Cause-marketing Musts

Cause-related marketing is an excellent strategy for diversifying a nonprofit’s income stream through corporate partnership, and many nonprofits are beginning to focus their energies on securing this type of support. Cause-marketing partnerships help nonprofit organizations secure funding and generate awareness.

The first key to a successful cause-marketing partnership is that the goals of each partner be in harmony. Then, to maximize success, each must contribute to the planning and execution of the partnership. In other words, the corporate partner must do more than simply pay a fee. It must help communicate and activate the cause promotion or message with all the resources it can amass.

The nonprofit partner, in turn, must do more than accept the sponsorship funding. It must look to integrate the corporate partnership into its overall work plan and throughout its communications platform.

Finally, for the partnership to grow, the results of the cause promotion must be measured. Then, lessons learned can shape strategies and activities moving forward.

Mollye Rhea is president of Dunwoody, Ga.-based nonprofit marketing-strategy firm For Momentum. She can be reached via www.formomentum.com.