November 26, 2021-Yesterday we talked about publicity vs. advertising and the importance of publicity for building your brand. Today, we’re going to expand on that, but in a different way, with causes that are close to our hearts and that we believe in wholly. I’ll talk about our cause-related marketing efforts with things we support, believe in, and align with as a business.
Cause-related marketing (CRM) is a mutually beneficial collaboration between a corporation and a nonprofit designed to promote the former’s sales and the latter’s cause. Through CRM, businesses usually provide their partners with the following things. Here’s how you can get involved with CRM as an author:
- Financial support for their programs: You write them a cheque, send the cause a monthly donation to support their literacy initiative, or donate a portion of your book sales to their program. Also, this could be supporting a local sports team or performing arts in your community such as Timbits Hockey, Soccer, or Baseball, Gymnastics, Swimming, or Dance etc.
- Sponsorship of special events– Maybe your local library is putting on a reading buddy special event, and you’re the sponsor, or you sponsor a writing contest that they’re putting on. You provide them with the resources they need to make the special event happen.
- In-kind donation– This can include tangible or intangible contributions. For example, donating your time to read to kids at Sick Kids hospital, reading to seniors, or participating at your local ESL center to help adults learn English. In-kind donations can also include office equipment, marketing supplies, and your design time, etc. Essentially, in-kind donations help free up the nonprofit’s resources for allocation somewhere else.
They will put your company or name on sports jerseys, marketing materials, banners, website, social media etc. in return for your donation.
The key is that you need to BELIEVE IN and SUPPORT the organization that you’ve chosen in Cause-Related Marketing because if you’re using it as a marketing ploy, not only is that horrible, but dishonest, immoral, and unethical.
Here are some of the organizations that we currently support or have supported in the past:
- Triple-A Hamilton Huskies Hockey Team (Hamilton)
- Trees Canada (at the end of the year, we add up all the print books that we’ve sold, and we plant the same number of trees to offset the resources we use like paper) (Canada)
- Raising a Reader Massachusets (Boston, USA)
- Countless hours reading to kids in classrooms all over the city, virtual visits etc. (Hamilton and surrounding area)
- Hobbitstee Wildlife Refuge (Jarvis)
- Bear Creek Sanctuary (Barrie)
- Larch After School Program (Hamilton)
- Cat Adoption Center (Welland)
- Canon’s Cause (Caledonia)
- Toronto Cat Rescue (Toronto)
- Burlington Humane Society (Burlington)
- Alligator Wildlife and Discovery Center (Florida, USA)
- Tampa Bay Library (Florida, USA)
- New York City Coalition for Adult Literacy (NYC, USA)
- Binbrook Santa Clause Parade (Binbrook)
- Power Wheels Derby Sponsor (Caledonia)
- World Wildlife Fund (Global)
- Clearwater Marine Aquarium (Florida, USA)
- Hamilton Public Library (Hamilton)
- Air Cadets Canada
- Binbrook Fair (Binbrook)
I know I’ve forgotten some organizations we’ve sponsored on the list above, but you get the idea. We love sports, animals, and books! I believe in, and ONE MILLION PERCENT SUPPORT all of the organizations that we partner with.
As an author, you are responsible for promoting literacy in your community, your country, and the world because illiteracy is a global issue with massive implications for us all.