By: Mollye Rhea
This year’s back-to-school shopping season is more than just about pencils, notebooks and backpacks. A growing trend has emerged: consumers are increasingly demanding ethical and socially responsible brands. As a result, many companies are stepping up their game with back-to-school campaigns that not only promote their products but also give back to the community through nonprofit cause partnerships.
According to Harvard Business Review, Gen Z and Millennials, the primary demographic for back-to-school shopping, are 15% more likely than older generations to choose brands that prioritize humanity. This shift in consumer behavior has created a unique opportunity for nonprofits to raise vital funds. With the National Retail Federation predicting back-to-school spending to reach $38.8 billion, the second-highest on record, the potential for charitable contributions is substantial.
In this blog post, we’ll highlight some of the most innovative back-to-school cause campaigns that are making the grade. These brands are demonstrating that corporate social responsibility (CSR) can be a powerful tool for building brand loyalty, driving sales, and contributing to a better world.
Campaigns with Customer-Based Donations
These campaigns offer a portion of their sales during the B2S season to go toward their nonprofit collaborators. Some of our favorites are:
- Boys & Girls Clubs of America and over 20 Brand Partners: More than 20 partners have joined in Boys & Girls Clubs of America’s annual “Raise Your Hand” back-to-school campaign, which runs now through September. Newell Brands’ Sharpie and Paper Mate are a new partner. They recently announced an exciting multiyear partnership and pledged $1 Million to Boys & Girls Clubs of America to support arts programming to encourage creative expression, spark imagination and provide clubgoers with the tools to thrive in and out of the classroom. Additional “Raise Your Hand” partners include Adidas, Panda Restaurant Group, Shoe Carnival, T-Mobile and many others committed to raising funds to ensure students have the resources they need to excel in the upcoming school year.
- Lemonade and Pencils of Promise: Lemonade’s Giveback campaign asks customers to donate to nonprofits – including Pencils of Promise – after they sign up for insurance. Pencils of Promise is a nonprofit focused on giving quality education to children and will use the Lemonade donation to build a school in Ghana to help more than 200 children per year.
- JOANN and 4-H: JOANN stores are connecting more young people to experiences where they can learn by doing, creating & making. By providing local 4‑H Clubs with resources and tools to run impactful programs, JOANN brings the 4‑H experience to more kids in need. JOANN supports National 4‑H Council through a combination of customer donations and year-round sales with the JOANN 4‑H Rewards Card and custom 4‑H fabric.
- Macy’s and The Jed Foundation and the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI): Macy’s teamed up with these two non-profits for a campaign called Mission Every One campaign which helps provide resources to support mental health this school year. Through September 14, Macy’s pledged to match donations to these two non-profits with proceeds being split between both organizations. Find out how to donate here.
Campaigns with Product Donations
These campaigns donate essential school supplies or services to help students be successful. Our favorites are:
- Subaru and AdoptAClassroom.org: For the fourth year in a row as part of their Subaru Lovers Learning Initiative, Subaru has partnered with AdoptAClassroom.org to give funds to teachers for student supplies. To date, Subaru has adopted more than 6,000 classrooms this year and more than 750,000 students since 2021.
- Dollar Tree and Operation Homefront: For more than 15 years, Dollar Tree and Operation Homefront have partnered to give school supplies to military children during the back-to-school season This year more than 8,000 stores collected school supplies. Find out more information here.
- MedShare and Emory University: For several years MedShare has supported Emory University’s Urban Health Initiative through mobile medical back-to-school clinics. In the state of Georgia, children who want to enter the public school system are required to undergo vision, hearing, dental and nutrition screenings. In addition, they are required to have up-to-date immunization records. Children of refugees and asylum seekers often lack access to many of the screenings or immunizations required. MedShare’s support for UHI and Georgia’s free and charitable clinic partners helps them directly address these barriers and work to help create an inclusive environment where all children can attend school and their health can thrive.
- Google.org and DonorsChoose: As part of Google’s Teen Mental Health Initiative, Google.org and DonorsChoose want to connect teachers with training and resources to help students thrive. Google.org will help fund the materials to support students’ mental health by providing educators with items like books and art supplies to wobble stools and yoga mats.
- PaperMate and Kids In Need Foundation: As part of PaperMate’s Thanks To Teachers Initiative, they are donating $100,000 Kids In Need Foundation’s Supply A Teacher program. Through this campaign, teachers get two boxes of school supplies, which provides supplies for 24 students for a semester.
According to this article from Business News Daily, CSR plays a crucial role in attracting new customers, whose purchasing decisions are strongly influenced by the company’s values, reputation, and social and environmental activism. More than 77% of consumers are motivated to buy from corporations who implement CSR so incorporating this into your marketing strategy is vital for your business.
If you’re interested in starting a CSR campaign, please contact For Momentum here to jumpstart your efforts.
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