Tom’s of Maine is a stalwart supporter of good causes, including water-related ones, and I use their products myself. Particularly their “not sickly sweet” toothpaste. They running one of those “vote for your favorite cause” donation drives, and they’ll give $20,000 to the five charities that get the most votes.
Is there a name for this kind of corporate philanthropy? Seems like it ought to have one.
Anyway — I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: This type of activity will become a mainstay of corporate philanthropy. Businesses want to be recognized for doing good deeds, and with this type of activity, they know exactly how much recognition they get. Organizations that can rapidly mobilize lots of supporters online — via email, Facebook, Twitter, whatever, will be the ones that take home the cash.
Groups whose primary contact with supporters is via the mail will lose out — it’s too slow, it’s too expensive, and the number of people who will actually visit a website after getting a letter is very small.
This time around I voted for the Kootenai Environmental Alliance, because they asked me to. If they win one of Tom’s of Maine’s grants, they’ll use it to create a community garden and “demonstrate drought-tolerant and water-wise crops and techniques.”
Click here to vote for the good cause of your choice! And thanks, Tom’s of Maine, for being such a good friend to us over the years.
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Tom’s is very generous! They donated dozens of tubes of toothpaste for Christmas Stockings for Our Troops last year.
I love this grant program and have voted for five of my top faves, each of which has a long-term goal, brings in lots of volunteers, and has far-reaching implications for the betterment of the community. I especially love the one in Pennsylvania, which proposes to turn a vacant lot into an outdoor classroom, rain garden and community meeting place. Woohoo, sounds like something I need to do here in Springfield, Vermont! Maybe I can find a good spot and make my own application to Tom’s next year.
Kelly
Thanks for the vote, thanks for the shout-out, and thanks for the support. You can vote every day, you know!
Yes, there probably should be a word for this type of vote-for-a-cause efforts. It’s tough on a small N. Idaho non-profits to compete — small membership in a state that isn’t particularly well-wired. Still, we’re happy for the opportunity to get the word out, even if nothing else comes of it.