How Sponsorship and Cause Marketing Can Benefit Your Small Business

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As a small business owner, you have a responsibility to the community. Apart from providing goods and services, you also have to give back to those that cannot fend for themselves. You can effectively assist those in poverty either through sponsorship or cause marketing.

How Sponsorship Works

With sponsorship, your firm donates directly to a nonprofit firm that organizes a community event. The nonprofit then uses its marketing team to let the public know that you contributed to the community affair. As a result, your firm has less control over what’s said about it.

In addition, before sponsoring an event, you have to align yourself with the nonprofit. You have no control over the idea, but you can decide whether or not you want to support it. Luckily, in most situations, the nonprofit’s idea aligns with your firm’s main objectives.

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Advantages of Sponsorship for the Nonprofit Organization

  • Since nonprofits are created to benefit the community, funding is usually a problem. By getting sponsors, the nonprofit gets the money that it desperately needs to organize the charity event.
  • Sponsorship also prevents the nonprofit from collapsing due to lack of money. The money received can also be used to fund the nonprofit’s operations.

Advantages of Sponsorship for Your Business

  • The nonprofit markets your brand on your behalf; hence, reducing your advertising costs.
  • Since nonprofits are well connected with the community, sponsorship increases your brand’s reach and recognition.

How Cause Marketing Works

With cause marketing, you partner with a nonprofit to champion a noble cause. However, unlike sponsorship, your firm uses its resources to market the cause and your brand with the main aim of increasing sales for your products.

Here, you align yourself with the idea that’s closely related to your firm’s overall objectives before embarking on a cause marketing campaign. Since it’s a direct partnership, both you and the nonprofit have a say in the cause’s main idea.

Advantages of Cause Marketing for the Nonprofit

  • It enables the nonprofit to use your marketing resources to notify the public about the charity event.
  • Since the community event is likely to receive wide media coverage, cause marketing will improve the image of the nonprofit and lead to more donors pledging their support for the organization.

Advantages of Cause Marketing for Your Business

  • Since cause marketing involves direct participation of your business to the cause, it boosts your employees’ morale. They feel like they are part of something bigger than themselves.
  • It improves your overall sales since customers will associate your brand with the cause and purchase from their hearts.

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Cause marketing and sponsorship benefit both your small business and the charitable organization by increasing exposure. Both campaigns can help you increase your sales and assist the charitable organization to get more donors.

Moving? Chicago Non-Profits That Accept Donations of Household Goods

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Suppose that your kitchen and house is filled with outdated appliances that you no longer use. Or perhaps you are moving to another neighborhood or out of the local Chicago area. Or maybe you are looking to downsize and declutter your house. Regardless of your situation, if you have things you want to get rid of, of there are a variety of non-profits in Chicago area that accept donations of small and large household items.

When moving, Cheap Chicago Movers (cheapchicagomovers.net) says it is always better to discard unwanted or useless items in your current house.  Doing so will cut down on your moving costs and make moving into your new home easier. However, you should refrain from just tossing these items in the trash, where they will be destroyed or occupy space in a landfill. In many cases, these items can be donated to an organization and can find some use in a new home.

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Habitat for Humanity

For example, The Chicagoland Habitat for Humanity collects household appliances for families in need throughout the Chicago area. Habitat for Humanity addresses the growing homeless population in the local area and helps to strengthen the local community by providing affordable housing to low-income individuals. Donations will either be resold or donated to a family in need and all proceeds are used to fund their programs.

Goodwill Industries in the Greater Chicago Area

The Goodwill in downtown Chicago will take some household items as long as they are not large appliances such as refrigerators or stoves. The Goodwill supports employment opportunities for those in need by providing job training programs and placement assistance. In most cases, the Goodwill will happily take your products and resell them to the public to fund their programs.

Salvation Army of the Greater Chicago Area

The Salvation Army of the Greater Chicago area services all of Chicago, Northern Illinois and parts of Indiana. They will come and pick up large household appliances, but smaller ones will need to be dropped off. The Salvation Army provides a variety of programs to the community, including housing, food and disaster assistance. They have a variety of retail stores in which they sell their items to fund their programs.

Vietnam Veterans of America

If you are interested in supporting veterans, then the Vietnam Veterans of America accepts large appliances. With this organization, you can schedule a home pick up of clothing and appliances. The money made from the sell of your products help fund programs for Vietnam veterans. They also receive donations from military bases, churches, businesses and other organizations.

Volunteers of America of Illinois

The Volunteers of America of Illinois collect all types of household products in an effort to provide housing, healthcare and other social justice programs for the Chicago area. They specialize in helping those most vulnerable in society including the elderly, former prison inmates, the disabled, the homeless and drug addicts.

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New beginnings mean that you should want to start fresh and not clutter your house with unused items. Some of the non-profits in Chicago could really appreciate some of your old household products and will even come out to your location to pick up items. So, if you want to get rid of some of those old appliances, why not consider donating to a 501(c)(s) non-profit in the local Chicago area. Not only will you receive a tax break, but you will also help the local community.

Chicago Organizations That Provide Pro Bono Legal Services

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There are several organizations in Chicago that provide pro bono legal services for those who can’t afford to hire a traditional Chicago law firm. If you need legal assistance, but are unable to pay, try contacting one of these Chicago-area charities:

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1. Chicago Legal Clinic Pro Bono Program

Chicago Legal Clinic provides the following case types: Guardianship, Wills and Estates, Torts, Real Estate, Public Benefits, Individual Rights, Immigration, Housing, Employment, Elder Law, Dissolution of Marriage, Consumer, Bankruptcy, and Adoption.

The legal services provided by this organization are:

  • Real Estate Law
  • Public Benefits
  • Personal Injury
  • Immigration Law
  • Family Law
  • Estate Planning
  • Employment Law
  • Elder Law
  • Divorce
  • Consumer Law
  • Civil Rights
  • Bankruptcy
  • Legal Services Provided

You can reach them through 773-731-1762 and their office is located at 2938 E 91st St, Chicago, IL 60617.

2. Cabrini Green Legal Aid Clinic

This organization provides the following case types: Income Maintenance, Family, Juvenile, Criminal, Termination of Parental Rights, Housing, Health, Domestic Violence, Dissolution of Marriage, Custody, Consumer, and Adoption.

For now, they have stopped handling criminal cases and they can assist anyone that has more than 2 felony convictions before. The legal services they provide are:

  • Real Estate Law
  • Public Benefits
  • Juvenile Law
  • Health Care Law
  • Family Law
  • Divorce
  • Criminal Law
  • Consumer Law
  • Legal Services Provided

You can reach them for inquiries or legal assistance on 312-738-2452, and their office is located at 704 N. Milwaukee, Chicago, IL 60642.

3. Legal Assistance Foundation of Metropolitan Chicago

Legal Assitance Foundation of Metropolitan Chicago handles the following case types: Termination of Parental Rights, Public Benefits, Individual Rights, Immigration, Housing, Health, Employment, Elder Law, Education, Domestic Violence, Dissolution of Marriage, Custody, Consumer, CED, Bankruptcy, and AIDS/HIV.

The legal services provided by the organization are:

  • Real Estate Law
  • Public Benefits
  • Municipal Law
  • Immigration Law
  • Health Care Law
  • Family Law
  • Employment Law
  • Elder Law
  • Education Law
  • Divorce
  • Criminal Law
  • Consumer Law
  • Civil Rights
  • Bankruptcy

You can reach them for enquiries or legal assistance through 312-341-1070, and their office is located at 120 S. LaSalle Ste 900, Chicago, IL 60603.

4. Civil Court Clinic

This legal organization handles the following case types: Domestic Violence, Dissolution of Marriage, and Custody. Their legal services are:

  • Family Law
  • Divorce
  • Criminal Law

You can reach them on 312-827-2420.

5. Chicago Volunteer Legal Services Foundation

This organization handles the following case types: Wills & Estates, Termination of Parental Rights, Real Estate, Public Benefits, Juvenile, Individual Rights, Immigration, Housing, Health, Employment, Elder Law, Education, Domestic Violence, Dissolution of Marriage, Custody, Consumer, CED, Bankruptcy, Adoption, and AIDS/HIV.

They offer the following legal services:

  • Real Estate Law
  • Public Benefits
  • Personal Injury
  • Municipal Law
  • Juvenile Law
  • Immigration Law
  • Health Care Law
  • Family Law
  • Estate Planning
  • Employment Law
  • Elder Law
  • Education Law
  • Divorce
  • Criminal Law
  • Consumer Law
  • Civil Rights
  • Bankruptcy

You can reach them on 312-332-1624 and their office is located at 33 North Dearborn Street, Suite 400, Chicago, IL 60602.

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