non profit « Anne Sauvé

Posts Tagged ‘non profit’

Corporate social responsibility and cost of fundraising

Friday, July 29th, 2011

I was intrigued when I noticed ads for the Ride to Conquer Cancer during the Tour de France coverage – not because they were for an event over 11 months away, but because the event name had changed to reflect a national title sponsor, namely Enbridge. The event is now called Enbridge Ride to Conquer Cancer.

While this is not unusual – we see it with sports venues and other fundraising events – it struck me because it has become such a well-known event that has built equity in its name and its brand. And now it is going to share that with a title sponsor.

From a fundraising perspective presumably this means that more sponsorship dollars will go to cover event costs – and thereby increase the percentage of fundraising dollars that actually go to the cause. The cost of fundraising goes down, which is a “win” for the event, and more importantly, the cause.

From an exposure perspective, Enbridge probably has more to gain from this than The Ride to Conquer Cancer, particularly as relates to Enbridge’s reputation in the area of corporate social responsibility. Presumably Enbridge will also help to extend the marketing efforts for the event, resulting in a “win:win” for both sides.

Kudos to Ride to Conquer Cancer for being flexible with their brand and kudos to Enbridge for rallying behind an important cause.

I bet you never thought you’d see corporate social responsibility connected with cost of fundraising?!?

Tags: brand, cause marketing, charity, corporate social responsibility, CSR, Enbridge, fundraising, non profit, not for profit, Ride to Conquer Cancer, sponsorship
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Leveraging your logo with creativity and confidence

Friday, June 3rd, 2011

When I was reading the newspaper recently I noticed a very striking Children’s Miracle Network “Thank you to our corporate partners” ad. These types of ads are typical in the not for profit sector, but this one really stood out – for several reasons.

What I hadn’t realized is that the charity had recently changed its name and logo. The new joint logo illustrates the unique relationship between RE/MAX and what is now called Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals. When I learned this, what I was seeing in the ad made total sense, but was nonetheless bold, creative and confident on their part.

The first thing that struck me in the ad was the very creative use of what turns out to be its new balloon icon as the platform for recognizing its corporate partners. The page was afloat with balloons containing the logos of all of the Children’s Miracle Network corporate partners. What was even more ingenious was that they were able to tastefully and yet impactfully recognize (and therefore promote) their partners based on the respective level of support provided…simply by the size of the balloon used for each – and therefore the size of the respective corporate partner’s logo – regardless of where it was placed on the page. Amazingly brilliant and so impactful – at the same helping to be equitable and get around what can be a tricky issue…and of course, keeping their partners happy!

What it also allowed them to do was to feature both the logos of all the members of their network (albeit in a more traditional way), without competing with the corporate partners’ logos – striking a nice balance and making everyone happy.

My general test for judging an ad is if it is easy and pleasing on my eyes, and this one hit the nail on the head! My eyes weren’t struggling with where to look, and instead there was a natural flow thanks to the very thoughtful structure of the ad.

Did anybody else notice this and stop to take a longer look than you might normally? Way to go Children’s Miracle Network – nice branding and recognition!

Tags: advertising, brand, branding, cause marketing, charity, Children's Miracle Network Hospitals, corporate partners, corporate sponsors, logo, non profit, not for profit
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Cause marketing, connection and community

Friday, December 24th, 2010

Most of us have heard the expression that it takes a village to raise a child, talking to the power and importance of community, which in turn requires a certain degree of “connectedness”. This same thought struck me the other day after I attended a sort of “thank you” function for a cause marketing cycling event I participate in every year (Tour For Kids).

Generally speaking, cause marketing requires a connection to the cause by all the related stakeholders: event participants (who are fundraisers), donors, sponsors, etc. But what makes a cause and a cause marketing initiative really powerful is the sense of community it creates between all these stakeholders, and of course the beneficiary of their efforts, the cause itself. In my mind, this “thank you” event I attended is an important enabler for creating both connection and a sense of community.

I’ll admit that part of why I enjoy doing the Tour For Kids ride every year is because of the people I see there each year. The same goes for why I enjoy going to these thank you events. Both make me feel like I’m part of an important community that is doing good. In this case, I’m part of a village that is not raising a child, but helping a child living with and beyond cancer. I feel connected to the cause, and to the community. There is sheer power in this.

How do you feel about the causes you’re involved with? Do you feel a sense of connection, as well as a sense of community?

Tags: cause marketing, charity, non profit, not for profit, Tour For Kids
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Posts Tagged ‘non profit’

Leveraging your logo with creativity and confidence

Cause marketing, connection and community