Late last year we released new research with Di Marzio Research that reveals - despite the turmoil in the economy created by COVID, rising unemployment and lockdowns - consumers are insisting that companies and brands do more to support causes

The research report entitled ‘The Conscious Consumer era arrives. Finally’ shows that almost half of Australians feel let down by corporates who are failing to meet their societal obligations, and 2 in 3 Australians believe that corporates should be doing more to solve societal problems in tough times.

During COVID consumers have reflected on the kind of world they want to live in, and realised that the most powerful weapons they have to create positive social change are their voices (through petitioning and campaigning on social media), and their wallets.

Almost half of Australians say they will switch from their normal brand to another brand if it supports a charity, and in the past year, one-third of Australians have actively boycotted a ...

You’d be hard pressed to find a more passionate advocate for Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) than Indeya Passfield, a savvy digital marketer.  Working for Fourth Wave Wines - an innovative company which combines modern brands with high-quality contemporary winemaking – Passfield says it’s also a commitment to CSR which motivates her and her colleagues.

“We do our best work when we are passionate about the cause - we are a company that sees the opportunity to be a part of the change. It’s about the future - helping and supporting others in the community. The people that work with us are talented, clever, and business-minded – and we all have a heart,” she says.

This motivation to give back and support causes is a driver for many Australian consumers of all ages according to new research ‘The Conscious Consumer Era arrives. Finally’. The report finds that 3 out of 4 Australian consumers believe corporates should partner with charities to solve social problems, and half say they w...

A much publicised and powerful partnership that got it right on so many levels, is Nestle’s KitKat and the R U OK? campaign. The alignment between a chocolate bar that is synonymous with ‘taking a break’ and a mental health organisation that encourages the question ‘R U OK?’ was a clever and very timely partnership, emerging at just the right time when the pandemic restrictions were causing severe havoc with many people’s mental health.

The campaign encouraged people to “have a chit chat,” with a positive impact.  Limited edition KitKat wrappers carried the RU OK? labelling, reminding Aussies to have a break and use the time to ask their friends and family “are you OK?”

Nestlé head of marketing confectionery Joyce Tan said: “As a brand, KitKat is synonymous with taking a break, whether it’s at work or at home, long or short, it’s important to take some time out. How that time is spent is also important, which is why we’re proud to partner with R U OK? and encourage people to use this...

If it feels like the sky is falling, purse those lips and get ready to kiss the stars. Because whether it is, or it isn’t, your response will create your reality.

Here we reveal more stats from the awesome McCrindle/Cint[1] research study addressing How Australians are responding to COVID-19 and our interpretation for changemakers.

If you want to understand business confidence, look to consumers. Their feelings, confidence and buying behaviours are excellent indicators of how quickly companies will bounce back.

In March, 45% of Australians were feeling anxious in response to the unfolding pandemic, but in June, interestingly, the amount of those feeling anxious fell to 38%. As we look to establish new societal norms, a sense of hope has increasingly returned (from 27% in March to 35% in June).

The biggest impact has been social - far above the financial, mental, or physical impact. 42% believe COVID-19 has negatively impacted them socially, while 28% have been negatively impacted f...

There’s always an opportunity on the other side of a crisis, it all depends where you look. A fascinating research study landed on my desk recently from McCrindle/Cint[1], addressing How Australians are responding to COVID-19.

Here’s my interpretation of the data as it relates to changemakers who are considering partnering with corporates. All stats are from the McCrindle research unless otherwise stated.

Whilst COVID-19 completely blind-sided almost everyone (aside from those in epidemiology) Australians have emerged resilient, generous, and for the most part, hopeful.

Unemployment – and underemployment[2] - has increased during COVID-19 from 5.2% in March to 6.2% in April (the latest stats show unemployment at 7.4% in June [3]).

Healthwise, older Australians are more at risk from the virus impacting their health. But it’s younger Australians who have felt it most economically - in terms of job losses, financial impact and mental health.

This means that for non-profits working wi...

I grew up in a family surrounded by a lot of woo woo.  My Auntie was a medium (tv fame no less) and every weekend as my dad drooled over the Page 3 girl in the Daily Mirror, my mum and I would salivate over the horoscope predictions.  When I entered the world of marketing & PR, I began to understand the role that data played in decision making, and I learned that just because you believe something, doesn’t make it true.  And then I met (and married) a hardened sceptic, so now I question everything!

There’s one thing that I know to be true however which, until now, hasn’t been proven.  It’s known as ‘gut feeling’ or ‘intuition’.  Ever since I started living independently at aged 16, I always consulted my gut on big life decisions.  It’s rarely betrayed me, aside from perhaps boys, but I blame hormones for that!

I’ve built ‘gut feel’ into several of my business processes and in some instances, it’s been met with a few raised eyebrows.  Although, if you’re going to employ a DoGoodologis...

We’re now two months into our program and I thought you might find it valuable for me to share some of the key takeaways I’ve learned whilst completing the Modules along with the students.

For those who don’t know, I (Georgia) have been the Chief Transitioner, bringing Hailey’s incredible tried & tested process into an online format.  I’ve been creating the ‘best practice’ outputs for each Module for the students to follow. Doing this has given me a deep and illuminating insight into how the process works and I've been able to share my personal experience (pitfalls and all) with the students before they begin each Module.

Here’s what I have to say about the first two exercises – the Intention and the SWOTA.

Intention

When changemakers decide to partner with corporates they tend to miss the first critical steps and jump right into prospecting…asking their Board for contacts (we’ve written about why this is not fruitful in our previous blog) or seeking out corporates that they think ...

The Board has legal obligations to ensure your organisation is fulfilling its purpose, remains solvent, meets obligations and will ultimately be responsible for dealing with any ramifications from a corporate partnership.  Therefore, it’s imperative that you have Board sign off prior to ‘going to market’.

In my experience many Board members, even those that have previously worked in the corporate sector, are not specialists in corporate partnerships and may not realise the complexities involved. It’s your job to educate them.

It’s vital to explain that it’s not as simple as providing their contacts for you to call, and it’s not about sending out 30 proposals on email.  When you negotiate a legally-binding agreement with a corporate partner it could ultimately impact your level of awareness (which in some instances, can put immense pressure on a service), provide access to new donors, set a precedent for how much you are willing to ‘lend’ your brand for and so on.

Here’s 3 things you...

Although the road ahead is going to be challenging, we all know that it’s vital that changemakers adopt an abundance mindset if they intend to pursue corporate partnerships. I’ve always thought it very strange that the For-Purpose sector defines itself by what it’s NOT – it’s why I prefer to use terms like ‘For Purpose’ and ‘Changemakers’ because Not For Profit just sounds so, well, demeaning.

Successful corporates and brands have a positive, can-do attitude, and innovation inevitably flows. A Collaboration, Big Picture Thinking, Risk Embracing approach is in their DNA. This is often called Abundance Thinking or the Abundance Mindset.

There’s a whole world of psychology behind this, and it’s fascinating. The opposite of Abundance Thinking is Scarcity Thinking. Bushfires, Corona and looming recession aside, what is typically your organisation’s culture and default thinking – is it Abundance or Scarcity?

Scarcity thinking creates a fear-based culture, prompting organisations to make h...

My favourite science communicator Carl Sagan once said “somewhere, something incredible is waiting to be known”.  Market research, a little like marketing & branding, is vital to corporates and brands but its often considered a luxury by non-profit management.

Non-profits, like companies, exist to solve a problem.  How can you solve a problem if you don’t understand it?  How do you enrol donors if you don’t understand their motivations?  And how do you make a compelling pitch to corporates without verifiable statistics to back up what you’re saying?

Corporates live and breathe market research, for them it’s a necessity not a nicety. Long gone are the days of expensive research, so there’s no excuse for NOT becoming a research ninja!

Research
A key element about doing research is to ensure that its conducted in a credible and professional manner (otherwise it won’t be taken seriously by management or indeed corporates).  If it’s what’s known as ‘quantitative research’[1]  there must ...