How charities, businesses, media could work together
Every day, readers prod me about pitching their nonprofit projects in this space.
And I've certainly promoted my pet causes over the years. Longtime readers will recall numerous stories about raising private dollars to help fund Riverwalk enhancements, Fredenhagen Park, Naperville Responds to Hurricane Katrina and, recently, the Naperville Healing Field of Honor, set for Rotary Hill from Nov. 8 to 14.
About four years ago, I began wondering if telling a story about a charity that comes with a multitude of event-sponsoring "for-profit" businesses - an ever-growing trend known as "marketing for cause" - crossed the line toward advertising.
Were there unintended consequences? Did those stories dip into ad sales revenue, needed to pay for fact-finding journalists to write stories for the printed page?
Has this type of marketing initiative based on the cooperative efforts of businesses and charitable causes contributed, in part, to the shrinking size of the daily American newspaper?
Don't misunderstand. I think it's imperative for every business to show its kind heart for charitable causes. But even more importantly, I think, is the need for good journalists to be employed by newspapers of record as the watchdogs of public policy for a free and great nation.
Today I wonder if both nonprofit organizations and daily newspapers would be more financially sound had they partnered on a paid-in-part advertising campaign to spread news of their unmet needs with the support of for-profit businesses.
When we first moved here in 1993, local news junkies subscribed to two, three or more daily newspapers. One by one, newspapers lost their weight - and sometimes their way.
And it's dawned on me during my early morning walks of late that many neighbors who used to subscribe to several papers, visibly recognized on their driveways every morning, now take one - or none.
The Internet can be credited with some of the decline of the newspapers and changes in reading habits. But I think it's more than the Internet. I think many newspapers lost revenue by their own generosity that caught up with them after 30 years.
Ironically, paid publicists still want stories featured on the printed page. Editors receive dozens, if not hundreds, of news releases daily.
Case in point, last week among the releases I received about charitable events, the lists of sponsoring businesses associated with various nonprofit causes ranged from 10 to 40!
Is it news to list all the sponsoring businesses in the column inches of the story? Or would all parties concerned be better served if a portion of sponsorship dollars went to place advertising in local newspapers?
Again, I questioned myself. I scoured the weekend papers and, sure enough, many stories could not be told without a sponsoring business or citing a name-branded building or sports center.
I recall the days when the names of libraries and concert halls recognized the generosity of philanthropists. Instead, today, many facilities are named after big business for their marketing value.