Newsletter: 3 Lessons from Red Nose Day 🤡; Vodka Maker Milks Cause Marketing 🏳️🌈; 31 Days of Giving is Here! 🗓
Since arriving in the U.S. in 2015, Red Nose Day has raised a whopping $145 million. Most of that money has come from red nose sales at Walgreens stores, which raised $20 million in 2017 alone. We interviewed Linn Jordan, Director of Retail Marketing for Walgreens, about its efforts on behalf of Red Nose Day back in 2016 and it's worth a listen.
A few key takeaways on Walgreen's successful fundraiser.
1. Be fun AND serious. Employees get into the spirit by dressing in red and ringing a cowbell when customers buy a red nose. But supporting the charity is serious business. “Red Nose Day [is] considered a full store takeover that is only second to Christmas,” said the CEO of Red Nose Day U.S. Business as usual won't cut it any more, folks. You need to make your fundraisers seriously entertaining.
2. Stores and foot traffic matter. With over 8,000 stores, Walgreens was bound to sell a lot of noses and raise plenty of money. It's not a surprise. It's math. When looking for retail partners locally, regionally and nationally, give priority to businesses with lots of locations and plenty of foot traffic. One hundred busy stores is better than 25. Even two stores are better than one.
3. Don't stop with point-of-sale. While the majority of money is raised at point-of-sale, Walgreens also dedicates shelf space for "red flair" - hats, headbands, bowties and this year pens, pins and wristbands. The best place to fundraise is at a fundraiser. We add auctions and raffles to galas because the pump is primed. Fundraising in a store is no different. Add a coin canister, purchase-triggered donation OR an additional corporate partner to the mix!
Ready to create your own Red Nose Day? Read Catalist's latest study on POS giving!
New stuff from me 😊
🎙This week on CauseTalk Radio, Megan and I talk to Ryan Baillargeon, CEO of Toronto-based Grassriots about the European Union's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and why nonprofits should be paying attention to it.
Partnership notes 📝
🍸Stoli gets colorful for LGBTQ rights on Harvey Milk Day. The brand released a limited edition bottle to celebrate the gay icon and support the Harvey Milk Foundation. But all is not well. First, there's nothing in the fine print about how much will actually go to HMF. Second, according to this author, "something about selling vodka based on a gay rights hero’s memory feels a little off..."
🍺Speaking of purchase-triggered donations, Budweiser is supporting Folds of Honor with a new brew. And we know how much they plan to give: $1 for every case sold. It's right on their homepage in the fine print. Bud defines a case as a 24-pack, and the maximum donation is $500,000 for cases sold between May 1st and September 30th. Bud has donated $11 million to Folds of Honor since 2011. Now how hard was that?
👩🏻🏭Welding for a cause. Lincoln Electric, a maker of welding equipment, helped nonprofit Boys Town gets its welding program in full swing. A great example of B2B value-based marketing from Russell Sparkman. Check out our 2014 CauseTalk Radio interview with Russell on content marketing and the future of nonprofit fundraising.
🔬Science + Cards Against Humanity = Another young woman getting a full ride to college.
Marketing your cause 🤑
📊Wow, I guess Instagram is the place to be. But perhaps more surprising is that Facebook is second. [Click to Enlarge]
Sponsor 🤝
DoTopia is kicking off a 31 Days of Giving campaign with Deepak Chopra this Friday, June 1st. During the 31 Days of Giving, any individual who signs up for a giving account will automatically get $10 to give to their cause of choice.
Why wouldn’t you? It’s a win-win. Good for you. Good for the world. More info at: 31DaysofGiving.DoTopia.com.
P. S. You might see a familiar face featured as one of their giving heroes! 🤫
Cool jobs in cause** 😎
1. Marketing Specialist, Corporate Social Responsibility, Randstad (Richardson, TX)
2. Senior Administrator, UW Direct and Affinity Groups, United Way of Miami-Dade (Miami, FL)
3. Associate Director, Cause Marketing & Strategic Partnership, March of Dimes (Arlington, VA)
**Have your cause-related job featured here for FREE. Hit reply or email me at joe@selfishgiving.com.
Brain food 🧠🍎
⚰️RIP author Philip Roth. The man knew how to write...and take a nap.
📚Bill Gates: 5 books worth reading this summer.
Need some help? Have a question, story suggestion or category you want to see covered? Just leave a comment. 🙏
