Turn-Key Community Impact Software Programs Turn Me Off

What's the latest, newest tool on the market with bells, whistles and flashing screens stating promises to business owners that this tool will solve their problems and even save them time (sound familiar). Poof-away! All your headaches are gone. All over what? Oh:( the challenges of creating your business community involvement (giving back) program.

There has been a rise in the growing number of turn-key software programs to help business owners develop 'custom fit' community involvement programs with the click of a mouse. At the cost of not sounding too snarky, I hesitate to think there is any striking similarity between 'custom fit' and a 'click of a mouse.'

The business can pick from a drop-down list of charities, import data for giving options, communicate your giving to the software company's list of other businesses (which sharing the message is inspiring, the important aspect is to reach your audience), and a few other windows that, well quite frankly, are as boiler-plated as possible to of course make the entire process, e-a-s-y. What about the other 'e' word...Effective!

Surely, there is a cost benefit to turn-key solutions. But, community involvement programs are unique to a business and ideally aligned closely with its brand and values. Thus implying, if we believe this statement to be true, then the click of a mouse will not create for you the one thing that can be uniquely yours to make a difference. Impossible, as the array of options are not infinite.

I like ease and making things a simple as possible as much as anyone else. But, there are a few pieces to the process that are missing. A few of them: creativity, participation, and authenticity. Perhaps its my passion here surfacing, but I believe impact and business identity are too closely linked to assume it can be done with a click of a mouse.

Cause-Related Marketing: Does the Shoe Fit?

I have long not been a proponent of cause-related marketing (CRM) efforts. Part of this is because I believe philanthropy in it's purest form has nothing to do with CRM efforts, and I've held the assumption that CRM is more about branding, marketing, driving sales and has a shelf life so as long as the product or service is popular.

However, I've seen some CRM programs work and work well. So, the question is why are some successful and others not? What do businesses need to know to plan a successful CRM program and what should nonprofits look for when their cause is sought for a CRM partnership?

In a recent blog post, Brutal Truths About Cause Marketing, by Geoff Livingston, he beautifully lays out the good, the bad, the ugly about CRM and the following comments by readers are brilliantly stated. This article is a MUST read for any nonprofit or business owner who is currently engaged in a cause marketing partnership or is thinking about planning and implementing one. I added my comments to Geoff's blog post:

"It’s been unfortunate that the WIIFM (What’s in it for me)companies causes a blanket affect for businesses that are authentic in their cause related effort. I couldn’t agree more with Geoff’s article and the significant comments posted. Hence, as someone who works with businesses to create their ‘giving back’ programs here is what I have learned from my experience:

1). There are few enlightened companies that operate and make decisions based on their values;

2). Values-based planning is essential to any giving/cause related/community involvement program which most companies don’t do with respect to developing their giving;

3). Giving is NOT a priority for business and managed as an aside project or rather ‘good deed’ vs. an integral part of their business culture;

4). Most have no idea how to begin selecting a cause of choice and generally ‘the most popular’ is often picked even though it is not in alignment with their business values and goals;

5). Most don’t have a clue how to determine this alignment;

6). Most create their business’s message of doing good from the platform “Look at the $$ we gave,” Look at the # of volunteer hrs we gave,” “Look at all the good we are doing.” When in fact the message should be about the cause and their commitment to solving a social issue;

7). Nonprofits are not as informed as they could be when it comes to cause related partnerships because their fund raising has been developed through inidivual donors, grants, and corporate sponsorships.

Personally, I chose not to work with companies who are WIIFM-ers and you can spot them a mile away. Those projects go sour and south, ultimately fail and are viewed as too opportunistic. The operative words in any partnership are "alignment and commitment to a social issue."