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For the last four years Center member CA, Inc. has sponsored CA Together in Action (CTA), a month-long program to support non-profit organizations around the world. Launched in 2006 as a two-week event, the program expanded to a month to allow as many employees as possible to participate. 
Market research with a social mission
Think about market research and the power of data, demographics and knowledge probably comes to mind. What if you added the power of passion that comes with supporting the mission of leading nonprofits?
That’s what Ed Martin, director of international insights and new methods at The Hershey Company, has done with a new global initiative that will raise money for nonprofits while delivering research to participating companies. The new effort, called Pause to Support a Cause, will partner with nonprofits to create a database of millions of receptive panelists willing to take part in on-line surveys and market feedback studies. A dedicated campaign web site is now live at www.surveyforgood.org.
With research participants designating a favorite charity to receive a donation, Pause to Support a Cause, which is being managed by the Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) Council, has the potential to direct as much as 10 percent of the $18.9 billion spent on market research worldwide to thousands of non-profits. For participating businesses, Pause to Support Cause will help lower research costs, shorten fielding times, heighten response rates, and encourage more active year-round participation in market feedback, engagement and listening programs.
The initiative, which launched on September 14, continues to grow with the support of nonprofit organization including the American Red Cross, Children’s Miracle Network, Special Olympics, March of Dimes, Malaria No More, Feed the Children, Marine Toys for Tots Foundation, DonorsChoose.org, American Kidney Fund and the Humane Society of the United States.
The force behind this new effort is Ed Martin, a man with big ideas, outsized enthusiasm and a mind that seems to only know operate in overdrive.
Expecting to see hundreds of companies join the effort, Martin notes this is a great way to reinforce a commitment to corporate citizenship. “Pause for a Cause solves a business problem and is doing good,” said Martin who will lead the campaign as a senior fellow of the CMO Council.
The project is a perfect blend for Martin, who before joining the Hershey Company, worked for Kellogg, Coca Cola and Ford, and was former CEO of Triple Win International. Martin conceived the concept while challenging himself to find new ways to reach reliable research audiences. With the program he saw a way to blend his professional expertise and personal commitments to finding solutions to some of society’s biggest problems.
“Everyone wins. Every year millions are wasted because of inefficient market research,” said Martin. “Pause to Support a Cause will also resonate with more difficult-to-reach consumers and research audiences and will give non-profit partners a simple and effective way to increase their visibility, attract additional funding, and connect with new donors and contributors.”
Fundraisers and foundations representing millions of concerned global citizens will anchor the program, enabling global marketers to access a large, diverse and motivated research panel. This will enable surveys to be fielded more cost-effectively and efficiently, and will also improve response rates among hard-to-reach demographics.
Major social media networks and portals have committed to support and promote the groundbreaking campaign to enhance corporate giving and social impact programs. Three important, back-end panel registration/selection, cause verification and donation processing partners – Peanut Labs, Charity Navigator, and Network for Good – will enable global execution, compliance, visibility, transparency and scalability. Zooppa.com, the leading social network for creators of user-generated advertising, will spearhead public service campaign development with an online competition to its 42,000-member community to produce ads, videos, banners and rich media messages.
“The Pause to Support a Cause model will be driven by word-of-mouth in social networks and non-profit communities where members can talk up this innovative way to fund raise,” stated Patricia Goldman, chief marketing officer of March of Dimes, one of the non-profit advocates of the program. “Its real power lies in enabling people do something for a cause which they specifically care about with minimal time, effort and no out-of-pocket expense.”
Each supporting company or market research firm will design their studies, create their survey instruments, and specify which audiences they would like to target and engage. The nature of the research, type of respondent and length of the questionnaire will determine how much is donated to the cause. Panelists will need to go online to www.surveyforgood.org to opt-in to the program, profile themselves, and specify what topics and frequency of research they are willing to undertake. They will also be able to specify their favorite causes where donations will be directed based on survey completions.
The CMO Council advocacy program will embrace a global coalition of top marketing decision makers, marketing research professionals, and non-profit organizations to aggregate and involve millions of consumers in research undertakings that raise significant levels of new funding for those in need and entities at risk. Corporate advisors, supporters and underwriters include The Hershey Company, Procter & Gamble, Ford, Farmers Insurance, MTV, AmFam, Ipsos, Lieberman, Think Vehicles, and AOL.
October 5th, 2009 at 12:36 pm
Want another non-profit tip? Check out http://www.cafegive.com, where a portion of every purchase goes to support a non-profit of your choice. How sweet is that? Get what you need and make a difference in the world. Let me know if you have any questions or comments!