The Business of Giving

Speaker 1 0:00
You're listening to locally produced programming created in KU NV studios on public radio K, u and v 91.5. You're listening to special programming sponsored by the cars marketing Chamber of Commerce. The content of this program does not reflect the views or opinions of 91.5 Jazz and more the University of Nevada Las Vegas, or the Board of Regents, the Nevada System of Higher Education.

Unknown Speaker 0:37
People live in lightning God,

Speaker 1 0:40
the whole world addicted to the drama only attracted. Hello, everyone. And welcome to the business of giving podcast. My name is Guy Dawson and I am the Executive Director of the cause marketing Chamber of Commerce. And we are an organization that brings businesses and organizations together to create synergistic relationships that benefit the community. And the business of giving. podcast is designed to accentuate the positives of both of the sectors that are absolute pillars of our community, the for profit sector, as well as the nonprofit sector. And we greatly appreciate the opportunity to share with you what cause marketing is all about why it's so important, both economically and for the betterment of society. And again, we greatly are enjoying our opportunity to share these principles with you at 91.5. The UNLV radio station, by the way, the cause marketing Chamber of Commerce is a is an organization that wants you and if you want more information about services that we provide, we can be reached at cause marketing chamber.com There are lots of opportunities for you to learn even more that you're learning, then you're learning through these podcasts that we hook host on a weekly basis. by visiting our website, there's a bevy of information, so much information on that website that will teach you about these principles and how you can incorporate them into your business practices. Or if you're a nonprofit organization, how you can be more successful in that area. So for more information, we can be reached at cause marketing chamber.com Maria Perez is here she is a cause marketing consultant, and my co host this with the most is how are you Maria?

Unknown Speaker 2:31
Okay, great. Thanks for having me today.

Unknown Speaker 2:34
How are things in the cars world?

Speaker 2 2:38
They're fantastic. I mean, it is super rewarding to align partners for good and, and connect companies with causes or social issues and, you know, then deploy meaningful campaigns. Everybody wins when that happens. That's what it's all about. Yes,

Speaker 1 2:54
I know that this is your life's work. And this is something that you are extremely passionate about. And it one thing that I've been recognizing a lot lately, Maria, is that this whole cost concept. And maybe it's because I'm also engaged in the work like you are all the time. But it just seems that that giving back to the community and the the synergistic relationship that I was talking about in that introduction, it seems like that's becoming more prominent. It seems like I see more news stories about this type of thing is that something that you have noticed i It seems like even after the pandemic, that there's been a lot more focus on on this connection between business that give back and just making the world a better place. By accentuating the causes,

Speaker 2 3:42
you know, a transformational cause marketing strategy can do amazing things for your cause, or a corporate brands. And it used to be the case that I'm sure you've heard the term, the halo effect. That's not enough anymore. It's not enough to align and have an associative you know, just work off the associated value of aligning with the cause it's not enough anymore. You have to walk the walk and talk the talk. It's super important because if you aren't genuine and the consumer doesn't feel that you're genuine, they're not gonna buy your stuff. They're gonna buy some you're gonna buy your competitor stuff. I

Speaker 1 4:19
always appreciate it when you talk about that to Maria, because working very closely with many nonprofit organizations as a part of the Chamber of Commerce, I find that that and we've discussed this on the radio before. A person creates a nonprofit organization because they've got a huge heart and there's something that they want to contribute to the community. Their motives are completely excellent in what they want to accomplish. But that little distinction that you're talking about. The halo effect has its place but boy there as far as walking the walk and talking the talk that's just becoming more and more prominent, and it can sometimes be the difference between success and failure. Have you also found that with nonprofits being able to connect with businesses to create that type of synergy?

Speaker 2 5:10
Well, you know, it's now it's equally weighted on both sides of the aisle. And, you know, if you're a good, nonprofit, good corporate citizen, you need to be able to support your, your sponsors or patrons, with genuine social impact, and you need to be able to demonstrate that otherwise, your mission isn't is no longer enough. So I think what you're asking me is, do I see it being amplified on both sides of the aisle, you bet. Now the nonprofit has to step up as well as the as the support,

Speaker 1 5:45
for sure. And the information that we provide on this show is meant to do just that really dig deeper. And again, the halo effect is, is the beginning. I mean, that is what people associate with causes is this big hearted mission that someone creates, however, as, as Maria has talked about, it has really evolved into something a lot. Broader, a lot deeper, and

Speaker 2 6:12
I think we're gonna, we're gonna talk today a little bit about cost products. And I think that would be will serve as a really good example for our audience and our listeners today, to really get their head around. Why this can be a win win, and why it's so important.

Speaker 1 6:30
Yeah, cause products, there might be a lot of people out there, Maria, that don't even know what that represents. Could you give an explanation of what a cause product? Yeah,

Speaker 2 6:38
absolutely. So cause product is something that is made specifically by a company to benefit a cause. That's one way to think about it. Another way to think about a very close relative to cars product is purchase triggered donations. And then a third, even other version is buy one, get one. So if you think about it, you go in and you get a Slurpee and have a cup. And it's a, it's a collectible cup, and it has a pro social message on it. So what happens, the person that buys it feels good, because they've contributed to a cause. The retailer feels good because they made a sale, the person gets to take home a collectible, and it's just every way you look at it, it's a win win. A purchase trigger donation is, is when somebody when a company decides that for a period of time, they're going to give a percentage of the proceeds. So again, it's the same kind of thing, come down, get a slice of pizza, for the month of July, you know, 20% of the proceeds will go to make a wish foundation and then buy one give one is one of my favorite cause marketing approaches. I buy something that I want, and somebody that needs that needs one of these things. They can't afford one, they get one. So as you can see, it's for the business. For the beneficiary, the nonprofit, it's everybody wins. Everybody wins.

Speaker 1 8:12
Right? Yeah, that's completely in alignment with this whole concept of the the Win Win Win, Maria, and what an effective business tool. Right. I know that you you do some pretty deep dish analysis of all of this, and what is some of your your studies of the effectiveness from the from the business perspective in in creating these types of give back campaigns specifically with products?

Speaker 2 8:38
Well, you know, again, it's a revenue, it generates revenue, it generates revenue for all partners, and, and beneficiaries. So I wanted to kind of clear nonprofits have a mission, but they also serve an audience which can which might be different from their supporters, right? So what ends up happening is you've got the sponsor or the patron, the business, you have the nonprofit with their mission, and then they have the people that they're supposed to people they're supposed to take care of that they serve. And what these programs and initiatives are able to accomplish is provide underwriting and funding and resource for everybody in the picture. So, you know, again, if, if, if you craft these programs and initiatives properly, there's no downside. The business makes money, the nonprofit makes money and the people that they serve, get served.

Speaker 1 9:34
It's also great publicity, Maria, that's what I have found. I know there is a particular fast food restaurant I won't say the name of it. Why I can't say the name of it, right because they're doing something that I can greatly appreciate. It's Panda Express. So you know how you go through the line at Panda Express and after you've purchased a product, they asked you if you'd like to round up your bill and donate to a nonprofit organization, and they have a specific nonprofit, I think that that is just a great opportunity not only financially, but great publicity for that nonprofit organization. Because now you're thinking about it, the fact that you donated it to it. Just I think it's a, as you had mentioned before, what a win win. That's

Speaker 2 10:21
called, yeah, that's called a roundup campaign. And again, you know, it's, it's kind of like, everybody wins against the person that's buying the food feels good, because they've contributed, the retailer feels good because they made a sale and they've contributed, and you're right, the earned media value is is huge, because it's not disingenuous, it's real. And the consumer, if you're doing a consumer for facing promotion, and have a cause, or a social issue that you're supporting, it has to be real. People see right through fake, you know, they talk about, there's a term I can't think of it off the top of my head when when people pretend to be supporting a good cause. And they get caught. I think it's called greenwashing, something like that. So you can't do that anymore.

Speaker 1 11:16
You can't do that anymore. It's very damaging to your business. I know we have a very prominent performer here in town, with a show on the Las Vegas strip for many years, who had some trouble with claiming to be giving money to a certain nonprofit organization. And then in reality, when it was found out that proceeds, I guess it was some of the merch that this particular performer was selling. After their shows, proceeds were supposed to go to the nonprofit organization, the nonprofit organization reported the fact that they weren't receiving what was agreed upon from this performer. And it just wrecked his performers entire career, it doesn't take long to completely damage your reputation in that way. So you can see how well it can work and how it can really work against you. Right, Maria?

Speaker 2 12:08
Well, it would be it would be if as though a company was bragging that they were helping reduce plastic pollution in the ocean, and then all of their products were housed in plastic, right, they would be caught with their pants down. Yeah, that's, that's what we're talking about. Hear that, it's so, so important for it to be real and genuine, and have an impact. And, you know, that was social media. And that, you know, I'm older generation, we didn't have all that stuff, it's really easy to get caught not being transparent, and to be criticized publicly. So

Speaker 1 12:47
right, that same social media that allows you to be able to get your brand out there, get your company out there that makes you popular, again, it can really be very damaging in reverse when you're exposed for doing something that isn't in alignment with what you said you were going to do.

Speaker 2 13:06
But you know, I want to encourage folks that are interested either from a business perspective or a nonprofit that are looking to create activations that are compelling, and they're going to attract partners. You know, a cost product or one of these initiatives at the point of sale or point of purchase, are because they are a win win, and they generate revenue for all concern, you really should consider integrating that into your either you're giving or you're receiving if you're the nonprofit, because, again, it's the very holistic approach. And it serves the business and it serves the mission.

Speaker 1 13:50
As a cause marketing consultant, Maria, how do you get started with someone when they approach you and they say, I would like to implement a cause marketing campaign. So as you had mentioned, there are so many different strategies that a business could use, or a nonprofit could use to partner with a for profit business, what is the starting point? How do you craft a campaign for them or help them craft one?

Speaker 2 14:17
Well, it sort of depends. Well, first of all, I always have to tell folks this there are three different flavors of sponsor Partnership, which typically underwrite one of these campaigns. One is philanthropy or patronage, where both parties say thank you to one another for the support. There's corporate partnering, which is where perhaps someone's doing a walk or a run and they need 15,000 bottles of water and they create this transaction where the water is donated. So there's a win win there, but that's a partnership. That's it transactional, and then there's a sponsorship piece, and that requires that you deliver on audience and value. And so what I tried to do is to find out what what is the business trying to achieve? What is the goal outcome? So that's what we would do on the business side. And then we craft a cause or social marketing, social impact campaign around those objectives. And if it's the nonprofit is, what are they trying, you know, what are they trying to achieve? Are they trying to attract sponsors and partners? And what is it that they can offer in terms of their database, their resources, their mission, that would that would support that. And it's, you know, unfortunately, people don't like to hear this. But it's really a sales discipline. Because at the end of the day, you can't serve more people if you don't have money. And so I really take business defying approach my fate, one of my words that I've made up to help my nonprofits see that that's very important to do.

Speaker 1 15:56
And this is the value that working with a consultant I think, for businesses out there actually reaching out to someone like Maria for guidance as you create something like this, because of the specialty right Maria many years of study, you are on the cutting edge of the information in the cause marketing world, as compared to again, a lot of big hearted people in their minds might be able to come up with a campaign not to say that it wouldn't be successful, but having someone that actually crafts a campaign for you points things out, like we do on this radio show that could be beneficial. I just can can see the value of that why a business would want to work with you rather than just striking out on their own and trying to figure it out. That's consultants are valuable in that way.

Speaker 2 16:44
Well, they call me cause coach Maria. And and I, you know, I did done with you or done for you services. But a lot of folks want done with you services, as you mentioned, they do want to know how to do it. And they need someone to tell them how to do it, or the way that they they go down the hole and they don't get very far. And that is, you know, that's not prudent. Yeah, you

Speaker 1 17:07
are listening to the business of giving podcast here at 91.5k u and v f m, I want to make an announcement quickly about an event that the cause marketing Chamber of Commerce is going to be hosting on September the 14th. From 4pm to 8pm. Et the space, it is called businesses with heart. And this is an event that we have hosted since 2015. This is going to be our 10th edition of businesses with heart it is we call it our revival at the cause marketing Chamber of Commerce because we bring together businesses and nonprofit organizations in the community of just for an outstanding and of event. There are vendor booths, there are great educational talks like you've been getting from Maria here related to cause marketing, business, and community engagement, lots of food fun, we're going to have an award ceremony at this particular event that we're going to be hosting, we're going to be electing a cause marketing philanthropist of the year cause Marketing Business of the Year and cause marketing nonprofit organization of the year. It's just I think at an event, if you're interested in causes, you're definitely going to want to participate in this event. For more information, we can be reached at cause marketing chamber.com/events That's where you can go to get more information about this particular event that is going to be hosted at the space on September the 14th. From 4pm to 8pm. The spaces a nother great venue that is extremely supportive of nonprofit organizations and for profit businesses. And it's the first time that we've done anything there. We're really looking forward to the next edition, the 10th edition of businesses with heart at the space on September the 14th. For more information we can be reached at cause marketing chamber.com. And I'm still speaking with Maria Perez, the ultimate cause marketing consultant. And we've been talking about products and a lot of other things related to cause marketing and being able to implement these the strategies that she and I we discussed this every week. Maria I mean, what a the I think it's a borderless concept. It's an endless concept, right? The banking on the creativity of of people like you and those of us who want to push this concept further in terms of what we can do and how we can help businesses and nonprofits to be more successful. Is this the kind of thing that you sit around thinking about, right?

Speaker 2 19:48
Yeah, I mean, you know, asking somebody for a donation and going back to the well over and over again. You know, is is you don't need to do that anymore. wouldn't wouldn't it be better if that of begging for pennies to go to a partner and say, let's work together? Let's create something that's a win win? Let's let's strategize how can we initiate trial for, you know, a new product? Or rolling out? Or how can we get folks in the door to eat more pizza and drink more Coca Cola or Pepsi or beer or whatever the case may be, by by creating something that serves everybody. And so you know, that's what I encourage people to strategize. To do versus, please just give me money, I do good work. So give me money. That doesn't work anymore. It does to a point. But why not help your partners?

Speaker 1 20:48
Right, it's a bit what I do, we hear a lot about paradigm shifts in different things in personal development in our society nowadays, Maria, and where you talk about the halo effect, it's just been so so prominent and powerful in the philanthropic world for so many years. But this this paradigm shift that we are experiencing, which is, you know, we got to show improve now. And part of our work at the Chamber of Commerce is really educating the nonprofit organizations on how to become better partners with these for profit businesses that they could potentially start doing things together with, and I know you also do a lot of things on the nonprofit side, educationally, how do you prepare them for this The Shifting Paradigms, which is what you've been talking about,

Speaker 2 21:41
well, you know, performance, you have to deliver on promise, right? Whether you're a nonprofit or not, I mean, in the commercial world of sponsorship, for example, Budweiser now, teams have to perform, or they don't get their money. And that that's what's happening, that's something similar is happening in the nonprofit world. You know, if you represent that you're going to deliver, you know, 200 lawyers in a room to your sponsor, and you don't do it, you technically owe the money. So I work with my nonprofits, to monetize their assets, but they they have to, they have to be confident that they know what they can deliver on. And they need to work towards that, you know, their databases are valuable, their assets are valuable, but they have to understand what they are, and how to use them judiciously.

Speaker 1 22:36
And that's why organizations such as the cause marketing Chamber of Commerce, and your consultancy business, Maria are so valuable, right. It's about providing that education. I mean, when I sit down and speak with a lot of owners of nonprofit or not actual you can't actually own a nonprofit organization, but leaders of nonprofit organizations, and I start to share some of the things like you and I are talking about ways that they can position themselves to be able to provide more value to the community, just with the way that they approach particular partnerships. I mean, that is so important. And again, that's why organizations like ours, set you up to win both on the for profit side, as well as the nonprofit side.

Speaker 2 23:23
Like super important, you know, no one wants to invest in a nonprofit that's going to, it's going to go away, right? And, and a nonprofit wants, if a nonprofit wants to grow, they have to serve more people, and that takes money. So it's, it's really going beyond being a development director going beyond accepting donations, and really creating a sponsorship, our sales arm. Because that's going to give you sticking power and laugh and keep you around and help you serve more people.

Speaker 1 23:58
And really, when I was thinking about the concept of the business of giving Maria, one of the things that I really wanted to be mindful of, as we put on these shows, every week, we have great guests on me and I went last week, I really, really was impressed with multipeer. I mean, what a great philosophy that company has in relation to the cost side and the for profit side and really keeping their brand very, out there very present as a result of the good that they're giving to the community but the abundance that is available, and I think what you talk about Maria, with this business focus, the abundance that can be created through these partnerships with nonprofits and for profit organizations. That's another thing that we like to talk about a lot at the Chamber of Commerce is that there's plenty of opportunity to do good, as we say, through these partnerships and, and just working on that abundance. thinking, I think there's so many misconceptions that people have in the community, and that this microphone gives me an opportunity to talk about it is nonprofit organizations do not have to be poor. You don't have to be poor to be a nonprofit.

Speaker 2 25:15
And they tend to have a scarcity mindset. And I worked so hard with my nonprofit partners to move them away from that scarcity mindset, and move them away from chasing pennies and begging. It's how you're right. It's about abundance. It's about moving away from that scarcity mentality, and identify what it is that you do that's valuable. And you know, it's not necessarily going to be a sponsorship situation, it might be a transactional situation. But the point is, there are choices. And there are options. And so, yeah, that's, it's empowering nonprofits and businesses, to embrace cause marketing, it's a, it's a win win, great way to go. But you just need some guidance.

Speaker 1 25:59
And we have so many great examples, just in this community, Maria, of nonprofit organizations that are providing a tremendous amount of value, but they're off. They're also operating from a space of abundance. And I tend to think about opportunity village as being one of those nonprofits. I know there are others that are offering that type of value as well. But I just love what opportunity village is doing in the community. And I know that they are helping a lot of people through the services that they provide, providing careers for people with disabilities, but at the same time, they've got a lot of support. And they are definitely striving for abundance, that magical forest. I mean, that's an ingenious concept. I've been I mean, I was taking my son there 20 years ago, and it's still going what a great way to provide great value. Right? And then as a result of that value to be compensated, like you talked about before, that is an excellent example of a cause marketing product that works.

Speaker 2 27:08
Yeah, for sure. There are lots of great examples. You know, I recently worked with miracle flights who I worked with him for five and a half years. And they have a cause product. They fly children for specialized medical care, and it's their mascot bear. And fortunately, a local company, a company that's headquartered here, that's owned by WH Smith provides these bears, and a percentage of the proceeds goes to miracle flights, and they've gotten over $160,000 With that partnership, and again, it's a win win. Everybody looks good, everybody is served. So cause products are fantastic. And you know, if anybody wants to discuss, cause marketing strategy with me, I'd be happy to do that. They call me cause coach Maria and you can always reach me at Maria at cause marketing consultant.com And if you you know if you if you want to take your business to the next level with a cause partner in in this community, we'll see what what we can strategize together.

Speaker 1 28:16
It's always a pleasure to co host of the business of giving podcast with you, Maria, I look forward to getting together with you next week, we have an interesting guest that's going to be stopping by I'm really excited about that.

Speaker 2 28:28
Yep, it's gonna be fantastic. I'm not gonna spill the beans. People are surprised. But this this service business here in town does an amazing amount of work and some of the case studies and stories that will present next week will will really be eye opening for

Speaker 1 28:45
sure. We're looking forward to our next presentation of the business of giving podcast. For more information about the cause marketing chamber, you can go to our social media sites, our Facebook page, LinkedIn page and we also have a YouTube channel and so we're looking forward to getting together with you all again soon. And I always want to remind you to give and do business for good. See you next week.

Speaker 3 29:30
The weight of the world on my shoulder. As I'm getting older your people get older. Most of us only care about money.

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