Businesspeople who mix cause and commerce are often portrayed as sinners or saints: Either they are heartless, opportunistic corporate "causewashers" cynically exploiting nonprofits to make a buck, or they are visionary social entrepreneurs for whom conducting trade is just a necessary evil in their quest to create a better world. Instead of black and white, the intersection of doing well and doing good is painted many shades of gray. Over the past 30 years, corporations have created numerous programs that generate significant resources for nonprofit partners while achieving business objectives. Stadiums could be filled with all the social entrepreneurs who've learned the hard way that a commitment to "doing the right thing" alone is not enough to guarantee commercial viability. Whether one works for a Fortune 500 behemoth or a start-up, cause marketing requires a delicate balancing act between what it takes to generate financial and social dividends. Cause marketing is not a panacea, but for many businesses it can yield tremendous returns. For many businesspeople, it can add tremendous personal satisfaction to a job well done. This is a cause MARKETING book, not a CSR treatise. It is meant for businesspeople who want their work to generate positive social impacts, but need to produce bottom line business results. Written in a practical, "were in this together" style, it makes the case that purpose-driven marketing has moved from a "nice to do" to a "must do" for businesses that want to thrive in today's marketplace.
