Breaking News: Humane Society of the United States Added to Microsoft's i'm Initiative List of Benefiting Charities

It's not often that I get to 'break' news here at the Cause-Related Marketing blog, but today I do.

Here's a press release, leaked to me, which announces that The Humane Society of the United States is the tenth charity to benefit from Windows Live Messenger's cause-marketing campaign called the i'm Initiative.

The Humane Society of the United States Announces Participation in the i’m Initiative from Microsoft
Windows Live Messenger connects customers to top social causes through the donation of Microsoft advertising dollars

(May 21, 2007) - Starting today, anyone who sends instant messages to their friends, family or colleagues using Windows Live Messenger can also help animals at the same time.

Through participation in the i’m Initiative from Microsoft, The Humane Society of the United States is offering supporters and other animal lovers who download Windows Live Messenger the opportunity to make a difference without spending a dime. Microsoft will donate a portion of advertising revenue to The HSUS, and also offers special backgrounds and buttons featuring an animal theme.

Microsoft and nine other charitable organizations announced the launch of the i’m Initiative in March. The HSUS is the tenth organization participating in the
initiative.

‘The Humane Society of the United States is pleased to be participating in this exciting program,” said Wayne Pacelle, HSUS president and CEO. “We are searching for every possible way to connect with our supporters and to help them demonstrate their affection for animals and their affiliation with us.”

This new initiative connects selected cause-related organizations to Windows Live Messenger users. When joining the program at http://im.live.com, users will be asked to select a cause organization to benefit from donations generated from their conversations on Windows Live Messenger.

Every time a user who joins the i’m Initiative has a conversation, Microsoft shares a portion of the program’s advertising revenue with the participating organization of his or her choice. While there is no set cap on the amount each cause can receive, Microsoft will make a minimum $100,000 guaranteed donation to each of the 10 organizations during the first year of the program.

Designed to empower people to make a difference without spending a dime, Microsoft says the i’m Initiative helps support causes that are confronting some of the world’s most urgent social issues. The i’m Initiative aims to help the organizations involved to broaden their reach in a sustainable and new way, allowing the millions of people already using Windows Live Messenger today to be a part of the solution.

According to a 2006 Cone Cause Millennial Study, 61 percent of young Americans between the ages of 13 and 25 are currently worried about the state of the world today and feel personally responsible to make a difference.

“This initiative is the latest in a series of programs we offer to help people connect to our mission to celebrate animals and confront cruelty,” said Pacelle.

-30-

The Humane Society of the United
States is the nation’s largest animal protection organization – backed by
10 million Americans, or one of every 30. For more than a half-century, The HSUS
has been fighting for the protection of all animals through
advocacy, education, and hands-on programs. Celebrating animals and confronting
cruelty -- On the web at humanesociety.org.

For
more information, press only:
Rachel Querry, The Humane Society of the United
States,
301-258-8255
rquerry@humanesociety.org

The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.

Part 2: How Chili's Used Cause-Related Marketing to Raise $8.2 million for St. Jude

[Bloggers Note: In this second half of this post I discuss the nuts and bolts of how Chili's motivates support from its employees and managers and how St. Jude 'activates' support from Chili's. Read the first half here.] How does St. Jude motivate support from Chili’s front line employees and management alike? They call it ‘activation’ and they do so by the following: They share stories of St. Jude patients who were sick and got better thanks to the services they received at the hospital. Two stories in particular are personal for Chili’s staff. A Chili’s bartender in El Dorado Hills, California named Jeff Eagles has a younger brother who was treated at St. Jude. In both 2005 and 2006 Eagles was the campaign’s biggest individual fundraiser. John Griffin, a manager at the Chili’s in Conway, Arkansas had an infant daughter who was treated for retinoblastoma at St. Jude. They drew on the support Doug Brooks… the president and CEO of Brinker International, Chili’s parent co...

Chili’s and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital

I was in Chili’s today and I ordered their “Triple-Dipper,” a three appetizer combo. While I waited for the food, I noticed another kind of combo. Chili’s is doing a full-featured cause-related marketing campaign for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. There was a four-sided laminated table tent outlining the campaign on the table. When the waitress brought the drinks she slapped down Chili’s trademark square paper beverage coasters and on them was a call to action for an element of the campaign called ‘Create-A-Pepper,’ a kind of paper icon campaign. The wait staff was all attired in black shirts co-branded with Chili’s and St. Jude. The Create-A-Pepper paper icon could be found in a stack behind the hostess area. The Peppers are outlines of Chili’s iconic logo meant to be colored. I paid $1 for mine, but they would have taken $5, $10, or more. The crayons, too, were co-branded with the ‘Create-A-Pepper’ and St. Jude’s logos. There’s also creatapepper.com, a microsite, but again wi...

Cause-Related Marketing with Customer Receipts

Walgreens and JDRF Right now at Walgreens…the giant pharmacy and retail store chain with more than 5,800 stores in the United States and Puerto Rico… they’re selling $1 paper icons for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF). This is an annual campaign and I bought one to gauge how it’s changed over the years. (Short list… they don’t do the shoe as a die cut anymore; the paper icon is now an 8¾ x 4¼ rectangle. Another interesting change; one side is now in Spanish). The icon has a bar code and Jacob, the clerk, scanned it and handed me a receipt as we finished the transaction. At the bottom was an 800-number keyed to a customer satisfaction survey. Dial the number, answer some questions and you’re entered into a drawing for $10,000 between now and the end of September 2007. I don’t know what their response rate is, but the $10,000 amount suggests that it’s pretty low. Taco Bell’s survey gives out $1,000 per week. At a regional seafood restaurant they give me a code that garner...

Cause Marketing

Search This Blog