The term cause-related marketing is generally used to refer to mutually beneficial partnerships between corporations and nonprofits. In these types of marketing campaigns, corporations partner with nonprofit organizations to boost their sales while having a positive impact on a nonprofit and the cause they support.

To practice cause-related marketing, it’s important that nonprofits have the tools they need to integrate their nonprofit with a corporation’s product. At RoundUp App we provide seamless integration for Ecommerce corporations looking to practice cause marketing with thousands of nonprofits across the country.

What's included this guide

• Cause-related marketing defined
• Cause-related marketing VS traditional marketing
• Cause-related marketing strategies
• Cons of cause-related marketing
• How to use RoundUp at Checkout for cause-related marketing

What is cause-related marketing?

The term cause-related marketing is generally used to refer to mutually beneficial partnerships between corporations and nonprofits. In these types of marketing campaigns, corporations partner with nonprofit organizations to boost their sales while having a positive impact on a nonprofit and cause they support.

To practice cause-related marketing, it’s important that nonprofits have the tools they need to integrate their nonprofit with a corporation’s product. At RoundUp App we provide seamless integration for Ecommerce corporations looking to practice cause marketing with thousands of nonprofits across the country.

Cause-related marketing VS traditional marketing

Cause-related marketing might differ from the traditional forms of marketing practiced by nonprofits because it is driven primarily by a corporation rather than a nonprofit. 

In a traditional fundraising marketing campaign, the nonprofit selects the message and attempts to compel potential donors to donate through various forms of paid and organic advertising. However, in these campaigns, corporations generally reach out to nonprofits aligned to their strategic business goals first. 

An incredibly common form of cause-related marketing takes the form of rounding up or providing additional donations after a customer purchases something in a physical store or online. Ecommerce companies take advantage of plugins like RoundUp At Checkout to compel their customers to donate to a given nonprofit at checkout as opposed to donating directly to the nonprofit through fundraising emails, ads, or events

Effective cause-related marketing strategies

Cause-related marketing works best when the product or company working with a nonprofit aligns closely with the cause of a nonprofit. But there are multiple types of campaigns corporations can use to effectively drive sales and increase donations.

Individual product sales

Companies practice this type of cause-related marketing frequently by connecting individual products they sell to nonprofits. Think of big campaigns like the (Red) campaign in which products are branded to increase awareness of HIV prevention globally.

Other examples of this type of strategy involve specially branded products that consumers buy knowing that a portion of sales made from that product is donated directly to a nonprofit.

Events and fundraisers

Another key way that corporations and nonprofits work together is through in-person or branded online events and fundraisers. These types of campaigns might run long-term and usually involve a series of strategic events and fundraisers throughout a year where corporations partner with nonprofit organizations to bring awareness to causes.

In this type of campaign nonprofits and companies work together to align their business goals and plan events and fundraisers that mutually benefit each other.

Rounding up at checkout campaigns

Companies use this type of cause-related marketing to entice customers to donate at the time of purchase. This can take two forms. The first is donations added to purchases at physical stores like grocery or clothing stores.

The second type takes place online when eCommerce brands and companies use plugins like RoundUp at Checkout to add additional donations to customers’ carts before checking out.

Create compelling cause-related marketing campaigns with RoundUp at Checkout

Learn more

Supporting nonprofits during crucial events

One of the crucial ways merchants and nonprofits can collaborate on cause-related marketing comes from events that have a direct impact on local communities. In the cases of natural disasters or sudden drastic events in a community, both customers and donors are more likely to give when they know that their donations are directly supporting their community.

Corporations can improve their brand identity while increasing sales by connecting their customers to nonprofit organizations combating a recent natural disaster or event. 

Integrating corporations into the community

Another great way corporations can take advantage of cause-related marketing is to support a long or short-term project happening in their local communities. 

When nonprofit organizations partner with local online retailers they can increase donations and awareness of their community cause. Since eCommerce businesses often have a dedicated local fanbase as well as a more global audience, they can increase the awareness of  local organization. This results in more opportunities to fundraise beyond the local level while also integrating that corporation into the bedrock of the community.

The Cons of Cause-Related Marketing

While there are many benefits to corporations partnering with nonprofits, cause-related marketing can fail when not done correctly. The single biggest indicator of a potentially harmful partnership comes when corporations and nonprofits have a mismatch in strategic vision and identity.

For example, an environmentally conscious nonprofit might avoid partnerships with corporations that have a negative impact on the environment. Instead, they might choose to partner with local farms, organic and sustainable restaurants, or community plant shops that better suit their brand. 

The key to deciding if a corporate partnership is right for your nonprofit is asking yourself a few critical questions. Does this improve or weaken our potential donors’ trust in us? Does your organization support the product being sold? Could this be misinterpreted by our audience?

Just the same, corporations want to do their due diligence to vet the nonprofits they partner with. When finding a nonprofit partnership, they want to first evaluate that nonprofit. A company might consider the size of a nonprofit, the scope of the work they do, and the overall effectiveness of its organization. They might look at things like past accomplishments, how donations are spent, or just overall donor satisfaction before moving forward with any cause-related marketing campaigns.

The Pros and Cons of cause-related marketing

PROS

Can increase a nonprofit’s reach.

Can increase a company’s sales.

Great way for companys to connect with consumers.

Great way for nonprofits to raise funds.

CONS

Mis-matched partnerships can feel inauthentic. 

Can lead to less sales if customers don’t approve of nonprofit.

Can be harder to execute a campaign when multiple stakeholders are involved.

How RoundUp at Checkout helps cause-related marketing

While there are many benefits to corporations partnering with nonprofits, cause-related marketing can fail when not done correctly. The single biggest indicator of a potentially harmful partnership comes when corporations and nonprofits have a mismatch in strategic vision and identity.

For example, an environmentally conscious nonprofit might avoid partnerships with corporations that have a negative impact on the environment. Instead, they might choose to partner with local farms, organic and sustainable restaurants, or community plant shops that better suit their brand. 

The key to deciding if a corporate partnership is right for your nonprofit is asking yourself a few critical questions. Does this improve or weaken our potential donors’ trust in us? Does your organization support the product being sold? Could this be misinterpreted by our audience?

Just the same, corporations want to do their due diligence to vet the nonprofits they partner with. When finding a nonprofit partnership, they want to first evaluate that nonprofit. A company might consider the size of a nonprofit, the scope of the work they do, and the overall effectiveness of its organization. They might look at things like past accomplishments, how donations are spent, or just overall donor satisfaction before moving forward with any cause-related marketing campaigns.

CASE STUDY

How Bestop used RoundUp at Checkout for Cause-Related Marketing

Read success story

Putting it all together

Another great way corporations can take advantage of cause-related marketing is to support a long or short-term project happening in their local communities. 

When nonprofit organizations partner with local online retailers they can increase donations and awareness of their community cause. Since eCommerce businesses often have a dedicated local fanbase as well as a more global audience, they can increase the audience size a local organization has access to. This results in more opportunities to fundraise beyond the local level while also integrating that corporation into the bedrock of the community.

The post Cause-Related Marketing: A Guide to Corporate and Nonprofit Partnerships appeared first on Roundup App.

One of our newest partners, Treasured Locks, has hit the ground running with their RoundUp at Checkout program. They’ve chosen to support Brown Girl Wellness, a nonprofit on a mission to empower marginalized women and children. Plus, for the entire month of September, Treasured Locks is matching 100% of donations! Talk about making a big impact.

Find out more about Brown Girl Wellness below or read the original blog post from Treasured Locks!

Treasured Locks is partnering with Roundup App to direct your spare change to worthy organizations making changes in our communities and our world. For the month of September 2021, we have chosen to sponsor Brown Girl Wellness. For every amount you donate, Treasured Locks will match your donations- 100%.

Brown Girl Wellness was founded by Dr. D. Rica Wilson. She remains its Executive Director as well as founder. Brown Girl Wellness, Inc. strives to empower marginalized women and children. As a single mother, survivor of abuse, and champion for vulnerable individuals, Dr. Wilson is committed to helping women and children thrive.

Their work is deeply rooted in possibilities and the power of storytelling. Dr. Wilson often uses her own story of resilience to help individuals tap into their God-given power. Through advocacy, BGW lifts communities historically impacted by racial injustice, economic, health and educational disparities.

Their Family Justice Project, Spoons & Stories Public Health initiative, and Project 31 Business Institute were created to help women and children win. Since the pandemic, their outreach programs have reached over 500 families to improve food security, financial stability, and educational outcomes.

Dr. Wilson is a mother of three sons, English Professor, servant-leader, and member of Alpha Kappa Alpha, Sorority, Inc., Her work is heart work, and she promises to continue to serve to ensure no child goes to bed hungry, no woman questions her abilities, and every family soars above the historic oppression and disparities to create quality lives for each generation.

Brown Girl Wellness believes that every woman and child has the opportunity to thrive. When women and children win, we all win.

www.bgwellness.org
www.facebook.com/browngirlwellness
Instagram: brown.girl.wellness

Additionally, Brown Girl Wellness, Inc. in partnership with Farmer Nell of City Weeds and Be More Green founded the first community art studio, Be More Creative in Tema, Ghana in partnership with Sir Francis Nunoo. Our community art studio rescues street children and community children through art. Children learn valuable skills to increase their future economic stability through selling their artwork, creative designs, and fashion.

The post Treasured Locks Partners with RoundUp at Checkout appeared first on Roundup App.

Why partner with a nonprofit in the first place?

Gen z now makes up, 40% of customers and is known as the “philanthro kids” generation for good reason. ,Gen Z and Millennials are savvy consumers and want to know that the businesses they are supporting or even working for are going to better the world in some way. Therefore as a business, it is becoming paramount that you have a philanthropic cause to support year round, even if you’re a small business.

How often to switch?

Having established the importance of giving back, as long as your business is partnered with a nonprofit year round, it is up to your business to decide how often to change nonprofits. If you’re having a hard time deciding on even choosing one nonprofit, our previous blog on ,“How Merchants Choose Nonprofit Partners” will give you some insight, but below we’ll highlight the different ways switching organizations can look like:

Sticking to one nonprofit.

You may decide to partner with one org that aligns well with your business brand. For example, The Pet Door Store has partnered with Best Friend Animal Society or CBD for Life who donates to the PrisonerProject to continue the fight for cannabis criminal reform. Both these businesses aligned their brands with nonprofit organizations that relate to their businesses in some way. And since these merchants sell certain products relating to their cause, it is highly likely that their customer base probably feels the same way. In the case of The PetDoor Store, since customers are likely to be pet lovers shopping for their pets – they are more likely to donate to an animal rescue at checkout.

Changing occasionally

Perhaps instead of keeping it to just one organization, changing seasonally or even changing bi-annually might give you a perspective on how partnering with different organizations may boost business sales depending on which organization a business partnered with. Ultimately, any time you change nonprofits organizations can be an SEO marketing play as it allows your business to promote this change in giving that may attract different audiences. For example, if you’re a local business you may want to see if partnering with a nationally recognized foundation might differ from choosing a local nonprofit that impacts the community where your local customers are from.

Changing Monthly

One reason to change monthly or more frequently would allow you to, as mentioned previously, explore your options, but also gives you a marketing boost to align national holidays with your philanthropic work. For example, choosing an educational nonprofit organization during the month of August which is “Back to school month” may not align with your business brand but it gives your business an opportunity to remind your customers of your charity work and an opportunity to reach different demographics.

Where to begin

Whether you decide to stick to one nonprofit partner or change it up monthly, the key takeaway is that in the current climate it is greatly beneficial to do charitable giving. Our Roundup at Checkout program allows merchants to start their philanthropic work with a free plug-in with no setup or monthly costs. To find out more or schedule a meeting, chat with one of our support specialists today!

The post How often should Merchants switch nonprofits? appeared first on Roundup App.

Selecting a nonprofit to support on RoundUp at Checkout can be a daunting task. There are so many causes to choose from and an even larger variety of nonprofits that focus on the same mission. With 1.5 million registered charities in the USA alone, there is an overwhelming number of options for giving on your site. When you implement RoundUp at Checkout, finding the best fit organization can increase donation conversion and strengthen your brand loyalty with customers. Some factors to consider while selecting a charity to benefit are:

• Their cause is closely related to the product you are selling
• Nonprofits that support your local community
• The organization is related to current events in society that you wish to support

Product Related to a Cause

If you feel lost when exploring a new nonprofit partner, first look at the product you are selling and the themes that surround it. For example, an e-commerce site selling dog collars could support a local or national animal rescue. We have seen a higher rate of donor conversion in this situation. If a consumer is shopping for their dog, there is a higher probability that they would want to support dogs in need. Understanding who your customer is and what values they might have is key!

Local Communities

While you can always choose to support a well known national charity, it is also a good idea to take a look at the needs of your local community and the charities that work to support it. According to the National Council of Nonprofits, 92% of nonprofits are small and focus on addressing their local community’s needs. Research your local food banks, animal rescues, homeless shelters, etc. This is especially true if you understand that the majority of your customers are locally based. Your RoundUp at Checkout could yield a higher conversion if you choose to target your local demographic with a local and community based nonprofit.

Cause related to current events

Another factor to consider is current events that are happening right now in our society and abroad. Whether the event is a natural disaster, conflict overseas or social justice, customers have a higher chance to RoundUp their purchase if they feel like they have an impact on the social issues and events happening right now. For example, businesses who choose to support charities that focus on the COVID-19 pandemic are compelling their customers to donate to a cause that hits close to home for everybody in our society. This sense of urgency is crucial.

Another component to target is holiday months that focus on different demographics. For example, supporting an organization that focuses on the LGBTQ+ community during Pride Month could yield a higher conversion of donations and reflect the beliefs of the business.

Choosing a nonprofit partner might sound intimidating at first but consider all these elements and discuss with your RoundUp at Checkout expert to find the charity that best aligns with you and your business!

The post How Merchants Choose Nonprofit Partners appeared first on Roundup App.