Newsletter: Free Webinar on Power of Storytelling 📚; 100 Hot Retailers for Your Prospect List 💯; Panera Cares Cafes Fold 😞
I often talk about content marketing, but at the heart of the strategy is great storytelling. The fact is that nonprofits should be great storytellers, but they’re not. They struggle with it - despite its obvious importance to their success with donors, supporters and corporate partners.
As the Content Marketing Institute’s Robert Rose has said, “It's weirdly ironic to me that nonprofits have a struggle making a business case for content [storytelling]. Because mission is the story, right?"
Speaking of mission, Bob Schultz at The CauseWay Agency is on one to make nonprofits better storytellers - and he’s bringing in a big gun to help: storytelling expert Jenny Riddle.
Together, Bob and Jenny will be leading a FREE webinar on September 19th at 2:30pm ET on The Power of Strategic Storytelling. You can sign up here.
Among other things, Jenny will be discussing... [Read Jenny's tips and signup for the FREE WEBINAR]
Partnership notes
1. 100 hot retailers. How many of these are on your prospect list? Check out what the "Retail Prophet" said about this list.⬆ Interested in the future of retail? You should be! Check out this retail concept.
2. DSW (Designer Shoe Warehouse) unveiled the company’s new cause marketing program, DSW Gives. Their partner is a national, student-led resiliency organization called Be Strong. The program includes an in-store fundraiser that DSW has pledged to match up to $75,000.
3. How resto chain Golden Corral's involvement with cause marketing ($14M for Disabled American Veterans) helps with franchise recruitment. Are you pitching a company with franchisees? Use Golden Corral as an example of a company for which cause marketing has been win-win.
4. GameStop is raising money this month for Make-A-Wish AND Children's Miracle Network. We interviewed them on CauseTalk Radio in 2015 when they raised $1.2M for MAW.
5. I was a big fan of Panera Cares cafes, but ultimately this retail concept didn't work. Instead of directly tackling societal problems as quasi-nonprofits would companies be better off sticking to cause marketing fundraisers for nonprofits? Still, the former can have PR value - and that's OK.
Marketing your cause
1. Nice summary here of what it takes to make cause marketing succeed. [Note: PR WEEK can be a bit of a pain to access. If you can't read the article, just hit reply and I'll email it to you. I live to serve.😬] The #1 reason cause marketing doesn't work? Research. Problem solved. [SPONSORED]
2. Folks, this is just another form of content marketing... Greater Twin Cities United Way 'giving communities' meld personal passions with philanthropy. It's all about being useful, a resource - and GTCUW isn't alone. The number of organizations that host giving groups - defined as “highly flexible, democratic, do-it-yourself vehicles for giving - has more than tripled over the past decade.
3. Sponsorship signage is dead. Long live signage seen on social media.
4. Engagement is dropping on Facebook pages so where should your focus be? Email. Even the youngins are on it. In the 18-25 group, 56% check their work emails every few hours - even when outside the office.
Cool jobs in cause**
1. Corporate Engagement Officer, Northwest Harvest (Seattle)
2. Employee Engagement & Workplace Giving Officer, Mercy Corps (Portland, Oregon)
3. Business Development Manager - Corporate Partnerships, The V Foundation (Cary, NC)
4. Partnership Marketing Representative, San Diego Zoo (San Diego)
5. Associate Director of Corporate Relations, Fairmount Park Conservancy (Philadelphia)
**Have your cause-related job featured here for FREE. Hit reply or email me at joe@selfishgiving.com.
Brain food
1. Google’s daily doodles only feature women 17% of the time. One nonprofit cried foul and Google agreed. Now, Google's Field Trip app makes your phone buzz when you approach places where women made history.
2. Did you notice I didn't load up my newsletter with emojis this week? I thought this article made several good points on why I should cool it on the emojis. Do you agree? Or do you miss them - even just a little? 😭
3. This is frightening. How much hotter is your hometown than when you were born? The year I was born we averaged 3+ days over 90 degrees. This summer in Boston we've already had 21 days and three more days over 90 degrees are expected this week.
Have a question, story suggestion or category you want to see covered? Just leave a comment below. 🙏
