How would you like to be in my book Cause Marketing for Dummies? Here’s what I’m looking for.
I have a whole chapter devoted to online cause marketing. Within it, I want a section for etailers and other online businesses that want to partner with and raise money for causes online.
When I first outlined the section, I had a couple good ideas in mind. The first was Change Round-Up, about which I wrote gushingly a while back. Before shoppers check out online they’re asked to make a donation. Online point-of-sale! But the last time I talked to the owner of Change Round-Up he said he was shuttering the business. Too bad.
The other online solution I hope to include in my book was Endorse for a Cause, about which I’ve also positively written. EFAC’s online widget on individual web pages allows shoppers to share brands and products with their friends over Twitter and Facebook, triggering a donation to their favorite causes.
Great idea. But when I did a random search for its badge on its partners websites I didn’t find any. Maybe I didn’t look hard enough. But maybe EFAC is a great idea whose time has not yet arrived.
So I went back to the drawing board and looked for some online cause marketing solutions that would work for causes and companies.
I really like Beanstalk Giving, which seems to be the successor to Change Round-Up. Like the latter, Beanstalk has a web tool that allows shoppers to add a little extra, either by rounding-up their change or adding $2-$3 to their total – which then goes directly to a charity of the donor’s choice.
Another idea is Kachingle, which allows you to make micropayments for online content. According to the site, you can put a Kachingle medallion on anything (e. g. site, blog, individual page, app). After a user sets up an account they can make small recurring payments wherever they see the medallion. They can also see who else is making payments. Cool.
This could be applied to online cause products. Similar to Endorse for a Cause, shoppers wouldn’t have to buy the item, they could just Kachingle an environmental cause when they visit Timberland and Patagonia online.
Kachingle could also be used on nonprofit web sites for donors to make small donations when they see or read content that resonates with them. Every cause video on Youtube should have a Kachingle medallion!
The challenge is, of course, that most people have no idea what Kachingle is. I didn’t until three days ago. As one author wrote last September, “A year and a half after the Internet first started buzzing about it, Kachingle hasn’t really caught on.” That might be an understatement.
But I hope Kachingle and online cause marketing does catch on. An extra jingle of coins for nonprofits when so many are struggling would be a welcome sound.
(Here’s a list of alternatives to Kachingle from a question that was answered over at Quora.)
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Hi Joe,
Thanks for the mention in your column. We are in the process of launching a bunch of new initiatives that will make Kachingle more visible and easier to use. We are also developing a marketing campaign to get the word out. One of our marketing campaigns involves making Kachingle available on non-profits websites in particular. I'd be happy to tell you more.
Cynthia Typaldos
Founder, Kachingle
Hey Cynthia, Thanks for commenting. I would love to hear more. You can email me at joe@selfishgiving.com. Thanks. Joe
I forgot to mention that Kachingle recently received a contract from the Knight Foundation to promote Kachingle to their 100 grantees. This project has been going well and we now have quite a few of their sites (local news, investigative news) participating. Changing the world takes time, patience and perseverance.
Joe, Not quite Cause Related Marketing, but you may wish to have a wee chat with Polly Gowers of Everyclick and @giveasyoulive here in the UK. http://www.everyclick.com/about-everyclick/meet-t…
Interesting. Thanks for the lead! I was also reading about another UK company called Flatrr. It's similar to Kachingle.
Embarrassed not to have seen them before. I think it might actually be Swedish!
Too bad about Change Round-Up; Round-up Israel is alive and kicking- and it's pretty popular here. they allow you to do it while shopping and/or thru your salary. here's a link to their english site: http://www.round-up.org.il/?langId=2
I think the idea is a great one and easy for people to connect with
Hey, thanks for the lead. Do they plan to migrate this to the U.S.?
unfortunately I'm not sure. will try to find out…
Joe,
I think you were quite accurate in the distinction you drew between Kachingle and the other mirco-payment systems you mention in this post.
I've found Kachingle to be particularly useful because of its ease of use and (more importantly), its flexibility. Consider that many of the sites–non-profit or otherwise–that I use heavily are sites that have no "checkout" and thus no opportunity to add a few bucks. With Kachingle I only had to get my credit card out once. The rest is mindless–in a good way.
Of course there are downsides–would anyone disagree that Kachingle could use an aesthetic overhaul? Probably not. But it's the price I'm happy to pay to be on the front end of something that I believe has loads of potential.
Hey Tyler, Thanks for visiting. I agree with you on the aesthetics. Have you seen the button for Flattr, a UK company. Check it out.
http://www.theintelligence.de/images/stories/logo…
I also agree that Kachingle makes it very easy!
A complete overhaul of the Kachingle design and UI/UX is in the works! Stay tuned.
And yes we are totally user-centric and designed our system to have the minimum of "mental transaction costs". Our target user is not the tech savvy person but the ordinary web surfer.
Cynthia
Founder, Kachingle
Hey Joe!
Thanks for mentioning Beanstalk Giving! Where are all the online cause marketing solutions? We're right here. We'd be happy to help with your chapter – looking forward to it.
Ross of Beanstalk Giving
Hey Joe,
From what I'm reading it seems like you're looking for cause marketing online that's an online version of cause marketing off-line. Your survey of 3 companies, 2 of which are now not doing any business, seems to indicate that maybe that kind of vision isn't right for the web.
I wonder if cause marketing, flourishing on products and packages and checkout stations at stores across the country, needs a different model for online. I mean, it may be cliched now, but Pepsi Refresh is cause marketing online that could not take place offline. My guess is that this chapter will be a work-in-progress as folks try out different models and the winners rise to the top over time.
Not helpful, I know, but just some thoughts…
Good comment, Ian. In many ways I'm just looking to replicate POS online, and I'm kind of mystified why it hasn't happened already. On the other hand, I do think there is probably a different model out there for online cause marketing–something we haven't quite figured out yet.
It's interesting you bring up Pepsi Refresh. I really don't consider it cause marketing because there is no sustained partnership. It's, well, just a beauty pageant.
When given the choice between an online and offline solution I often end up with a hybrid of the two. I think that's why I like location based cause marketing so much!
Thanks for stopping by!
Ark.com! I'm surprised you haven't heard it after their TechCrunch appearance.
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