Cause-Related Marketing to Change the World

JointWinWin started as an idea several years ago. This idea rattled around in my head and was summed up by the following one liner:

"To make a charitable donation an integral part of a commercial transaction"

It was all about Business Giving Back, indeed this was the name I originally was going to go with but after a lot of brainstorming and idea evolution, I settled on the name JointWinWin (long story…)

The one liner above which is at the heart of the site has also changed to reflect a consumer’s point of view:

"Whatever, whenever, wherever YOU buy, YOU make a difference"

Why didn’t it launch sooner?

You may be thinking why I hadn’t launched this idea sooner given I had it a good few years back. Good question. Looking back there are a number of reasons, not the least of which was "fear" on my part. I knew how big this was and how much of an undertaking it would turn out to be. As a result I meandered hither and tither on a number of online projects before finally getting around to it.

The tipping point for getting JointWinWin launched was when I read a book called "The Art of the Start" by Guy Kawasaki in November 2007. In it a line resonated with me: "…It’s not how great you start, but how great you end up".

This finally got me to thinking, the time was right.

It’s taken a lot of hard work since then to get to this point (I have a day job as well I am very busy with and thoroughly enjoy) and I hope we are now at the point where echoed by the famous quote by Victor Hugo:

"Greater than the tread of mighty armies is an idea whose time has come…"

How does it work?

At the heart of JointWinWin.com is a business directory. JointWinWin businesses agree to a number of business best practices and a code of ethics but the fundamental requirement a JointWinWin business must agree to is to donate a minimum of 0.8% of their gross revenue to a legitimate charity.

In so doing, this is how anyone who buys from a JointWinWin business is changing the world one purchase at a time.

Or put another way:

Whatever, whenever, whereever YOU buy, YOU make a difference!

As you might have gathered from the website name, JointWinWin is all about "win-win business", on each detailed listing page of a JointWinWin business consumers can find a special offers section. Each listed business will have a special offer for JointWinWin visitors so not only is the directory a great business to business (B2B) resource but also a business to consumer (B2C) portal.

So businesses win in a number of ways, for example:

Increased sales
More customers
Happier Customers

and consumers benefit as well from

Special offers/Discounts/Bargains
Peace of mind buying from ethical companies
Satisfaction knowing each purchase is making a difference

I like to think of the idea as an innovative approach to cause-related marketing and corporate social responsibility. It’s not just a single cause which will benefit but a myriad of good causes with each business deciding how to allocate the monies they raise themselves.

Individuals can also create listings in the directory in a special "NonBusinessListings" category, these listings can act as a hub for all of your personal charitable efforts too.

Monies Raised

Toward the top left hand corner of every page there is a section called "Total Raised". This will give the headline total of how much money has been raised by JointWinWin businesses to date. First goal is to see this total hit the $1M as soon as possible, after that, the sky is the limit…

Monies raised by individuals will be reported upon in a separate fashion but we may also combine the totals (bigger totals mean better PR!).

Deal of the Day

One of the primary features JointWinWin will provide to consumers is a simple way to keep up to date with the newest and best deals coming from JointWinWin. As a consumer you can subscribe to the Deal of the Day via RSS or email – check the links in the "Special Offers" section on the right hand side of any page.

The frequency of the communications will eventually be daily as and when enough businesses have joined up for a regular daily feed to be viable.

Business Growth Strategies

If you’re a business owner or entrepreneur, there’s even more "win-wins" available to you. In the "Business Growth" section, this blog "The JointWinWin Journal" can be subscribed to and will provide regular strategies/tactics to help you and your business grow. There is also an email subscription service you can join here which will cover the same subject matter as well as deliver extra tips and information which are not publicly available through RSS syndication.

Far from finished

Referring back to Guy Kawasaki’s inspirational, "…It’s not how great you start…"

With this in mind, I am putting JointWinWin out for the world to see and looking for your comments and feedback as it’s far from finished. There’s still so much to do so please bear with me as I put all the pieces together.

What Next?

Right now, the site is fully functional – it may be a bit rough around the edges but it is good to go. So if you have a business and you’d like to help change the world – you can register here and submit your free listings. Bear in mind though, you must also agree to the JointWinWin terms and conditions found here.

This is a website a long time in the making and I sincerely ask for your input to improve it so together, we can make a difference and change the world for the better.

Let me know your thoughts, your advice is welcome – click here.

Wishing you the best of success,

Tom O’Brien

Editor

JointWinWin.com

PS – This post has served as a simple introduction to JointWinWin, for more information, please visit the ever growing JointWinWin FAQ

PPS – More information on how to use JointWinWin and what it’s all about will be coming very soon. This includes an introductory video found here (the link should be live within 24 hours of this post hitting the airwaves)

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