Cause-related marketing offers value.

It's a given that cause-related marketing can be a great source of funding for nonprofits, but it can reap big benefits for ag businesses, too, in terms of profit and perception.

With today's challenging economic conditions, many nonprofits are looking for ways to expand their funding base by forming alliances with sponsors.

However, the benefits for business can be even more far-reaching including increased sales and enhanced image that advertising alone can't provide.

Corporations are finding that many of today's consumers (and producers ARE consumers) want to buy brands that are reflective of their personal values. An October 2001 study by Cone, Inc., a marketing communications agency owned by Omnicom, revealed that 81% of respondents would be likely to switch brands if the other brand were associated with a good cause.

Brand Benefits (2003/04) an extensive two-part study investigating the impact of cause-related marketing reported that when surveyed customers were aware of a given company's cause-related marketing efforts, they consistently rated the company more highly in the categories of trust, endorsement, bonding and innovation. Corporate citizenship practices are more important to consumer impressions than brand reputation or financial factors, according to an international survey cited in a 2002 paper on corporate citizenship by Arthur D. Little, Limited.

Consider making a personal connection with your producer customers through a cause-related marketing alliance. It'll benefit more than just the bottom line.