This article was written in response to a NYT article describing why EVP and Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Otis W. Brawley chose to step down after 11 years at the American Cancer Society.

Nowadays, both nonprofits and corporations are being put to task on their corporate partnerships and cause-related initiatives. Consumers and constituents expect and at times demand, a crystal clear link between the cause and company. While most of us can agree that synergy is the number one goal for commercial co-ventures, it is by no means an easy objective to achieve.

I wholeheartedly agree that partnerships need to benefit both parties and nonprofits must seek to steer clear of companies and celebrities who could diminish their brand reputation. Most of us would like to see more cause-related partnerships that demonstrate synergy from start to finish.

As mentioned in the article, this comes at tumultuous time when nonprofits are experiencing a dramatic shift in giving trends across the board. We have all seen a significant decline in participation and fundraising around peer-to-peer events, sponsorship dollars, and federal funding. In order to meet the financial demands fuel our prospective missions, we are all faced with difficult decisions on if/when to enter into partnerships with companies who are considered "off-brand" or, in the example of A.C.S., arguably counter-intuitive the overall mission of the organization.

However, one very key component missing from this article, which I rarely hear come up in the cause-marketing conversation, is when business leaders and employees on the corporate side have a personal connection to the cause and endeavor to utilize their company's resources to give back and exponentially increase their giving power.
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As someone formerly tasked with forging partnerships at a cancer organization, I know that calls with current and prospective corporate partners almost always begin with their personal and oftentimes traumatic experiences with cancer. We forget that companies are comprised of real-life everyday people doing the best they can to make ends meet and contribute to causes they care about. They alone may not be able to make a significant contribution, but their companies could.

While I can't say that I agree with all corporate/nonprofit partnerships, I really respect their dedication to do something larger and more meaningful with their time and resources. After all, they are considered "citizens" of this country.

More CEOs and companies are compelled to take a stance on political and social issues. In this article, the Harvard Business Review again names "The New CEO Activists" and brings attention to the growing group of business leaders taking on initiatives they would have rarely if ever, considered before. 

That is why we are thrilled to have the ACLU's Director of Strategic Partnerships, Danielle Silber, at the Summit next week to discuss how the shifting roles of CEOs and companies have inspired so many to partner with the ACLU and many other nonprofits to tackle controversial topics in this ever-evolving climate.

We hope you can join us and empower more companies and nonprofits next Thursday. Seats are limited, so be sure to secure yours today. PURCHASE TICKETS

​Unprecedented global challenges – from education and job preparedness to diversity and inclusion – are impacting businesses and communities. Which is why PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) created Access Your Potential (AYP), PwC's $320 million, five-year commitment to provide 10 million young people from disadvantaged communities with the financial, technology and career-selection skills they’ll need to succeed in the workforce. 

We are thrilled to announce that Jeff Senne, Corporate Responsibility Strategy and Implementation Leader at PwC, alongside Whitney Dailey, Vice President of Marketing at Cone, will weigh in on the impetus for corporations to reevaluate their roles and responsibilities in society, and the importance of infusing purpose into your business and leadership strategies.

Their session will include:

• Insight on how to build a strategy with responsibility at its core
• How leaders can mobilize their communities, NGO partners and resources to drive economic, social and environmental value
• Ways you can leverage your people – your biggest asset – to bring innovative programs and partnerships to life

Don't miss it!
When: Thursday, April 12, 2018, from 9:00 AM-5:00 PM
Where: JWT New York: 466 Lexington Ave. New York, NY 10017
Purchase Tickets

Our friends at For Momentum have been hard at work on their newly released research study about managing national and local corporate partnerships. Their findings are based on data and best practices from 50+ leading nonprofits. It's no surprise that in order to be successful, partnerships require strong collaboration and communication between headquarters and chapter offices.

We interviewed For Momentum's Founder and President, Mollye Rhea, to hear more about how she "Plays Well With Others" and works to forge successful cause-related partnerships with her clients.

Our friends at Phil & Co., a creative marketing agency that works exclusively with philanthropies and companies doing good.
As experts in crafting integrated creative campaigns and branding, Phil & Co. is big on both developing and answering to organization-wide goals. Below, they share with us some tips for better aligning marketing plans with long-term strategic plans.

As cause marketers, our clients’ strategic plans define the audiences, tactics and ultimate success of our work. Whether our client is a global university, consumer brand or leading non-profit, strategic plans are where we go first to understand the identity and direction of an organization.

Handled well, strategic planning can clarify objectives and help marketing, development and all departments work better together. Here are some tips we think could help non-profits big and small:

1. Connect the dots between big-picture goals and tactical metrics 
Real metrics should be part of any strategic conversation. Clarify what success looks like. From the Board to the Development team to external consultants, everyone should be moving together toward clearly defined quantifiable success.

2. Make sure you’re marketing your strategic plan 
As much as they define budgets and operations, strategic plans are a tremendous internal marketing opportunity—to refresh your brand, tell a new story, energize the team and mobilize your most passionate ambassadors. Any document that’s defining organization-wide strategy should get real creative attention. Make your plan an internal communications tool and revisit at least semi-annually to reinforce your goals, celebrate progress and motivate the team.

3. No more one-offs 
Strategic plans and year-end reviews ultimately answer to budget, and we work in a space that is especially constrained. Focus your marketing on building resources and developing replicable models, and you’ll see your communications get more consistent and easier to execute. We’re huge fans of tool kits and standardized plans as a way to make our work more efficient and easier to measure year over year.

4. Give your agency a seat at the table 
Too often, multi-year plans are created by a committee at a retreat far removed from the day-to-day operations of an organization—and quickly put aside until it’s time to revisit the process. Making marketing and branding a part of the conversation upfront can help define objectives, make better ambassadors of your Board members and turn your plan itself into a branding tool.

​In less than a week, cause-minded professionals will come together in NYC to highlight numerous campaigns that focus on our world's top priorities. One in particular has been making headlines—climate change. Despite the challenges our planet faces, we are more determined than ever to combat the impacts of climate change.

For the past year, OBERLAND has partnered with The Nature Conservancy in building an awareness campaign that compels audiences to rethink just how much we depend on nature- and how much its sustainability depends on us.

We're thrilled they'll be sharing their journey in creating the “Depends on Us” campaign during the 'It Takes A Village' panel at this year’s Cause Marketing Summit. 

As a part of our "Plays Well With Others" series, we asked Drew Train what inspires him to advocate for the planet and other causes.

Question. If you could solve ONE of the world’s biggest challenges, what would it be? 
Answer. Climate change, that is the one that underlies everything else. Ultimately if we don’t fix the climate, the rest of the causes I care about won’t matter as much. We only have one planet
. 
Question. What is your most pressing agenda item for this calendar year? 
Answer. To double the size and impact of Oberland. 

Question. What main cause(s) are you currently working on?  
Answer. Cancer, climate, education, and mental health. 

Question. What is the current trend of the causes you work on?  
Answer. I see nonprofits realizing that they need to invest more in marketing and telling their story consistently, and on a regular basis. I see nonprofits putting funding into their operating budget for marketing vs. a capital investment made every five or ten years.  
 
Question. Do you see the need for funding and support increasing or decreasing over the next five years? 
Answer. I see the need for increasing across the board. Cancer and the climate are both at critical tipping points, and the advocacy groups across all the groups we touch are feeling the pinch of current budget proposals taking funding out of their mission. They are going to be approaching their board, individuals ,and corporations to fill the gap.
  
Question. What do you work tirelessly on to further your mission? 
Answer. I work tirelessly on making the agency better. We are relied on by our clients to have as much as an impact as we possibly can. I’m always looking for ways to do things differently and better.
  
Question. How can we (the CMS tribe) help you? 
Answer. They can keep evangelizing. The idea is if we as a collective community can make cause marketing a tide rather than a wave we can lift all of our boats for good.  

Question. Name a favorite community nonprofit or effort you support locally on a personal level? 
Answer. I serve on the NAMI NYC Metro Board of Directors and Services for the Underserved Resource Development Committee.

Question. What are some of the tools you use to do business?
Answer. The primary way we do business development is through networking and publishing relevant content. We are starting to use LinkedIn and Facebook more often. 
 
Question. What is something good/positive that has happened since CMS NYC 2016 last Spring? 
Answer. There’s more and more attention being paid to mental health in the U.S. and around the world. Heads together, a U.K. campaign, seeing that start to come to the U.S. is a positive sign. 

Question. What is your current theme song? 
Answer. Born to Run, Bruce Springsteen 
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Question. Why are you going to the Cause Marketing Summit? 
Answer. To get a pulse on where things are going for the next year. 

Question. What is the last cute picture you took?
Answer.My three incredible kids. 

We hope you are all enjoying Memorial Day weekend. This is a time where we all welcome the arrival of nice weather and the end of the school year. However, for many, this is a solemn time of reflection and honoring those who have served and made the ultimate sacrifice for our Country.

It is truly an honor to introduce you to Hugo Lentze, a veteran of the U.S. Army and the Director of Strategic Partnerships at the Travis Manion Foundation (TMF). This incredible foundation is dedicated to empowering veterans and the families of fallen heroes. It began after 1st Lieutenant, Travis Manion (USMC) was killed in Iraq while saving his wounded teammates. Travis lives on through TMF's mission to inspire and develop character among future generations. Hugo is joining us as a speaker and attendee at this year's Cause Marketing Summit. ​

​Photo courtesy of the TMF Facebook page.

More about Hugo Lentze: Hugo is a 22-year veteran of the U.S. Army and a graduate of the United States Military Academy. In transitioning out of the Army, Hugo struggled with what he wanted to do next. He was hired for a job in Horsham, PA that left him unsatisfied and later worked in a local bike shop. Still, Hugo felt service to others was his true calling. He found exactly what he was looking for at the Travis Manion Foundation. There he works to forge strategic partnerships to fuel their mission and enjoys working alongside like-minded colleagues and helping veterans as they transition from the military to civilian life. 

We asked Hugo a few questions as part of our 'Plays Well With Others' series. Here's what he shared with us.

Question: If you could solve/cure ONE of the world's biggest challenges, what would it be?
Answer: Equality, specifically educational equality.

Question: What is your most pressing agenda item for this calendar year?
Answer: Ensuring that we have a pipeline of dedicated capable volunteers to help deliver our programs. 

Question: What main cause(s) are you currently working on? 
Answer: Helping veterans thrive in their post-military lives. 

Question: What is the current status/trend of the causes/issues you work on?
Answer: In the past, veterans have been seen as charity cases, but the trend nowadays is seeing them as assets to the community. 

Question: Do you see the need for funding and support increasing or decreasing over the next five years?
Answer: In order to deliver our programs effectively (execution, research, curriculum development), funding needs will increase. 

Question: What do you work tirelessly on to further your mission?
Answer:  Spreading the word about what we do and making more individuals, companies, and organizations aware of what TMF does.

Question: How can we (the CMS Tribe) help you?
Answer: Help us to focus our pitch and the ask, which often depends on the audience we are addressing. 

Question: Name a favorite community nonprofit or effort you support locally on a personal level.
Answer: TMF, of course, but also Cub Scouts 

Question: What are some of the tools you use to do business?
Answer: SalesForce, LinkedIn, and the internet in general.

Question: Theme song?
Answer: My Way by Frank Sinatra or the Sex Pistols, it depends on my mood. 

Question: Why are you going to the Cause Marketing Summit?
Answer: For professional and personal development; to hone and tailor my pitch.
We are so grateful to have Hugo join us on June 7 as he delivers his pitch for the Travis Manion Foundation. 

On behalf of the CMS family, thank you to all those who have served and continue to serve. We will never forget. 

Jenn & Team CMS