Usually marketing trends do very little to inspire hope in humanity, but the macro-trend of cause marketing is one that is really making a difference. American Express has been particularly brilliant at linking philanthropic causes with their credit cards (like the Red card). But now they have taken charitable giving online. A new project called The Members Project allows users to chose from a gallery of wonderful nonprofit charities in 5 categories -- Arts & Culture, Community Development, Education, Environment & Wildlife, and Health. The top 25 most nominated charities will receive several million dollars in much-needed funding.
You only have 6 more days to vote on your favorite! So do it today by going to the Members Project website. There are a lot of great causes to chose from but my favorite is ARC - the African Rainforest Conservancy. They have been working for decades to preserve the most bio-diverse region on Earth by supporting local villagers in creating sustainable businesses that protect the precious rainforest while providing a means for new economic growth. They are underfunded and have a lot of work to do so I encourage you to nominate them here.
You can visit the ARC website to learn more.
Key Themes Behind This Trend
- Cause Marketing
- Disruptive innovation opportunity: Developing innovative ways for businesses to link their products or services with philanthropic causes.
- Online Charitable Giving
- Disruptive innovation opportunity: Creating platforms that allow users to easily donate to nonprofit charities in various categories online.
- Community Development
- Disruptive innovation opportunity: Finding new ways to support local communities in creating sustainable businesses that have a positive impact on the environment and the economy.
Where This Applies
- Credit Card Industry
- Disruptive innovation opportunity: Collaborating with nonprofit organizations to offer credit cards that automatically donate a portion of each transaction to charity.
- Technology Industry
- Disruptive innovation opportunity: Building user-friendly online platforms and apps that streamline the process of donating to and supporting nonprofit charities.
- Environmental Conservation Industry
- Disruptive innovation opportunity: Developing innovative funding models and scalable solutions to preserve and protect the environment while benefiting local communities.
