Have you ever heard of the Rule of 5? Last month, in the Wall Street Journal, columnist Andy Kessler asserted that five is the exact number of meetings you need to close any deal. I think this is right (or pretty close) when it comes to closing corporate partnership pacts.

The article was short - and the WSJ has a serious paywall - so here's a summary.

1. First Meeting: Sniff Test. This is the meeting where you get to know one another. Two important points here. First, don't sell. Second, find some point of identification. After all, people eventually buy from people they know, like and trust.

2. Second Meeting: Story Time. Tell stories about your organization, partnership program and what you're up to. Build attention and interest. People love stories so tell them a good one - just make sure it's true!

3. Third Meeting: Prove It. For this meeting…

Ever since the team from Allison + Partners came on CauseTalk Radio to talk about how influencers can power cause marketing, I've become convinced my three-legged stool for cause marketing success, which previously included legs for sales, research and content marketing, needs a fourth for influencers.

More evidence: Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers and State Farm's efforts to raise money for wildfire victims in California. Read the whole story over at Upworthy.

While Rodgers is a special influencer because he's a sports star, the benefits of working with influencers is not limited to celebrities. When we cultivate influencers of all sizes (e.g. micro-influencers) we can reap the same benefits - albeit at a smaller scale, including dollars raised. Take this example involving Best Friends Animal Society and Instagram doggy influencer Walter Cronkite (@thedailywalter).

Here are just a few of the perks…

f the stock market is any indicator, this bull market won't last forever. Now is the time to prepare for the next downturn. If I managed a corporate partnership team, here's what I would be doing.

1. Focusing on larger accounts. Review all of your prospective partnerships and figure out which ones are sucking up all your energy for too little potential gain. Put your time, energy and resources into prospects that offer a big return. When the downturn comes, you'll be focused on the best and most lucrative prospects.

2. Creating a "self-service" area for smaller accounts. Create a page on your web site that outlines a few simple fundraisers any small business can execute (e.g. donation box, donate profits day, matching gifts). When small businesses write or call offering to help, direct them to this page. Make sure to include case studies of successful partnerships!

First, have a wonderful, relaxing and delicious Thanksgiving!

Second, over the long weekend be sure to to check out a great new podcast, Purpose 360. It's hosted by two social purpose supahstahs!: Carol "The Mother of Social Purpose" Cone and Matchfire CEO Chris Noble!

In the debut episode, Carol and Chris talk about one of the most disruptive social purpose campaigns: REI’s #OptOutside, which has inspired more than 15 million people to go outside on Black Friday. Guest Alex Thompson, VP of Brand Stewardship & Impact at REI, shares the ideas and impact behind #OptOutside and the brand’s ongoing purpose-driven initiatives.​

This podcast is sure to be GOOD!

A few housekeeping items today:

1. "I thought we were friends?" [For those who receive email newsletter] Does the salutation at the top say "Hi, Cause Marketer." I'd rather address you by your first name! Scroll to the very bottom and click on "Update Your Profile" and add your first name and email and that will update my database.

2. "That damn welcome mat!" When you visit Selfishgiving.com a welcome mat drops down asking you to sign up for my newsletter. But that can be irritating when you already receive my newsletter! I get it! Do this: next time you see that welcome mat, type in your email address again (no, you won't get my newsletter twice) and it should go away!

3. "Yeah, but I do get your newsletter twice!" I send my newsletter out on Wednesday mornings and again on Friday - but just to those subscribers that didn't open it on Wednesday. Still, some of you, even after opening Wednesday's issue, will get my newsletter again on Friday. I'm sorry! Two things….

Let me introduce you to James Citron. He's the CEO of Pledgeling. James is a friend and his company is doing a lot of GOOD. You should definitely check them out!

However, James is not good at is picking winning sports teams. 🧐During the World Series after James' Los Angeles Dodgers 🧢won their first - and only - game of the series, he contacted me about a wager. If his team won, I would have to wear a Dodgers hat. If the Red Sox won...well...you know where this is going, right? And you know who won the World Series in a rout!

Doesn't James looks great in a Red Sox ⚾️?

It's Halloween 🎃so let's have some fun! The question I get every October (Ok, not really, but let's pretend) is "Joe, I love cause marketing so much. What's the perfect costume for a cause marketer?"

Good question! I recommend five costumes:

1. Pick up a devil/angel costume and you can go as the Selfish Giving logo! Watch as your neighbors' mouths drop as they say, "Hey, you're Selfish Giving!"

2. A Product RED Apple iPhone costume is perfect for lovers of purchase-triggered donations!

3. To commemorate a defining moment in the history of cause marketing dress up as the Statue of Liberty….

I got a great question from a reader last week...

Q. Given the current political environment, it's clear that Americans are interested in supporting brands that have deep engagement with a relevant social issue. I'm curious how you see nonprofits fitting into this conversation. Beyond being a partner for these brands, how should nonprofit organizations engage in discussions around current events through their own communications (and is it appropriate for them to do so)? Do you have thoughts on this? Are people looking to nonprofits for this kind of guidance? Or is this territory we should avoid?​

A. I think there are two things to discuss here. First, you ask if nonprofits should be getting involved in controversial issues. Judging from what you mentioned about your board, it sounds like your organization isn't up for that, which is fine! Most nonprofits shouldn't wade in on this, unless your really want/have to. I make my case for "poking the bear" here...

I think we can all agree that it's been one heck of a year! Massive hurricanes, the #MeToo movement, celebrity suicides, school shootings. Crazy, right? 🤪

But as a cause marketer, here are the three questions I want answered.

1. Have the last 12 months really changed our perspective on what social causes matter the most?

2. On what issues is corporate America being asked to get involved?

3. Perhaps even more importantly, why should corporations and nonprofit organizations care?

Catalist’s new Issue Revolution Study profiles the top social causes that resonate with Americans today, the conversations around these issues, who is having them, and how we all want deeper engagement with the cause and the knowledge of the impact we help to catalyze.

Catalist’s new Issue Revolution Study profiles the top social causes that resonate with Americans today, the conversations around these issues, who is having them, and how we all want deeper engagement with the cause and the knowledge of the impact we help to catalyze.  

In the report’s foreword, written by the legendary Carol Cone, she says: “Today, companies are expected to embrace a purpose beyond profits, as they move from marketing at consumers to mattering to people.  In this report, you will find that demographic, psychographic, and geographic factors can have a significant impact on whether or not a cause resonates with a specific audience.”

For Momentum, a leading social impact agency that specializes in win-win corporate partnerships, is aiming to supercharge corporate partnerships with (1) a new #GivingTuesday guide on partner activations and (2) a planner to help map out your next successful partnership.

The guide includes:

• Useful research to share with corporate partners on why they should participate in #GivingTuesday.

• An example of a partnership that even impressed the pros at For Momentum.

• Tips to maximize the #GivingTuesday opportunity to leverage and deepen engagement with employees and consumers in an authentic, brand-centric way.

Finally, be sure to review For Momentum’s last strategy in the e-book, which encourages you to use November 27th as a springboard into a longer campaign that will extend fundraising through the lucrative holiday season.

For all of #GivingTuesday’s success, it’s lagged in one key area: corporate partnerships. Nonprofits have used #GivingTuesday to leverage and deepen their relationships with individuals. This is no small feat, but now nonprofits need to do the same with companies, as adding cause marketing campaigns will unlock even more individual gifts.

One reason nonprofits haven’t tackled corporate partnerships for #GivingTuesday is that no one has showed them how to do it!

For Momentum, a leading social impact agency that specializes in win-win corporate partnerships, is aiming to change that with a new #GivingTuesday guide on partner activations and a planner to help map out your next successful partnership.

The guide includes…

Thanks for all the birthday wishes last week! 🎉🎊🎁🎂

1. For those of you who requested a book. It's in your inbox. Don't see it? Check your spam folder as the book is largish file. Still can't find it, hit reply to this email and let me know!

2. For those of you who requested 20 minutes of my time, I sent you an email with a week during which you can schedule an appointment. Please try to stick to that week. I had a ton of requests for appointments and had to stagger them throughout October.

3. For those of you who were fast enough to grab a t-shirt. I'm working on those now. Watch for a package from me and be sure to send me a pic of you wearing the shirt!

Thanks for making my birthday - and every Wednesday - a special day!

Tomorrow's my birthday!

Truthfully, I don't like getting gifts on my birthday. What can you give the guy who has everything, including loyal email subscribers? In true Selfish Giving style, I'd rather GIVE presents to others on my birthday - and maybe get a few karma points in return!🤞

Are you ready? Here's what you get to choose from. HIT REPLY to this email and pick a FIRST and SECOND choice…

Surprise, surprise. Companies are cheap. Many only give one percent of their pretax profits back to charity. Compare that to individuals who give between double and triple the amount that company's give.

Of the $410 billion donated to nonprofits last year, companies only contributed five percent to that total. Womp womp.

That's why every nonprofit should be targeting a company's employees and customers - and not limiting themselves to the company's checkbook. Let the company be a conduit to individual giving - the biggest slice of the charity pie.

GameStop is uniting the gaming community TODAY to raise $100,000 to support Make-A-Wish Foundation and Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals. And I'll be watching it all on Twitter where they are having an all-day Twitter-a-thon.

Cool, I thought! "But will the tweet-storm raise any money," I asked a GameStop rep. We'll see. With over one million Twitter followers surely they can raise some money! I'll be watching. Want to join me?

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]

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 live webinar on September 19th at 2:30pm EDT on The Power of Strategic Storytelling. You can sign up here.