charity

A few years after college, I took a position as a sales engineer. After one customer visit with no result, my boss queried, “Did you ask for the order?” In fact, just about every sales coaching book reminds new salespeople of the importance of asking for the order when the time is right. Similarly, solicitors for non-profits know how important it is to ask for the donation rather than simply providing the opportunity for the donor to do the right thing.

Charity seems to be plagued by copycat ideas at the moment. The Fashion Targets Breast Cancer model has been copied by one and all to varying degrees of success. The music and concert model that Rays of Sunshine have used so powerfully is now used by multiple charities. It is about time somebody came up with something more imaginative.

A viral video focused on a woman's boobs jiggling as she walks through a crowd around a pool has been making headlines, not because it's crude or exploitative, but rather because it's crude and exploitative for a good cause.

by: Jennifer Rice

I was recently interviewed for Gennefer Snowfield’s Philanthropy In 5 series at TriplePundit.com on the subject of values-based business and aligning philanthropy with strategy. The article just ran today, and I’ll republish my responses here.

1. How do you define for-profit philanthropy?

by: Roger Dooley

There’s more proof that the hormone oxytocin is an important factor in
our social behavior. Previously, the brain chemical was shown to be
associated with trust (see Building Trust: Chemical Neuromarketing).
Now, researcher Paul Zak, a professor of economics and director of the
Center for Neuroeconomics Studies at Claremont Graduate University in

by: Roger Dooley

Often, neuromarketing and neuroeconomic research seems to mostly confirm what we already knew, but a study at the University of Oregon produced results that are counter to what one might expect: rather than activating pain centers in the brain, paying taxes activates reward centers - the same areas of the brain that fire in response to food and social interaction.

by: Roger Dooley

By: Stefan Kolle 

Several initiatives to do some real world good by using the virtual world of gaming struck my eye today.