The nonprofit community lost an important corporate partner last week when Toys "R" Us announced it was closing all of its U.S. stores. Whether the storied retailer was murdered Caesar-like on the Ides of March by Amazon, Target and Walmart, or was a victim of gross mismanagement, was hotly debated on the Internet last week. But one thing is for sure: causes will lose millions when Toys "R" Us disappears from malls and retail parks this spring.

The mourners include...

Today on CauseTalk Radio, Megan and I talk to Perry Yeatman, CEO, Perry Yeatman Global Partners, External Director, Mission Measurement about how companies and nonprofits can measure the success of social impact programs.

On the show, Megan, Perry and I discuss...

Back in January I asked what you wanted to learn more about in 2018. The #1 response was: How to measure the impact of a partnership on your nonprofit and for your corporate partner. I was really surprised that this topped the list! Still, I heard you and have a free upcoming webinar for you on this very topic...

Today on CauseTalk Radio, Megan and I talk to Marty Posch, President, Finish Line Youth Foundation, which is the nonprofit arm of athletic apparel and shoe retailer Finish Line about their work with Special Olympics. This includes a very successful checkout charity program that raised $825,000 over the holidays.

On the show, Megan, Marty and I discuss...

One of the best things I read this past week was how the California Symphony adopted a "long-haul" audience development model to increase attendance, attract younger supporters and land more donors. And it worked spectacularly! I thought, "Heck, what nonprofit doesn't want that!"

I really suggest you read the article in full. But here are a few highlights and the implications for corporate partnerships....

Today on CauseTalk Radio, Megan and I talk to Dashel Schueler, Associate Director of Development & External Relations, at Seattle public radio station KEXP, about International Clash Day. The day celebrates the music of the English punk rock band The Clash and others as enablers of social consciousness.

On the show, Megan, Dashel and I discuss...

I talk so much about content marketing that people often ask if it's the only thing they need to do to be successful at cause marketing.

My answer is a firm NO. And I suggest they revisit point #3 in this article on the three legs of cause marketing: research, content marketing and sales. While content marketing will fill the top of the funnel with potential prospects and guide some prospects through the consideration stage, you still need sales people....

Today on CauseTalk Radio, Megan and I talk to Chris Mann, National Vice President of Corporate Partnerships for City Year, about their corporate partnership program and how its grown during Chris' tenure.

On the show, Megan, Chris and I discuss...

Want more corporate partners?

For early-stage engagement that gets your organization on a company's radar screen, focus on:

1. Email. The first connection with a prospect is often through email. But plan for a weekly connection via a must-read newsletter.

2. Website. Companies find you online first. That's where they'll sign up for your newsletter. If you don't have a email newsletter signup pop-up on your website, you are missing a major opportunity to collect email addresses.

3. Search & Social. This is how they find your website in the first place. That's why you need a a regular stream of outstanding content on your website that you share on your social channels.

For late-stage engagement that converts them to partners, focus on...

Today on CauseTalk Radio, Megan and I talk to Josh Abramson, Founder & Chief Solutionist at ALLBRiGHT 1-800-PAINTING, about Paint It Forward, a charity paint program that gives back to the local community.

Since completing the first Paint It Forward event in 2005, the effort has produced over $1 million worth of free painting services and materials delivered to deserving families and nonprofit organizations across the United States and Canada. 

On the show, Megan, Josh and I discuss...

The Chronicle of Philanthropy recently ran an article on raising more money at the cash register. You can find it here, but you probably won't be able to read it unless you are a subscriber. Let me summarize the major points and give you a few additional resources.

1. Checkout charity fundraisers raise big money. According to Engage for Good's America's Checkout Champions Report, 73 programs in 2016 raised a whopping $441 million. Want to learn more? Check out this post: 7 Key Takeaways for Cause Marketers from America's Checkout Champions Report....

Today on CauseTalk Radio, Megan and I talk to Jennifer Lindenauer, Chief Marketing Officer at Good Media Group about the 2017 merger between viral news and video site Upworthy with media and consulting company GOOD Worldwide. We get an update on the merger and their plans for 2018.

On the show, Megan, Jennifer and I discuss...

I'm a member of Carol Cone's Purpose Collaborative, and during last month's community call I challenged my fellow members to pick the number of cause-related ads that would air during the Super Bowl. This was a serious wager! I offered to buy the winner a Starbuck's gift card.

The winner? Carol Cone herself. Yes, it's true, MOM IS ALWAYS RIGHT. In submitting her prediction she said: "I don’t think this will be the year of lots of ads…..my guess is 3." By my count, Carol was right. There were three cause-related ads from Stella Artois, Budweiser and Hyundai. You can watch all the ads here.

The talk about one of these ads didn't stop after the Super Bowl...

Today on CauseTalk Radio, Megan and I talk to Rahama Wright, Founder & CEO, Shea Yeleen about her efforts to innovate the shea butter supply chain in West Africa. Her social enterprise Shea Yeleen markets and distributes high quality skincare products, while providing living wages to cooperative members in Northern Ghana. The line of shea butter products is being distributed through retailers such as Whole Foods, MGM Resorts and Amazon. 

On the show, Megan, Rahama and I discuss...

Today on CauseTalk Radio, Megan and I talk to Andrei Cherny, CEO and Co-Founder of Aspiration, a financial firm that helps investors make money and make a difference. The firm has also launched an app - Aspiration Impact Measurement (AIM) - that lets investors see the impact they're making on people and the planet based on where they are shopping and spending every day.

On the show, Megan, Andrei and I discuss...

Today on CauseTalk Radio Megan and I talk to Jennifer Herskind, Chief Marketing Officer for Smoothie King, about a new partnership with Challenged Athletes Foundation (CAF), a non-profit organization dedicated to helping people with physical challenges lead active, healthy lifestyles.  

The 900-store chain will be donating $150,000 through a 25 cent donation to CAF with the sale of every newly-branded Hydrate and Help bottle of spring water. The new bottles just became available at stores last month. 

On the show, Megan and I discuss...

Today on CauseTalk Radio, Megan and I talk to Kathleen Janus, social entrepreneur, author and lecturer at Stanford University, about a great, new book: Social Startup Success: How the Best Nonprofits Launch, Scale Up, and Make a Difference.

On the show, Megan, Kathleen and I discuss...

How can a brand get one step closer to unlocking the coveted recommendation from a friend? The answer is simple. Don’t look for quantity of followers but quality. Avoid influencers that measure their success (and structure their pricing) based on vanity metrics like impressions. Most importantly, seek opportunities to capture the influencing potential of the average person.

That is the idea behind PurPics...