Good Works! summary

What do you remember about the letters you’ve received from charities that were supported by businesses? You likely remember the cause, but can you remember their branding?

Probably not. For companies, brand recognition is crucial. So how can you remedy this?

No one likes being the bearer of bad news. Yet, strangely, companies are actually rewarded with great publicity when they inform the public about a cause which demands their attention.

This Cause Promotion raises awareness for social problems, and demonstrates that the company cares about this problem, too.

Raising awareness doesn’t just garner positive publicity. It can also be used to sell products directly. By employing Cause-Related Marketing strategies, companies encourage consumers to do good simply by purchasing their products.

Just as companies add promotions to their products, they can also do things like making a donation every time someone purchases one of their products.

Social responsibility is a bit like medicine: You can try to relieve the symptoms – for which your patients will surely be thankful – but isn’t it better to cure the disease? In this blink, we’ll see how companies can act as “doctors” for social disease.

To start, let’s look at the limitations of monetary donations for a good cause. While they can alleviate some people’s suffering, the reality is that monetary donations can’t help everyone.

Have you ever felt like you’re just pushing papers around at work, and not doing anything truly meaningful? Wouldn’t it be awesome to do something that’s actually useful for your community? Increasingly, companies are tapping into this desire and supporting employees who want to make a difference through Workforce Volunteering.

Workforce Volunteering is a great way to put employees’ skills to use to achieve something good for society as a whole. Companies are well positioned to help employees do this by providing them with the time and resources they need to tackle social issues.

People generally fall into two groups: those who see business as an opportunity to make big money and those who are suspicious of its ability to be a force for good. However, there is a chance to combine both worlds – to both make money and be a force for good – through Socially Responsible Business Practices.

Increasingly, consumers and employees expect companies to work in a socially responsible way. Studies show that 69 percent of employees consider it important that their company lives up to its social responsibility. In contrast, a measly six percent of consumers agreed that a company should only be interested in improving their profits.