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Charitable support can be a highly effective tool in your marketing/PR and human resources arsenals. It can also be the biggest waste of time and energy - and even have a negative effect on your company's image. The key to making the most of charitable support initiatives is to ask:

Does this charity make sense for our business/industry?

How can our company support this cause?

How will we engage employees in this effort?

Choosing a cause that makes sense is very important. If you jump on a cause simply because it's the one everybody is talking about right now, it may have a negative impact on your company. People will automatically assume you are riding on a charity's coattails to get attention. While awareness is a key to making a financial/time effort, it must be balanced with a real sense of philanthropy. Think about your employees, your products/services, and your clientele. If you're clients and employees are mostly women, consider supporting Susan G. Komen, the American Cancer Society's Making Strides Against Breast Cancer, or a local women's center. If you and your employees are all pet lovers but you don't really cater to pets or pet lovers, really think through the time/effort you put into any initiatives that are company driven. If you own a salon, you could have a prettiest pooch day where people pay a fee to enter a photo of their pet into the contest. If you donate a prize (free cut and style), then all of the proceeds can go to the charity. If you think and think and can't find a link between your business and the charity, then you can still become a donor or sponsor. Just don't exploit it as a marketing or awareness-generating tool.

Supporting the cause to make the most of your resources and maximize impact is key to success. After you have chosen an appropriate cause, it's time to figure out the way you will support it. There are always events that most charities have each year. If you want to support the American Cancer Society, you could become a Relay For Life sponsor or have a company Relay team. In the sponsorship scenario, your company donates money to underwrite the event. As a sponsor, you will gain awareness via newsletters, signage, t-shirts. In the team scenario, you have a group of employees who individually raise money for Relay For Life. You can gain awareness by naming your team after the company.

Perhaps you can't spare any sponsorship money, and you own a small business that doesn't have enough employees for a fundraising team. You could always donate products or services to your chosen cause. If you own a small ad agency, offer pro bono services to the charity. If you cut hair, donate hair to Locks of Love (if it meets requirements). There are plenty of ways to make a positive impact no matter what your budget or resource availability.

For a cause marketing effort to make the most impact, engage your employees in the support. Many charities have "event kits" that will help you put together fun events that will help you engage your employees. For example, the Great American Bake Sale from Share Our Strength provides tools to help you host and promote a bake sale by your organization. The money you raise goes to feeding impoverished children. If your employees are provided the necessary tools, have passion for the event, and time to participate, they will gain team-buidling and leadership skills that will translate into gains in the workplace.

Cause marketing can provide many important benefits to your company from employee satisfaction to awareness in your industry. Just ensure you think through the impact of your choices and ensure that they make sense in the overall marketing, public relations, and HR strategies.

Learn more about this author, Stacy Jackson.
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