I’m delighted to share this guest blog entry by Joe Waters of Selfishgiving.com. Joe, Maureen Carlson and I will lead the Hospital Corporate Development Summit at the Cause Marketing Forum’s annual Conference in Chicago on June 2, 2010.

The doctor is in!

Many hospitals are leaders in cause marketing. Here in Boston Dana- Farber, Children’s Hospital and Boston Medical lead the charge. Nationally, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, City of Hope and the Children’s Miracle Network raise tens of millions of dollars each year. But many hospitals, large and small, never even try cause marketing.

Here are eight reasons why your hospital is sick not to give cause marketing a try this year.

Hospitals have a perfect emotional message. Sick children. Sick women. Poor, sick people. Sick people without insurance. Sick, old people. Moms with cancer. All of these messages are emotional hot buttons that will resonate with consumers in a cause marketing campaign. Indeed, some of the most successful cause marketing campaigns ever have involved hospitals. Right here in Boston, Stop & Shop Supermarkets has raised $40 million for The Jimmy Fund, the fundraising arm of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.

Hospitals have good name recognition and credibility. People want to support causes they know and trust. While not every hospital enjoys great credibility, most are well known and won’t have to jump the hurdle of anonymity and suspicion most nonprofits face at the register.

Patients just aren’t donors, they’re business owners. Most hospitals rely on grateful patients with capacity–wealthy hospital alumni–for support. This is the #1 way most hospitals raise money. But they’re missing an opportunity by not capitalizing on the businesses these donors own and run by introducing them to cause marketing. Not only could they raise more money, but they could deepen their relationships with donors and share their message with a much larger network of potential supporters.

Vendors are an untapped resource. Many hospitals understandably have mixed feelings about asking vendors for money, but what asking for an introduction to a potential cause marketing partner? Vendors have opened doors for me to other companies and even ones within their own. While my hospital’s relationship with Staples several years back was B-to-B–they were my hospital’s office products supplier–our lead account manager introduced me to the Staples retail marketing team and we struck a cause marketing deal, from which we raised over $200,00o. In short, hospital vendors are a great place to start networking for a cause marketing partner.

Hospitals have good events to leverage. If you read my blog you know that I leverage the events my team organize to incentive cause marketing partners. Do a cause marketing program, hit your goal, you get an extra sponsorship here, a foursome at this golf tournament, etc. I haven’t talked to a hospital yet that didn’t have good events to help ensure their cause marketing success.

Hospitals have a large, educated workforce. Like events, a hospital’s workforce can be a huge asset to a partnership. We have 6,000 employees at BMC and we frequently let corporate partners access to them as part of our partnership. Not many nonprofits have this asset in their corner.

Hospitals can be more nimble with messaging. While a lot of hospitals are solely focused on healthcare, many more offer special services that give partners options for cause marketing campaigns. For example, at my hospital we’ve done campaigns hungry children because we have a food pantry. We’ve done campaigns to help kids with non-medical items like coats, eyeglasses and prescriptions because we have the Kids Fund. We’ve done campaigns to help kids with HIV because we have the SPARK Center. Having more than one thing on the menu means we have more to offer partners that may have interests beyond healthcare.

Hospitals can afford to invest cause marketing. I’ve met hospitals with small development teams and hospitals with large staffs that raise tens of millions of dollars. But what they have in common is no cause marketing team (notice that I said team, not person!). I’m often surprised when people ask me how my hospital, a safety-net hospital at that, could have a cause marketing team.

I remind people that while we’re not the biggest hospital in Boston, or the most well known, we’re still a billion dollar organization. If we can’t do it, who can?

While your hospital may not be as big as mine, I suspect you’re better and more capable than you think. And you now have eight good reasons to try cause marketing.

So, what’s the hold up? The doctor has spoken!

It seems that the days of conspicuous consumption have gone by the wayside. Even for those not affected by the economic recession (who would that be?), it’s just not as fashionable to spend money as it once was, nor as pleasurable. In fact, it can be downright shameful.

Consulting powerhouse Bain & Company calls it “shoppers guilt” in their recently released “Luxury Goods Worldwide Market” annual study. In short, our guilt about spending in this negative economy is having a negative effect on the economy.

The Wall Street Journal recently surveyed the landscape and noted how many luxury retailers are rethinking their strategies for selling high-end products this year. A consistent theme emerged among many, that purchases tied to a cause seemed to be an effective way for retailers to overcome the guilt barrier.

The benefits of a cause marketing promotion are numerous; helping worthy causes, fostering corporate social responsibility, broadening brand exposure and awareness, and increasing sales for the companies who support these campaigns. But here’s another genuinely valuable reason to support cause marketing – it’s good for the economy!

The good news is that shopping to support a cause has never been easier. Cause marketing campaigns abound in retailers nationwide. Get yourself or a loved one a great piece of jewelry this holiday season while supporting children’s charities through the Jewelers for Children program in jewelry retailers nationwide. Retailers such as Williams Sonoma, Brooks Brothers and Target can help take away some of your shopping guilt by making your purchase count towards saving lives through St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital’s Thanks & Giving campaign.  And while you’re out changing the world one guilt-free purchase at a time, stop in at the Cheesecake Factory and reward yourself with a piece of “Stefanie’s Ultimate Red Velvet Cake Cheesecake™” to benefit Feeding America.

Because what we should all really feel guilty about is feeling guilty about shopping. It’s not doing anyone any good, especially our economy. So go out there and shop…conspicuously! And do someone some good while you’re at it – yourself, a cause you care about, and our economy – all at the same time. How’s that for guilt-free shopping?

Finding unique gifts for everyone on your list this year is an ambitious task, but giving non-traditional gifts through a charitable organization is a great place to start.

Philips McCarty, president of the nonprofit marketing consultancy Cause Innovation, believes innovative giving is an easy, beneficial option. “Unique charity gifts abound this year. After a challenging economic year, it’s a good time to think about the quality of the gifts we’re giving while remaining smart about budgets. A small donation to a charity can have a tremendous impact in the lives of so many people.”

Consider these creative ways to give back this year:

• Give a gift that can make a difference for future generations.  Heifer International (www.heifer.org), a pioneer of alternative giving, has distributed “The Most Important Gift Catalog in the World” for over 25 years. “Most people have no idea what a $20 donation for a flock of geese or $60 for a trio of rabbits can mean to a family. It not only provides them with needed income, but also provides for education and health care,” explains Joedy Isert, Director of Communication & Brand for Heifer International.

• Honor your boss or other mentors in your life by offering guidance to the future leaders. Big Brothers Big Sisters of America (www.bigbrothersbigsisters.org) is the largest mentoring organization in the U.S. While volunteers are always needed, there are many costs in making a match for a Big and a Little. A monetary contribution goes a long way.  Honor your mentor with a tribute while giving the gift of mentoring to a young person.

• Contribute symbolically. Find retailers offering ways to give back that don’t impact your checkbook. Macy’s will donate $1 (up to $1 million) to the Make-A-Wish Foundation® (www.wish.org) each time a letter is mailed to Santa at any Macy’s store nationwide. “We have opportunities to give back on any budget.” says Kathy Forshey, Vice President of Marketing & Corporate Alliances for Make-A-Wish Foundation of America. “People can donate frequent flyer miles, send a holiday e-card, or even support a special wish through our Adopt-A-Wish® program.”

• Technology makes giving even easier. You can text a donation to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital or add a donation to your purchase at any of the fifty companies sponsoring St. Jude’s Thanks & Giving® campaign. Visit www.tg.stjude.org/partners for a list of the sponsors. Kraft Foods is partnering with Feeding America (www.feedingamerica.org) on the Recipe for Joy campaign. For every e-card sent from www.kraftrecipeforjoy.com by Dec. 31, ten meals will be donated to Feeding America (up to 1 million meals).

McCarty adds, “Fortunately, finding ways to give this holiday season is simple. You can integrate charitable giving into your holiday shopping through cause marketing. For those on a budget, adding a small donation at checkout or purchasing something that gives back is simple, yet impactful.”