Cause-related marketing campaigns have lots of potential. All of that potential is for nothing, however, if there is no communication.

In “Nonprofit Management 101,” Darian Rodriguez Heyman explains why communication is so important for nonprofits when working with corporate partners. He writes that there’s simply no way to be an effective and valuable partner without laying out clearly stated objectives. Without tangible goals, both the company and the nonprofit will be unable to evaluate the mission impact of their partnership.

Heyman lists examples of goals that companies and nonprofits could set for a cause marketing campaign:

Businesses:

• A consumer package goods manufacturer seeks a 10 percent increase in presales of a product to retail customers;
• A car dealer seeks 500 qualified test drives;
• A health care provides wants a 15 percent increase in consumers who think of their company as “caring” as defined by their annual community survey; and,
• A grocery retailer wants 10 percent of its workplace to volunteer for a nonprofit, raise $500,000 for the cause via its customers, and be acknowledged as a top-tier sponsor to improve its image.

Nonprofits:

• Generate $100,000 of unrestricted revenue;
• Secure a commitment from a leading corporate CEO to serve on its board of directors;
• Inclusion in a paid advertising campaign, increasing awareness of its efforts with 20,000 new supporters; and,
• Access to 5,000 employees for the purpose of volunteer recruitment and fundraising.

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