A Responsible Way

BE MORE

Friends,

I have started a new blog called BE MORE.  The purpose of the new blog is to share insights and inspiration to empower people, companies, communities and organizations to do and BE MORE. 

Thank you for visiting A Responsible Way.  I hope you will visit the new blog soon!

Be well,

Tracey--

Consumers Still Seeking More Support for Causes from Corporations

Cone, LLC just released a new study on cause marketing.  Their findings suggest that consumers are still looking to companies to support the causes and issues that are relevant to them.  In fact, 83% expect companies to provide more ways in which they can participate through products, services, and volunteering.  This especially true for Moms and Millennials.

Check out the video below featuring Alison DaSilva with Cone.  I recently met with Alison at the Cause Marketing Forum and always enjoy learning more from her and her company.  Cone, Barkley and GoodCo Marketing are just a few agencies that offer great resources on the subject of cause, corporate responsibility and community involvement.

What do you think?  Does cause marketing still have a place in today's corporate strategy?  I certainly believe so.

 

Beginning an Employee Community Engagement Program

I just discovered this great video fromChris Jarvis of 3BL Media.  I admire Chris and his network of companies for promoting ways in which individuals, corporations, employees and communities can participate in efforts to improve society.

 

 

This video clip discusses employee engagement programs and references the book Made to Stick by Chip Heath and Dan Heath.  Through storytelling, you have an opportunity to promote your good works by integrating content that's relevant and meaningful to others.  A story that speaks to them, and encourages them to take action.  Chris also mentions using social media as a platform to spark dialog, build trust and engage employees to rally behind a cause issue that is important to them. 

Check it out.  Let me know what employee engagement programs you offer and how your most important asset - employees - can help make a difference.

Show Your Favorite Teacher Some SONIC Love

  This week marks the beginning of the second year of Limeades for Learning, a cause grant-making initiative from SONIC Drive-In in conjunction with DonorsChoose.org.

From now until September 30, 2010, you have an opportunity to make a difference in your community by voting for your favorite teacher's project online once a day at www.LimeadesForLearning.com.  Teachers with the most votes will receive a grant from SONIC through DonorsChoose.org for materials and experiences that inspire learning.  Anyone with a valid e-mail address can participate every day!

Once again, SONIC will donate $500,000 to this campaign.  If there are more than one million votes cast by September 30, SONIC will unlock an additional $100,000, bringing their total contribution to DonorsChoose.org to more than $1 million.

This year, my favorite teacher's project is from Gulf Gate Elementary School in Sarasota, FL entitled "Literacy Tubs for Little Learners."  This project is from my sister's school and I'm hopeful people will vote online to support Mrs. H. and her students.

Please join me in supporting public school teachers - they are a selfless bunch who give so much of themselves so students can thrive.  All it takes is one vote once a day.  You'll be glad you did!

When Personal Passions Turn Destructive

A man known for protesting the Discovery Channel's environmental programming took hostages today at the corporate office in Silver Spring, MD and eventually lost his life.  Luckily, all of the hostages were freed, unharmed.

James Jay Lee has protested about Discovery before and recently distributed a notice about his intent to further protest.  At what point do personal passions become so obsessive that they turn destructive?

For years, organizations such as PETA have turned advocacy into an extreme endeavor. At what point is advocacy harmful?

I believe that people with different perspectives should have their voices heard.  Care2 is a favorite website of mine and they do a marvelous job of promoting advocacy among its online community in a way that's civil, courteous and informative.  I'm hopeful that people will continue to advocate for issues and causes that are important to them without being destructive to others.

Pepsi Refresh Project to Emphasize Gulf Efforts

An update to my previous post on May 25, the Pepsi Refresh Project is now providing $1.3 million to organizations helping with efforts in the Gulf.  Good for them!   Be sure to vote - often.

Need Something to do with Your Kids this Summer? Host a Lemonade Stand for Charity

I have long admired Alex's Lemonade Stand.  It's a terrific foundation that raises funds for clinical research to find a cure for pediatric cancers.

The foundation was inspired by a little girl named Alexandra Scott, who passed away in 2004 due to complications from neuroblastoma, a childhood cancer.  At the age of four, she came up with the idea to hold a lemonade stand to raise funds for cancer research. 

Since 2004, the ALSF has raised over $30 million for cancer research - $12 million has been generated from lemonade stand sales.  The rest has been raised by individual donors and cause marketing campaigns with companies such as Volvo, Country Time, Starbucks, Applebees, A&P and more. 

The video below captures everything that Alex stood for - hope, determination, courage - and provides ways in which you can get involved. 

If you are looking for a meaningful, fun, community-driven activity for your children this summer, why not build a lemonade stand and help ALSF raise funds?  To learn more about hosting a lemonade stand, visit the ALSF Website.  In addition, you can visit their Facebook page.  Better yet - text LEMONADE 85944 to make a $10 contribution.  Lemonade never tasted so sweet.

Refresh Everything

Has it really been three months since I've blogged?  Bad me. 

To make up for it, I've done some good this week.  I helped a few local non-profit organizations through Pepsi's acclaimed cause branding campaign, Pepsi Refresh Project. 

It's a simple campaign really and anyone can get involved.  Non-profits register grant requests on the Web site and consumers vote for their favorite projects.  Projects with the most votes are awarded grants.  It's a lot like SONIC's Limeades for Learning program, but I'll comment on that initiative in another post.

Categories of grant requests include Health, Arts & Culture, Food & Shelter, The Planet, Neighborhoods and Education.  I voted for two projects:  The Empty Box Collaboration, who aims to reduce landfill use by making recycling easier for consumers and the Boys and Girls Clubs of Schenectady, N.Y. who is looking to build an outdoor recreation facility.

There are thousands of excellent community organization who need funding to continue their good works.  Pepsi has done an outstanding job of making it easy for consumers to be more involved and help make a difference.  Vote today!

Goodness 3.0

Check out this new video from Benevity.org- it's a terrific way to summarize the world of cause, social responsibility and doing good - and it's inspirational to watch!  It reminds us to ask:  what good can I do today?

 

Coke's Green Olympics

Coca Cola is a

worldwide sponsor of the upcoming Olympic Games.  This year, the are going green and have pledged Zero waste and a Zero carbon footprint at the Winter Games.  As the makers of Coke Zero, that's a clever way to emphasize a brand!

For the Olympics, Coke will be selling beverages in their PlantBottle, a renewable and recyclable bottle that contains up to 30% plant-based materials.  In addition, Coke plans to deliver beverages using hybrid vehicles and electric cars, and storing beverages in coolers that turn off at night to save energy.  Eventually, the bottles will be made into recycled hats, vests and gloves and will be donated to a homeless shelter after the Games.

In addition to greener products, Coke is sponsoring an Environmental Torch Bearer program in conjunction with the World Wildlife Fund Canada and David Suzuki Foundation.  The program encourages Canadian residents to do more to live a sustainable lifestyle. 

This is pretty cool.  What's even more amazing is Coke's CEO, Muhtar Kent, has stated that he is so into sustainability that he effectively is the company's chief sustainability officer.  This is especially important as companies need the support from management to move sustainability initiatives forward.

Glad to know Coke's continuing their promise to eventually limit its waste to net Zero.