You Shop, They Donate

With the holidays around the corner, we’re seeing all kinds of incentives being marketed to shoppers these days, from coupons to free shipping offers to sales promotions of all shapes and sizes.

There’s no doubt that consumers want to stretch their dollars as far as possible this year, so these promotions go a long way. However, these aren’t the only ways for businesses to boost their sales this holiday season.

A great trend emerging in the consumer world is driven by cause marketing. More and more companies are realizing that consumers are interested in more than discounts and free gifts. They want the dollars coming out of their pockets to multi-task. What do I mean by this? More and more consumers want to spend money on products that give back to charity. (For more on this topic, read one of our previous posts, Do You ‘Shop For A Cause’?) Companies are listening. Here in the U.S., you see this most commonly during Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October and around the end-of-year holiday season.

It’s a brilliant strategy to adopt because everyone ends up a winner. Consumers get excited by the fact that their money is not only going towards their purchases, but also towards meaningful causes. Meanwhile, brands see a boost in sales (assuming they market their promotions effectively) and get the chance to take advantage of these charity-driven promotions to garner new press opportunities. And, of course, the charities that benefit from these percent-of-proceeds promotions end up raising funds without having to do much on their end beyond spreading the word.

With all of this in mind, I was inspired to launch a virtual shop that features products and brands offering a percent of proceeds from all purchases made in their online shops shops to Glamour Gone Good. The brands currently participating in the Glamour Gone Good virtual shop are:

• CLOTH
• Good For Your Girls
• SalonSpa.com
• Stop Traffick Fashion
• The Glamour Band

Stop by the Glamour Gone Good shop and maybe you’ll find the perfect gift for a loved one or a little treat for yourself. If you’re interested in contributing to the shop, it’s not too late to contact us. Or, simply help us spread the word.

Perhaps this blog post and our own shop will inspire you to develop a percent-of-proceeds promotion of your own to support causes near and dear to the hearts of your consumers. If you want some help, email us at info@glamourgonegood.org.

Do You Choose Your Causes Or Do They Choose You?

Everywhere I turn these days, it seems I am surrounded by a sea of pink somehow linking back to Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Soon, holiday season promotions will begin and we’ll be seeing all kinds of charitable messaging around the "season of giving." Don’t get me wrong, I’m certainly not complaining. The more dollars given to charity, the better! However, I do stop and wonder whether our charitable actions are motivated more by personal preferences or just really good marketing. In other words, do we choose our causes or do they choose us?

Seems like a silly question, but let’s give this some serious thought.

Answer this question honestly: Do you care more about breast cancer than other life-threatening diseases like lung cancer, heart disease or AIDS? If your answer is yes, then that’s wonderful news because your cause is getting lots of attention and funding right now. However, if you answered “no,” then you might be wondering why in the world all of America is looking so pink these days.

On a related note, here’s a quick little quiz for you.

Did you know that in addition to being Breast Cancer Awareness Month, October is also…

a) Domestic Violence Awareness Month

b) LGBT History Month

c) National Down Syndrome Awareness Month

d) World Blindness Awareness Month

e) Healthy Lung Month

This quiz is worth a total of 5 points. Give yourself 1 point for every time you answered, “yes.” How many points did you get? Not surprisingly, I got a whopping zero, a.k.a. a big fat F. So, either I’m really ignorant or we’re all doing a lot more to promote breast cancer awareness this month than any other cause that happens to “share” October with breast cancer awareness.

Here’s another question: Are you more inclined to volunteer at a soup kitchen, raid your closet for gently used shoes and clothes, or donate cash to a homeless shelter towards the end of the year, during the height of the holiday season, than at any other time? For me, the answer is most definitely, “yes.”

Last year, money was tight in my household. So, I had a choice to make. Either I could make my ritual end-of-year donation to charity or I could buy holiday gifts for the various members of my rather large family. While I was tempted to go on a holiday shopping spree, I decided to make an online donation to a homeless shelter in Chicago, where much of my family happens to live. I, then, sent holiday cards to my family members, informing them that I’ve made a donation in their name to this particular homeless shelter. It felt so good to do that, but honestly, I have no idea why I chose a homeless shelter over any other charity. There’s just something about the holidays that makes me think of helping out the homeless even though I’m so much more passionate about women’s and girls' empowerment issues (hence why I launched Glamour Gone Good this year).

Am I alone here? Or do you often find yourself getting involved with the “cause of the moment” even if it’s not really the cause you’re most passionate about?

In my humble opinion, huge advertising and marketing firms, as well as the Fortune 100 companies that hire them, have somehow penetrated my mind and taught me to believe that during the month of October, I need to think pink, talk pink, and wear pink. Then, during the holidays, I need to empty my closet and my pocketbook for the homeless people in my community. And, any time a natural disaster hits any part of the world and involves substantial human devastation, I need to shell out as much cash as I can to support the cause…and if I don’t, there’s something seriously wrong with me.

What’s your opinion? Am I over-thinking the influence of corporate America and American media on my personal decisions regarding charitable giving? Or would you agree that, generally speaking, Americans tend to spend less time and money on issues that speak to us than to causes of the moment?