by Karen on September 2, 2010
The inaugural GROW Philanthropy Summit held July 29 at Lindenwood University was a tremendous success! A sell-out crowd of 145 people from business and non-profit sectors both large and small were in attendance.
The day kicked off with an inspirational address given by Rev. Jerry Paul from the Deaconess Foundation. He encouraged partnerships amongst the sectors and shared valuable information with both insight and humor.
Shanna Schiavon from More Marketing addressed the entire crowd about the research and data behind how Cause Marketing is Good Business. Art of Film Studio produced a video highlighting local partnerships between non-profits and businesses. It was a great showcase of what a successful, mutually-beneficial partnership looks like.
Morning and afternoon breakout sessions were held that included the following:
- How to Create Meaningful Corporate / Nonprofit Partnerships – for Nonprofits and Businesses, presented by Jennifer Maher, President, The Cause Academy and Shanna Schiavon, President, More Marketing
- Partnering with the Community to Grow New Revenue Streams, presented by Chris Miller, CEO at the Mission Center, L3C Youthbridge and Professional Associates
- Understanding Social Media, presented by Kate Kromann, E-Communications Director at United Way of Greater St. Louis
- Understanding the Media, moderated by Lauren Kolbe, Kolbe Co. with Debbie Monterrey, KMOX; Virginia Kerr, KMOV; Jeremy Nulik, St. Louis Small Business Monthly; Shane Anthony, St. Louis Post-Dispatch; Tom Hannegan, Streetscape Magazine
- Creating Beneficial Workplace Volunteer Programs, presented by Melinda McAliney, Lutheran Foundation and Randy Weller, Citi Community Development
The day ended with a Best Practices in Philanthropy panel with key funders, business leaders and philanthropists. This panel consisted of the following expert participants, mediated by Victoria Schmitt Babb of Paradigm Shift Studio:
- Grace Harmon – Co-Chair of Harmon Family Foundation
- Melinda McAliney, Program Officer/Communications Director, Lutheran Foundation
- Billy Collier, President and CEO, United Services for the Handicapped
- Sandy Furuya, Warmhoff Accounting and Financial Services
- Kathy Reeves, Corporate Community Relations Manager, Enterprise Holdings
- Jim Bafaro, Senior Manager, Global Corporate Citizenship, Boeing
Our response from the audience was overwhelmingly positive. One participant wrote:
“It was not like any typical non-profit conference. The conversations and sharing between the two sectors were amazing. This Summit was long overdue for our community.”
Details are being worked on now by our Planning Committee for organizing our second Summit, which is scheduled for Thursday, July 28th, 2011 at Lindenwood University.
by Karen on August 26, 2010
Branding…it’s one of those buzz words these days that everyone is focused on. According to the American Marketing Association, a brand is a “name, term, sign, symbol or design, or a combination of them, intended to identify the goods and services of one seller or group of sellers and to differentiate them from those of other sellers”.
Larry Checco, who has written a book entitled, Branding for Success: A Roadmap for Raising the Visibility and Value of Your Nonprofit Organization, shares that organizations can create visibility by using branding effectively and knowing the message they want their brand to convey. It’s important to remember that your highest goal is to be of service, but in order to do that with more than just a modicum of impact, you have to serve notice or remind people that you are around! Because not-for-profits don’t always have huge marketing budgets, using promotional items can provide an economical way to raise awareness and keep your organization in front of donors and volunteers.
For the purpose of this blog post, we’re going to assume you do have a brand, inclusive of a logo, tagline, mission statement, etc. What we want to do is give you, perhaps, some new ideas and resources for the items mentioned or, if nothing else, motivate you to revisit how you’re currently creating that visibility that Checco speaks of. Maybe you’ll be spurred to try something different than what is in your bag of tricks right now.
In the arsenal of promotional items, there are always the tried and true:
- Magnets
- Pens and Pencils
- Note pads and note cards
- Paperclip holders
Although not extremely creative, they are pretty useful and do tend to hang around for a very long time.
Then there are items that aren’t quite as common, but still seen routinely sporting logos:
A very popular giveaway right now is wristbands. They’re fun and appeal to all ages and men and women alike.
Another very fun item, especially if your not-for-profit involves children, is the peel and stick tattoos. I must admit I even wore one to a Cardinals game this season!
Stress toys are rather fun, also. One of my favorites I saw advertised is the “Mood Dude” who comes in Happy, Anxious or Shocked. Perhaps you can find one in the shape of items that have to do with your NFP’s cause.
If you’re looking for specialty items that are a little higher cost to promote to special donors or for special occasions and recognition, there are many on the market that are very useful and long lasting, sure to keep your not-for-profit’s name out there for all the world to see for quite a long time. These include:
- Promotional umbrellas – one of the most practical and functional promotional items that can be given
- Cell Phone Cases
- Blankets (fleece) – These are terrific for concerts and picnics, especially when they have handles for carrying! If an NFP offers one as a thank you for a donation, I’m all over it!
- Reuseable grocery/tote bags – Not only are you promoting your not-for-profit, but you’re helping the environment at the same time!
- Laptop covers/carriers – These are for a serious promotional campaign, not large-volume giveaways, or as a thank you to your more serious contributors.
One of the most interesting promotional tools I found is one called “Mix It Up With“. It’s an app for iPhones that includes your not-for-profit logo when downloaded, and the fees for the app are donated to the not-for-profit organization. The app enables you to incorporate photos with backgrounds associated with your cause or just for fun! You can read all about it at the site.
Hopefully, a couple of these ideas will strike a spark or you may find something else of interest as you browse the sites when you follow the links I’ve included. If you are using a promotional item that is fun and effective, why don’t you send a comment and share it with us!
