Posts Tagged ‘Tour For Kids’

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?

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A non profit that really gets needs-based marketing, and evolves accordingly

Friday, October 22nd, 2010

If you think about it, non profits by nature are “needs-based”, and they are also “target audience-based” – two of the most fundamental marketing principles.  You might even say they are the ultimate marketers, because they start with the basics – a target audience with an unfulfilled need – their “raison d’être”. 

I was struck recently by an evolution in the “product/service” offering of a non profit, Camp Oochigeas, which is in part funded by the Tour For Kids cycling fundraising event that I participate in organized the Coast to Coast Against Cancer Foundation. 

The Camp was created so kids living with cancer could simply be kids and attend summer camp, even while undergoing treatment…meeting an unfulfilled need of a very specific target audience.  What’s particularly brilliant is that over the years it has extended this basic offering to include in-hospital (Ooch on the 8th at SickKids Hospital in Toronto) for those who are not able to leave the hospital – bringing camp to them.  And, most recently, it has extended this further to include Ooch Downtown and Ooch in the City, an in-community offering. 

This last evolution is particularly interesting because it is in part, I believe, based on a recognition that their target audience has changed, and that a Muskoka camp offering isn’t for everyone, especially with the diverse “new to Canada” ethnic as well as inner city populations it is now serving, for which a Muskoka wilderness “camp” environment is not familiar, or perhaps even desired, and therefore simply not appropriate – in other words not a need for these segments of their target audience. 

Kudos to Camp Oochigeas for recognizing the changing nature of the target audience they are serving, and the corresponding changing need they must fulfill – a great example of keeping a pulse on the market and responding to it.  They are an excellent example of the opposite of “if you build it they will come” – marketing at its best don’t you think?

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Will cancer map discovery spur donations?

Tuesday, October 13th, 2009

As a supporter of the cancer cause – and specifically childhood cancer – I’m hoping that last week’s news of both the Nobel Prize and the discovery of the cancer map will give a real boost to the cause. It should give a real motivational boost, and the encouragement – or hope – that so many people are looking for in relation to this dreaded yet pervasive disease. It’s proof that progress IS being made. Now I wonder whether – and how much – that will translate into greater financial support/donations for cancer research and support programs through the various charities and events that exist to raise these much-needed funds.

With the economic challenges of the last year, many donors were tightening their belts and closing their wallets, so it was a much more difficult fundraising year than in the past. I can speak first-had from my experience with raising money for Tour For Kids, a fundraising cycling event for camps for children with cancer. Last year was the most difficult year I’ve experienced in my 5 years of fundraising for this cause. With today’s economic times, many people are looking for assurances about how their money is being spent – such as what percent of the funds raised actually go to the cause. When a fundraiser can say it’s 100% – or close to that – it sure helps to get people interested in donating. As well, when you can talk about successes or results that have been achieved as a result of the funds raised, this also helps to get people donating. Interestingly, even in the world of fundraising donors are looking for an ROI. So, will this past week’s cancer map discovery by Canadians – and possibly the Nobel Prize in Medicine – help to give donors more of a sense of comfort and ROI – that their dollars ARE working and having an impact? I sure hope so

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