CAUSE MARKETING TODAY

July 2015

"If you think money can't buy happiness,
you're not spending it right".

This is the premise of Harvard Business School professor Michael Norton, a psychologist who studies the relationship between money and happiness and keynote speaker at CMF2015 this past May.

In study after study over the past 10 years, Professor Norton has found that individuals report no change in happiness after spending money on "stuff" for themselves (our typical spending behavior).

However, when asked to spend money on others, people universally report higher levels of happiness. This is true even for individuals living in poverty themselves, in virtually every country around the globe.

What does this mean for your work? Professor Norton has found:

Employees are happier when given an opportunity to donate. As contrasted to a traditional corporate philanthropy model where a company gives a lump sum to a charity, employees that are empowered to direct corporate donations report higher levels of satisfaction. Pushing the decision-making down to the individual level allows everyone to share in the happiness effect.

Consumers are, too. In a study with Crate & Barrel and DonorsChoose.org, consumers given a gift card to contribute to a project at a school of their choice were more frequent website visitors and more loyal customers than those who did not. Empowering customers to give returns dividends.

"Giving" isn't limited to charitable donations. In one experiment, sales teams that were given funds to spend on teammates produced a 5x return for the company. Teams given funds to spend on themselves showed a negative return. Spreading the wealth doesn't have to be overly formal.

Have your consumer or employee campaigns proved or disproved Professor Norton's research? We'd love to know. Drop me a line at dh@causemarketingforum.com

with your story!

And as Professor Norton says, "If you think money can't buy happiness, try giving some away and see what happens."

Sincerely,

P.S. For our Canadian friends, Professor Michael Norton will be delivering the keynote address for the second annual Companies & Causes Canada conference in Toronto in October. Check out the just-released program now!

JULY WEBINAR

JULY 29, 1:30pm ET

$99 or FREE to CMF Members

(not a member yet? Join today!)

Point of sale programs raise big bucks for good causes by tapping consumer generosity. The success of these campaigns has led to growing numbers of campaigns at cash registers across the country.

Are consumers growing wary of 'charity checkout' efforts?

Is there room for new players amidst the sea of long-standing nonprofit giants?

Join Good Scout Group's Maureen Carlson and Cause Marketing Forum's Megan Strand for an informative webinar that will highlight key findings of two important industry reports examining this tactic from a variety of angles.

AUGUST WEBINAR

Putting Crowdfunding at the Heart of Cause Marketing: Sports Matter by DICK'S Sporting Goods

AUGUST 26, 1:30pm ET

$99 or FREE to CMF Members

(not a member yet? Join today!)

In 2014, DICK'S Sporting Goods announced a $25 million, two-year commitment to youth sports in the United States. At the heart of this effort: a crowdfunding platform which allowed the most at-risk teams a tool to mobilize their networks and earn matching donations. DICK'S energized the movement by leveraging many of its corporate assets and channels from TV spots on ESPN to celebrity social media outreach, PR to employee engagement, vendor relationships to live events.

Join us to hear from Elizabeth Baran with DICK'S Sporting Goods Foundation, and Grant Garrison with GOODcorps, as they share lessons learned from Sports Matter and how those lessons have informed year two of the program, which goes live in early August.