order to satisfy their customers … your potential donors.

5 – “Differentiation can be emotional”

You must differentiate your organization from others with a similar mission.  For example: Are you absolutely positive all your donors remember that they gave to your charity serving disabled veterans as opposed to one of the several others with essentially the same mission?  I bet they don’t.

What emotional experience do you give donors?  How rewarding is their experience with you?  How is their experience with you different from the other charities like yours?

6 – “They’re talking to each other before talking to the brand”

Donors read about you online, in social networks, and in media you don’t directly influence.  Drive positive feedback about you to the web.  Get your loyal supporters to say why they’re loyal.  Make sharing of the information easy for them.

7 – “Friendtelligence”

Friends influencing friends will continue to increase.  If donors trust the community, they’ll extend trust to you.  I believe this will also impact the opportunity for more grassroots fundraising, the super volunteers, and Independent Fundraising Events.  Again, make it easy for your fans to raise money on your behalf. See my post, The New Super Heroes of Fundraising. 

8 – “Putting the brand into their hands”

“It’s increasingly handheld technology that facilitates transactions. Brands Nonprofits that make it hard to buy donate and engage on the small screen will suffer.”  Get mobile and cultivate with it, have mobile-friendly email, have pages of your website that are mobile-friendly, etc.  I show you how easy, affordable, and doable mobile is for even the small nonprofits in my guide, Mobile for Nonprofits – Connecting to Donors Through the Power of Mobile.

9 – “Prolifetition”

Competition for donor dollars will continue.  Competition from all the nonprofits asking for donations.  Competition from a struggling economy.  Competition from changing attitudes toward giving to charity.  Like it or not, as a nonprofit you have competition everywhere.

10 – “Exponential expectations”

“Every day consumers donors adopt and devour the latest technologies and innovations, and only hunger for more.  As app technology becomes more entrenched, brands nonprofits will be expected to deliver in that space.”  You’ll be expected to give them what they (donors) want in the way they want it.

You’ve seen the studies, seniors are wired.  Oh, not as much as those younger but if they want to communicate with their grandkids (and I believe they do), they’ll learn and adapt as much as they can.

Also, remember that Boomers are very comfortable working with the latest technology, as well as using more traditional media.  They’re your huge “young donor” pool of tommorrow and Boomers are definitely connected.

11 – “Engagement is not a fad”

Engagement is our world.  Period.  And you’ll need to be prepared to engage donors with up-to-date awareness models; with emerging technology; in creative ways that donors select and demand.

In addition to creating his own vocabulary, Dr. Passikoff hit the nail on the head over and over again. 

He ends by saying that although many of these trends require some change . . . change in how you measure, manage and market your nonprofit . . . if you ignore these nonprofit marketing trends for 2011 you just might lose your last chance to survive and help those who need you most.

Think selling ice cream is only for small-time fundraising events?  I found an example of creative fundraising that will “treat” the charity to a tasty amount of revenue.

Photo from Terence Ong via Wikimedia Commons

A Florida restaurant is hosting “Scoops for Success” to raise funds for the charity, Dress for Success.  The chef has two ice cream creations for the event, and all proceeds from these desserts will go to the charity.

This event ties in with National Ice Cream Month.  It’s fun, creative, and certainly seasonal.

Consumers and donors beat the heat with ice cream.  And at the same time help women in the neighborhood beat the odds by giving them resources to become employed.  Such a cooperative cause marketing effort also raises awareness for Dress for Success in addition to raising funds.

Last week I wrote a blog post on this very topic.  I pointed out that “… There are hundreds if not thousands of special observances [such as Nat'l Ice Cream Month] throughout the year that can provide ideas for you.  Get creative.  Have fun.”

I also emphasized how these observances can help you build stronger donor relationships.  Donor cultivation is important anytime of year.  Yet during the summer when you MAY not be as active with your fundraising, it’s an ideal way to keep your donors engaged. 

Click here for many more ideas on using special observances to further your cause.

Nancy Schwartz is the person who first made me aware of this less-than-ideal decision for a cause marketing partner.  Specifically the Susan G. Komen for the Cure® (Komen) nonprofit chose Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC).

I’m not criticizing KFC!  In fact I like their original recipe chicken.  However, I know fried foods like that can’t be eaten too often so I don’t.  But I digress.

This partnership has caused quite an uproar.  Some supporters are so upset they’ve started their own grassroots campaign to pressure Komen to sever its cause marketing partnership with KFC.  I am glad to say that no one has any gripes against KFC. 

Why are people so miffed at Komen?

As Schwartz says in her article: “At a quick glance, KFC’s Buckets for the Cure campaign (launched in early April 2010) seems harmless. For each pink bucket purchased by franchise operators, 50 cents goes to the Komen for the Cure campaign.  KFC’s goal is to make the single largest donation ever to Komen. What’s bad about supporting breast cancer research, education and advocacy?  … fried foods are known to contribute to obesity and other health problems, and obesity increases the risk of breast cancer.”

In other words, Komen’s health mission doesn’t align with fried foods. 

In my newsletter and in this blog I’ve written on how important it is to choose a company that compliments your mission whenever possible.  In my March 16th cause marketing blog post I gave this example: A nonprofit with an environmental mission might partner with a manufacturer of eco-friendly products.  

It’s true that an alliance where the corporate product or service compliments (or matches) the charity’s mission is the ideal scenario.  In reality, however, if you seek multiple partnerships there may not always be a “match.”  This is where other criteria come into play which I also discussed in my March 16th blog post.

Something else to consider . . .

Yup; a lot of folks are upset with Komen.  But let’s also remember that although not an ideal cause marketing partnership, there are a lot of everyday folks who aren’t as focused on harmonious corporate and nonprofit partnerships.  And when they wander in to a KFC restaurant every other month or so for their infrequent fried food meal, they’ll be happy to help a good cause by purchasing a pink bucket for their chicken.  Strangely enough, it just might increase their awareness of the cause.

And as a result of all this commotion it’s also possible that more businesses and corporations will hesitate to partner with charities for fear of how it might be perceived.  It’s not easy to foresee all the possible interpretations from the public.  Just another angle to think about before we turn our backs on Komen.

[Click here to read Nancy Schwartz’s article.  And here’s her Getting Attention blog post with several heated comments.]

On Tuesday I wrote a post on “cause marketing.”  My main point was that a successful nonprofit-corporate partnership requires you to share the right information to your donors and prospective donors.  No need for me to repeat the explanation again today.  I invite you to read the original post:  Cause Marketing survey says: Donors like this idea so much that 56% will support the nonprofit

In that post I also listed two factors to consider when choosing a corporate partner.  One factor advises you to select a corporation or company whose products or services compliment your mission.  For example I said that an environmental cause could team with a company that manufactures eco-friendly products.

Today I found a press release that gives another example of a partnership where the cause and the company’s products/services compliment each other.

Yum! Brands took the initiative and teamed with the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) and other hunger relief agencies.  Specifically the company’s World Hunger Relief effort raises awareness, volunteerism and funds for the organizations to help eliminate hunger.

No idea who Yum! Brands is?  This corporation is all about food and feeding people in their restaurants.  They represent Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC), Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, Long John Silver’s and A&W Restaurants.  And now they’re helping to feed many more through cause marketing and their partnership with WFP.

In the words of Jonathan Blum, Senior Vice President, Yum! Brands, Inc. “As the world’s largest restaurant company, we believe it is our privilege and responsibility to help find a meaningful solution to this critical problem and leave the world a better place than we found it.”

What does World Food Programme think about all this?  “Partnering with WFP to fight global hunger is win-win,” said Nancy Roman, Director of WFP’s Public Policy, Communications and Private Partnership Division. “Yum! Brands has made an enormous contribution to the next generation by providing millions of school meals to hungry children worldwide.”

All in all, this partnership is going so well that Yum! Brands received an award for their initiative and all their contributions toward relieving hunger.  Read about their cause marketing partnership with WFP and their “Cause Related Campaign of the Year 2010″ award.

That’s right!  56% are likely to actively support the nonprofit IF the cause is clear and it breaks through the advertising clutter.

Therefore, as you establish strategic cause marketing partnerships with corporations, get involved in the marketing and branding.  Make certain your message does come through.  Again, prospective donors need to easily identify the “cause” and what you do for society.

This data and more is part of the 2010 Cone Nonprofit Marketing Trend Tracker survey released in March.

But before you rush out and grab a corporate partner, keep at least these two factors in mind as you’re shopping for one:

1. Choose a corporation that consumers trust.  78% of Americans say that the right partnership – one with a nonprofit and a company they trust – makes the cause stand out.
2. Try to choose a company that compliments your mission; that has a connection to what you do.  For example: A nonprofit with an environmental mission might partner with a manufacturer of eco-friendly products.

And then once you’ve chosen your partner in cause marketing / branding, remember that donors demand information.  Just as any donor wants updates on what you’re doing with the money they sent you, these consumer-donors are no different.  A sad statistic of the Cone survey is that 45% say nonprofits do NOT disclose enough information! 

Tell donors about the results of the partnership.  Tell them how much money is being raised for your cause.  And tell donors how it’s all helping to solve the problem (i.e., the social issue of your mission).

Reap the Rewards

The rewards for a smart, informative nonprofit-corporate partnership justify the effort.  The Cone survey results show that “…strategic corporate partnerships can help nonprofits stand out and create new, loyal ambassadors,” explains Alison DaSilva, Cone’s executive vice president of Cause Branding. 

A strong, dynamic nonprofit-corporate partnership is something today’s consumers are highly attuned to.  According to the Cone survey, as a result of such a partnership donors say . . .

• 50% are more likely to donate to the nonprofit
• 49% are more likely to participate in an event for the nonprofit
• 41% are more likely to volunteer for the nonprofit

This survey reaffirms what so many other surveys before it have shown: Donors aren’t getting enough of the right information.  But when you supply it . . . they respond favorably with more donations and other support.

Read more about Cone’s survey here.

Here’s an example of charities connecting with the right business to help their cause.  In this case, the business is Major League Baseball but the principles are the same.

Last night the Phillies lost the World Series to the Yankees.  But what you may not know is that they need to have all the apparel manufactured and ready to sell before the final results of the championship games are known.

This means that the Phillies and the Yankees both had apparel and merchandise ready for market.  But since the Phillies lost, what do they do with their stuff? Give it to charity.  This way the hats, shirts and so on don’t go to waste.

Specifically World Vision receives the gifts-in-kind.  World Vision is an international antipoverty group located in Federal Way, Washington.  According to World Vision the Phillies apparel is headed for children and families in Indonesia.  They were hit by an earthquake in September.

But that’s not all they’re getting.  The Los Angeles Angels and the Los Angeles Dodgers also sent apparel to World Vision when each team lost their league championship series.  An additional heart-warming fact is that the nonprofit says for some recipients, the baseball donations are the first new piece of clothing they have ever owned.

Now that’s a neat solution to unwanted stuff.  And it’s a good nonprofit-business partnership.