In the last four days that I’ve been back in the states I’ve had to pay for bags three times (at CVS, Ikea and Trader Joe’s). It’s a surprising and welcome development, particularly as I’m not in California or Boulder, but in Washington, D.C. My reaction to the pay-for-bag-system has also evolved in step with [...]
When I talk about the benefits of building a business with a social mission, consumer support and loyalty come up a lot. One of the rewards of being a socially driven company is that consumers like to buy from you and will often take it upon themselves to share your mission with others. A new [...]
Imagine frequenting your local coffee or sandwich joint and receiving said item on your tenth visit. Imagine being rewarded with a free trip from Boulder to Boston after choosing Continental for 100,000 air miles worth of travel. Easy, these customer loyalty programs have been around for a while, working seemingly well for both high-margin and [...]
Are you letting me know why I should make a donation, sign a petition, cast a vote or buy what you’re selling? It’s an obvious statement, but one that’s not always executed on, despite perception. Kiva.org has faciliated more than $100 million in loans in a few short years. Really outstanding, except it could be [...]
Your next pair of Levi’s might come with a clothesline or shoebox-sized dryer. After a recent lifecycle assessment, Levi’s realized that 60% of the climate impact of a pair of jeans comes after the jeans are made and sold; nearly 80% of this is from drying the jeans in a dryer. The presumed and easy [...]
“If you’re not scared by what you’re revealing, than you’re not being transparent enough” –Jeffrey Hollender, Seventh Generation If real transparency is scary, why create it? Like with most things that bring real value (and take real effort), there are several benefits of having a glass-walled company. A note before the benefits: transparency isn’t a [...]
Smart business talk today revolves around meeting stakeholder interests. But it can be daunting for companies to do that. Whereas before they were primary liable to shareholders, they’re now pressed to satisfy consumer demands for products that are sustainable as well as affordable and durable; they’re expected to take the environment and the community and [...]
It turns out customers are paying a lot of attention to the tizzy of cause marketing campaigns surrounding them. In fact, they are underwhelmed with information. Cone’s 2010 Nonprofit Marketing Trend Tracker shows yet another reason to report on your campaign or program results–because customers care. Astoundingly, not even half of consumers think companies and nonprofits [...]
In my view American Express should get a handshake for its new initiative, but many think a slap on the wrist is more deserving. American Express is offering 500 points to members of its rewards program for every hour they volunteer. The program is capped at 10,000 points or 20 hours per year and volunteers must choose [...]
If you give me an easy opportunity to do something good when I’m buying your product or even after I’ve taken it home, I’ll think better of you and I’ll likely share my positive feeling with the next person I come in contact with. I like to do good things. If your store gives me the [...]
I'm Olivia Khalili. I created Cause Capitalism to show you how to grow your business by incorporating a social mission. 
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