Experiential philanthropy

Even before taking office, the Obama administration began issuing a call to service, asking Americans to volunteer. A website was launched to connect people who could help to people who had needs (USAserve.org), and a YouTube message from Michelle Obama invited people to action on Martin Luther King Day. The spirit of participation also permeated the Inaugural Address.

I’ll spare you my reasons for thinking all of this was politically smart. But there are other reasons this push for volunteerism is the right message, at the right time. Chief among them: Simple economics.

Until very recently, many people have enjoyed a period of relative prosperity (some of it real, some of it an illusion). There has been a sense of overwhelming abundance, in which many people bought big houses, parked a couple or more cars in the driveway, and used plentiful paychecks or access to credit—or both—to fund a very nice lifestyle. Those paychecks often came from careers with big demands; consumers often had more money than free time. So, “charity” was often expressed in the form of a check or online contribution.

These days, many people are feeling a little less flush; they have tightened their belts, make purchase more cautiously, and many cannot donate as much as they did perhaps last year or two years ago... at least, in monetary terms.

Implications: Did you notice the general spirit--or shall I say, the "aura"--of people during the inaugural ceremonies this week? I offer no partisan remarks here… but I sensed that people from all walks of life and political persuasion seemed to have a sense of hope, optimism, and good will. Few people think the road ahead will be easy. But they seemed to feel ready for the trip, and prepared to carry their share of the load.

Another issue deserves consideration: In a fundamental switch from years past, consumers may have more time than money, in the near term. (Not that either is plentiful, mind you!) But in an economy where it might be difficult for some families to donate, financially, to the charities of their choice… it can be empowering to think they can still give, and at that, a gift perhaps more valuable than money: They can give of themselves.

I’ve said this before, but it bears repeating: In the wake of overwhelming abundance, and when people are in a back-to-basics frame of mind, “what I have” can become less important than “what I have done.” This is no less true where charity is concerned.

Cause marketing has always been an important part of a company’s public relations arsenal. But it might be time to revisit the motives and methods you use to engage consumers, where cause marketing is concerned. Is your company doing anything charitable… which might benefit from the manpower of your consumers, as much as from their financial gifts? (Think building for the homeless, racing for the cure, or reading to children at the local school or library.)

Here’s to a new era of doing well… by doing good.

Mike Anderson