Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation for Childhood Cancer

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By: Alicia Kelso
11/1/2011

Fall typically marks the kickoff to charitable fundraising season and the restaurant industry has been a major player in helping a variety of causes, from hunger relief to breast cancer to literacy.

While these efforts are noble, it's also important for a brand to choose a cause that resonates with its customer base and makes business sense. Doing so can equate to not only a bottom line boost, but also a reputational boost.

According to a blog by Alden Keene & Associates, a consulting group that serves both businesses and nonprofits, cause marketing can directly enhance sponsor sales; help the company's public image and distinguish it from the competition; build employee morale; and heighten customer loyalty.

So, how does a brand choose the right cause, get employees emotionally invested, excite customers and execute the campaign to positively impact the bottom line?

Choosing the right charitable partner

Auntie Anne's recently teamed up with Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation (ALSF), which raises money to fight childhood cancer, after franchise partners and corporate associates went through a collaborative process to determine a beneficiary that best resonated with the brand.

Bill Dunn, president and COO of Auntie Anne's, said the company was founded with a mission of giving, which has made it easier to get employees and franchisees on board. The process to identify the appropriate national partner involved the corporate office, franchise partners and Auntie Anne's agency, The Richards Group.

"Our research was extensive and based around our demographic, which is largely moms. Keeping that in mind, the pediatric cause category resonates throughout our entire system and with our customers, so that's where we started," Dunn said.

Auntie Anne's then picked the top three organizations that fit this designation criteria and conducted in-person interviews with them. The company presented the research to its franchisees and gained their feedback. Dunn said the process was thorough and took about a year.

Although Jersey Mike's Subs' franchisees have been partnering with the Susan G. Komen for the Cure for the past several years, the chain launched its first national initiative in May.

Like Auntie Anne's, Jersey Mike's charitable work is part of the company's mission statement. Unlike Auntie Anne's, however, the sub chain's objective was to appeal to non-core customers.

"We saw this was a wonderful fit and an opportunity to attract more women to our stores and broaden our consumer base," said Rich Hope, chief marketing officer at Jersey Mike's. "It's also been a beneficial partnership for Komen which was very interested in reaching our male customers with the message that they need to open a dialogue about breast cancer with their wives, mothers, sisters, daughters, etc."

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