2. 2014 was somewhat of a mixed bag in
terms of cause alliances. From ice
buckets to epidemics, new causes
demanded our attention while
traditional fundraising tactics rose to
levels not seen since before the
Recession of 2008.
Consumers and corporations alike
stepped up big in 2014 to donate, take
action or challenge others to do the
same.
Will this enthusiasm continue into
2015?
Since cause alliances straddle two
sides of the fence, we took a look at
the nonprofit and corporate sectors to
help identify expected trends for 2015.
Our Top 10 Cause Alliance Trends for
2015 represent those that continue to
growth within the nonprofit industry, as
well as general business trends sure to
shape our niche.
INSERT
PHOTOGRAPHY
HERE
4. TREND ONE:
Data-Driven Cause Alliances
Globally, we produced over 3 Zettabytes of data in 2013. Even more surprising is
that 90% of all the data in the world has been generated over the last two years.
Data is here, and it’s here to stay. The usage of the data we produce and collect, and
therefore how we translate that data, will become more important to building cause
alliances in 2015.
85% of corporations have big data initiatives, but only a quarter of nonprofit
organizations use data to make program decisions.
There is a “data disconnect” between these two worlds. In 2015, we hope to see this
divide lessen.
1
5. TREND APPLICATION:
Data-Driven Cause Alliances
CAPTURE. Any and all data that you can. From your constituents to your mission,
from your partners to your events, data capture is the essential foundation to
building data-driven cause alliances.
ANALYZE. Setting specific goals for your data analysis can help to identify how to
segment your data across multiple variables. Working with other departments at
your organization can often open doors for expanded data analysis opportunities.
LEVERAGE. Translate your data into points of differentiation. Infuse data points
into your mission story to perk the ear of future partner prospects.
BASIC DONOR DATA
Our donors are:
• 70% women
• 35-50 years of age
• HHI over $100K
• College-educated
• Live in the Southeast
ADVANCED DONOR DATA
Our donors are:
Trendy moms who are super shoppers. They like
to purchase baby products and fine jewelry, are
craft enthusiasts who are more likely to shop at
Michaels, Home Depot and Babies R ‘Us. They
are wealthy, college-educated conservatives
who like to donate to the arts and education.
EXAMPLE:
6. TREND TWO:
Importance of Storytelling
Storytelling is as old as time. Everyone loves a good story, and everyone has a great
one to tell. Storytelling is not a new concept to marketing, or even fundraising.
However, the importance of storytelling and the components of what might be
considered the “smarter story” is what we see as a trend for 2015. Your traditional
story might involve emotion, words, personal experiences. The “smarter story” has a
strong foundation of numbers and impact statements (a nod to that Data trend).
2
7. TREND APPLICATION:
Importance of Storytelling
BASIC DONOR DATABrand Value and Prestige
Mission Messaging
Emotional Sentiment
Community Impact Statements
Value of Tangible Assets
Return on Investment
Win for Consumers + Employees
Key Data Points & Statistics
A “Smarter Story” would ideally consist of 50% emotional brand messaging, and 50%
data, statistics and measurable impact for the corporate partner. Increased inclusion of
the last 50% is trending upward for 2015.
8. TREND THREE:
Video Content Usage
Whether it’s data visualization, storytelling or a recognition tactic, video content is
thriving and will continue to grow in 2015.
• Usage of the photo-sharing tool Instagram increased 1,179% in six months.
• Just one month after the introduction of Facebook timeline for brands, visual content — photos
and videos — saw a 65% increase in engagement.
• Posts with videos attract 3 times more inbound links than plain text posts.
With new multi-channel networks like Maker Studios and Good Amplified, nonprofit
organizations will now have several platforms to publish and monetize their video
content to potential supporters outside of their current networks. Affordable DIY
video creation sites like Visual.ly make it easy for any nonprofit organization to
develop sophisticated video content that will attract individuals or corporate
partners.
3
9. TREND APPLICATION:
Video Content Usage
5 BEST PRACTICES
when using video content
1
2
3
4
5
Blend Data and Emotion
Video content is a powerful way to tell your story. Don’t forget that your
mission and those you serve isn’t your whole story. Infuse tangible data
points that speak to your community impact and the value of supporting
your cause.
Use Real Footage
Infographics and photography is wonderful, but if you have the resources
to capture video footage of real mission-served individuals and
communities, a “moving picture” is really worth 10,000 words.
Only Part of the Picture
A powerful video can do a lot for your cause, yet it still requires context.
Remember that all you do cannot be condensed into a few minutes. Use
other communications to expand upon your story and clarify your mission.
Evolution is Necessary
Your work, your impact and your goals are ever-evolving, and so should
your communications – including a video. Leave room in your budget and
timeframe to evolve video content as needed, and when appropriate.
Include a Call-to-Action
In the social good space, our mission is always to incite action – whether a
donation, pledge or participation. Infuse your call-to-action into the script,
through dynamic content or interactive video capabilities (see Mozilla
Popcorn Maker).
10. TREND FOUR:
Employee Engagement
Whether a corporation is looking to increase employee retention rates or peak
morale, community engagement is crucial to their bottom line. 78% of business
leaders rate retention and engagement urgent or important. 90% of human
resources professionals say that pro-bono volunteering is an effective way to
develop leadership skills.
Employees are now looking for and expecting their employers to offer community
engagement opportunities for them and their families. 71% of employees felt more
positive about their company as a result of employee volunteer programs.
In 2015, most corporations will consider employee engagement an essential “must-
have” as part of any nonprofit partnership.
4
11. TREND APPLICATION:
Employee Engagement
1
2
3
4
5
RIGHT-FIT
EMPOWERING
OPTIONS
MEASURED
IMPACT
INCENTIVES
COMMUNICATION
Consider these five “How-to” tips when developing and managing attractive
employee engagement opportunities for your corporate partners.
The American
workforce is aging, with
an influx of Millennial
workers. Determine if
your cause speaks to
them, and customize
opportunities that
specifically activates
their interests.
Giving employees the
ability to choose how
they engage with your
cause could increase
participation rates.
Look beyond
traditional giving
options, toward unique
volunteer, advocacy or
ambassador choices.
Corporations and their
employees are more
likely to participate in
programs where they
can see tangible
results from their
actions. Ensure that
measurable outcomes
are built-in to any
employee engagement
strategy or specific
opportunity.
Employee engagement
rates could increase by
more than 50% if
employees are
incentivized for their
actions.
Financial incentives,
recognition events,
prizes, certificates,
team awards or simple
rewards like gift cards
or even a special t-
shirt have been
effective in heightening
employee activation
around a cause.
Employees want to
hear about
engagement options
regularly. A quarterly
e-newsletter is a great
way to keep them
updated.
Employees enjoy
updates on how
campaigns are going
while they are
happening. Consistent
weekly updates are
most effective through
a variety of mediums.
Employees are perhaps
most interested in
communications about
what impact their
actions had on your
mission.
12. TREND FIVE:
Peer-to-Peer Connections
Peer-to-Peer events (your traditional runs, walks, rides) have been popular and
growing for over a decade. We see the type of interaction that these platforms
provide as a big trend for the new year, and expect they will manifest through
different mediums. With the growth of social gaming, ride-sharing and
crowdfunding, it proves to us that despite technology, people still seek out people –
online or offline. They want experiences that connect them to others.
Whether it’s an in-person 5k for breast cancer, a Walking club for heart disease, or an
online social game that attracts millions of women and children each year, they all
have one thing in common – peer-to-peer connections. Corporations are drawn to
people (that’s their consumer!). They increasingly are seeking experiential
opportunities to connect with them as a brand, and connect their consumers to each
other.
5
13. TREND APPLICATION:
Peer-to-Peer Connections
1 Humble Beginnings
Each movement started as a
dare, bet, idea or challenge
amongst a few friends as a
way to give back to a cause
they were passionate about.
2 Connectivity
Various events, social
media applications and
forums have been
developed to keep their
supporters connected and
communicating.
3 Differentiating
Each movement has a
unique call-to-action
activity that differentiates it
from any other cause or
event in the marketplace.
4 Accessibility
The call-to-action activity is easy
and accessible for various genders
and age groups. While each have a
concentrated campaign timeframe,
participants can also activate
year-round
5 Scope
These industry-leading
movements engage people
from around the globe, on
every continent, and in no
less than 20 countries
worldwide.
$115M
r a i s e d i n 2 0 1 4
$74M+
r a i s e d i n 2 0 1 4
$38.9M
r a i s e d i n 2 0 1 4
7 2 0 , 0 0 0 +
p a r t i c i p a n t s
2 1 c o u n t r i e s
28 million people
e n g a g e d
N e a r l y e v e r y
country in the
w o r l d
4 5 5 , 0 0 0 +
p a r t i c i p a n t s
2 2 c o u n t r i e s
S u m m e r N o v e m b e r M a r c h
COMMON ATTRIBUTES
14. TREND SIX:
Emerging Industry Categories
Certain industries are growing at record rates, and will provide immense
opportunities for cause alliances in 2015. These emerging industries include:
- Sharing Economy Companies (i.e. Brands like Uber, Airbnb, Taskrabbit, Waze)
- Activewear (With traditional clothing brands like Forever 21, H&M and the Gap
branching out into activewear and sports apparel lines)
- Wearables (i.e. Sony Smartband, Jawbone Up24, Nike Fuelband, FitBit)
- E-Commerce Goes Brick-and-Mortar (i.e. Bonobos, Birch Box, Rent the Runway)
- Renewable Energy (With brands like Apple, Motorola and the LEGO Group
committing to using renewable energies for production)
- Consumer Healthcare (with dedicated Consumer Healthcare departments at
brands like GSK, Pfizer, Sanofi and Johnson & Johnson)
6
15. TREND APPLICATION:
Emerging Industry Categories
STANDOUT PARTNERSHIPS FROM 2014
(click on video to view program details and impact) (click on video to view program details and impact)
Key Program Elements:
• In-app Integration
• Event Fundraising
• Rider Donation
• Corporate Donation
Key Program Elements:
• Sports Sponsorship Integration
• Event Activation & Public Relations
• Special Edition Product
• Corporate Donation Upon Purchase
16. TREND SEVEN:
International Expansion
A recent CFO research study found that 95% of U.S.-based companies expect to have
customers in at least two foreign countries over the next three years. Two-thirds
expect international markets to be among their company’s top priorities over that
same time frame. The U.S. government estimates two-thirds of the world’s purchasing
power are in foreign countries. From small and mid-size business to Fortune 500
companies, international expansion is a growing business trend for 2015 and beyond.
Cause marketers for NGOs might find this comforting. Now more than ever will
international nonprofits have the opportunity to build cause alliances in other
countries and expand their U.S.-based relationships worldwide. At the same time,
American consumers still demand community support remain local. The opportunity
for corporations to create mutiple layers of cause alliances that impact not only the
local market but the global audience through multiple partners should have causes
thinking differently about their pitch.
7
18. TREND EIGHT:
Relevant Impact
With the introduction and continued growth of benefit corporations like Tom’s, Warby
Parker and Ben & Jerry’s (recently B-Corporation certified), consumers are now
conditioned to expect measureable impact as a return for their purchases. Most
nonprofit organizations have followed suit and are now crafting clear impact
statistics that communicate their mission. We all know that $1 may help to give one
full day of water to 10 children in Africa, for example. However, now that we are all
statistically-rich, a question arises: “How do we differentiate our impact messaging
from others and establish relevancy for the average donor or corporation?”
Going beyond what that $1 provides, and communicating how that impact is
personally relevant to an individual (or corporation) will elevate engagement levels.
Individual donors gravitate toward and appreciate the connection between action,
impact and relevancy, while corporate partners consider it a “must-have” quality of a
long-term nonprofit partner.
8
19. TREND APPLICATION:
Relevant Impact
IMPACT RELEVANT IMPACT
1 in 5 kids in America
struggles with Hunger.
2.5 billion people around
the world do not have
access to adequate
sanitation.
Every year
approximately 8 million
people die from cancer
worldwide.
There could be 6 kids struggling
with Hunger in your child’s
classroom each day.
For every person watching the
Super Bowl right now, there are 5
people in the world without
access to clean water.
Three times the amount of
people that sit in traffic in Los
Angeles each day will die from
cancer this year worldwide.
20. TREND NINE:
Franchise Growth
Franchise corporations have long been great supporters of nonprofit causes. From
McDonald’s to Dairy Queen, Subway to Jiffy Lube, franchisees have stepped up to
raise millions of dollars for a variety of causes that support communities on a very
local level. From a business perspective, franchisee models are growing. Unexpected
categories like healthy fast food, fitness & wellness and childhood enrichment
franchisees are on the rise. With growing footprints that rival well-established
franchisee corporations, these categories provide interesting opportunities for
national and local cause alliances. Here are a few stand-outs:
PureBarre – 228 franchisees Minds Ahead Academy – 611 franchisees
Fit4Mom – 245 franchisees Bricks4Kidz – 556 franchisees
9Round – 141 franchisees Fastrac Kids International – 265 franchisees
9
21. TREND APPLICATION:
Franchise Growth
STRATEGIC BEST PRACTICES
NATIONAL
LOCAL
• Focused philanthropic giving guidelines
• Right-fit national nonprofit partners
• Framework of mission-focused
opportunities nationwide
• Marketing and PR strategy that
supports overall philanthropic efforts
• Right-fit local nonprofit partners that align with national giving
guidelines and support direct community impact
• Employee engagement opportunities throughout community
22. TREND TEN:
User-Generated Content
In the age of social media, everyone is a content producer – your neighbor, sister or
boss. Whether it’s fact or fiction, we like to offer our opinions, stories and advice to
our friends, family members and even our favorite causes. While a few years ago,
nonprofit organizations were skeptical and weary of user-generated content (UGC),
we are now seeing the industry embrace it as a branding tool that can actually fuel
fundraising.
UGC is a strong form of constituent engagement, and while it has to be carefully
monitored, it can become shared and monetized if procured carefully. In 2015, we look
to nonprofit organizations to infuse this marketing tactic into their corporate
partnerships as a way to engage their constituents.
10
23. TREND APPLICATION:
User-Generated Content
PERSONAL CONNECTION
EASE OF ENGAGEMENT
AUTHENTICITY
PEER-TO-PEER CONNECTION
REDEFINES “VOLUNTEER”
If individuals are offered a hands-on opportunity to engage with your
cause, they are automatically connected to your mission on a personal
level.
Whether it’s your mission or a specific campaign, user-generated content
provides a quick, flexible and easy way for individuals to participate.
Individuals are more likely to produce and share content when it is
authentically requested from an organization, corporation or their friends
or family members.
Social platforms used to capture and share user-generated content
innately facilitate peer-to-peer connections between family members,
friends and colleagues.
Encouraging individuals to lend their voice on behalf of your cause is
helping to redefine a nonprofit organizations definition of what a
“volunteer” is, and how they can be leveraged to elevate mission,
branding and fundraising.
WHYITWORKS
24. SOURCES
Cisco Global Cloud Index: Forecast and Methodology,
2013-2018
Science Daily; Big Data: For Better or Worse
Harvard Business Review: Get the Most Out of Your Big
Data Initiative
NTEN: The State of Nonprofit Data
Deloitte: Global Human Capital Trends 2014
LGB Associates: Global Employee Engagement, Challenges
and Solutions
http://www.ALSA.org
http://www.us.Movember.com
ABOUT GOOD SCOUT
ScoutingGood: Interview with Mark Hedstrom, Movember
Foundation
http://www.StBaldricks.org
http://blog.uber.com/nokidhungry
https://jawbone.com/alliance
2014 Nielsen Global Survey on Corporate Social
Responsibility
Forbes; Corporate Social Responsibility: Should It Be A
Law?
http://www.nokidhungry.org/
http://www.one.org/us
http://www.cancer.org/
Good Scout is a social good consultancy that helps brands
take smart, impactful, and sustainable leaps in how they do a
greater good.
With offices in New York, Los Angeles, Dallas and Austin, Good
Scout harnesses the power of award-winning marketers who
have developed informed, innovative strategies for top-tier
causes and corporate brands including St. Jude Children’s
Research Hospital, The American Heart Association, Make-A-
Wish Foundation of America, Big Brothers Big Sisters of
America, 3M, Chili’s Grill & Bar, Nationwide Insurance and more.
Using our proprietary Cause Innovation tools, sessions and
processes, Good Scout ideates and fashions cause platform
campaigns, innovative corporate alliance promotions and
social responsibility brand-building strategies that propel,
ignite and maximize.
Ready to take on cause like never before? Good, Let’s Get
Going. For more information, visit www.goodscoutgroup.com.
GOOD SCOUT INSIGHTS
Every nonprofit organization has a story to tell. We fight
cancer, we feed the hungry, we shelter the homeless, we offer
mentoring, we provide basic human services for children and
families around the globe. And while those stories are deeply
meaningful, the impact of big data is changing the way we tell
those stories forever. Words and stories have evolved into
words and stories...and numbers. No longer can a nonprofit
talk about its mission in intangible, lofty terms. From securing
corporate partners to engaging new donors, today’s nonprofits
have to delve deep into organizational data and marketplace
trends to provide the outcomes that define impact, show
relevance and differentiate your nonprofit brand and cause
from all the others. That’s why Good Scout created our
Insights Division. Because you don’t just need a story...you
need a smarter story.
.
For questions or interest in Good Scout insights and general
trend consulting, contact:
Brittany Hill - Vice President, Research & Insights
brittany@goodscoutgroup.com @BrittanyHHill
