Traditionally speaking, philanthropy is about giving, but let’s be real, it’s called cause marketing for a reason. The more you personally get from giving, the more you’ll work to promote the cause, resulting in greater benefits for the charity you’re supporting. This is a two-way relationship; it isn’t just about giving - it’s about making positive change in your own life and the lives of others. 

Philanthropy helps to elevate your brand and profile, and at the same time, makes you a genuine do-gooder!  Your audience, your customers, your followers, and your fans all want to know what you care about. If you’re a brand, your audience wants to know your values.

• Do you believe in sustainable business practices?

• Do you offer wellness incentives for your staff? Does your company do volunteer work in your community?

• And if you work for a company, do they offer these benefits? 

These days, we expect brands and influencers to have some type of philanthropic initiative as a part of their core beliefs and actions.

I’m so excited to be speaking at the 320 Festival on May 10, an online event created to bring awareness to the importance of mental health, provide resources to our community, and normalize the conversation surrounding all mental health pursuits.

KAB & Mental Health

Our mental and physical health are deeply connected, which is something we talk about often at Keep A Breast. Long-term stress can open the door for breast cancer by increasing blood flow to tumors, feeding hormones that encourage tumor growth, and keeping your body in a constant state of inflammation. As such, we have a big focus on practical and holistic ways to ease stress and anxiety. 

Our relationship with our bodies can be tough, and for many, this is an area that can profoundly impact their mental health. When we talk about self-checks, we say that the first step is to look in the mirror and say that your body is perfect just the way it is. We hope by starting the self-check from a place of love, and by spending this vital time with your body that you will develop a stronger and more positive relationship with your body, and in turn, benefit your mental health, too. 

We’re all about opening dialogues at KAB, specifically the dialogue around health. While our focus is normalizing and de-stigmatizing breast health for younger people, mental health plays a deep role as well. 

Over the years, I’ve been lucky to have the opportunity to do great work with many brands, organizations, celebrities, and athletes, and preparing my presentation made me realize once again how lucky I've been to work with people that want to do good in the world. Below are my four essential steps to becoming a genuine do-gooder.

1. Soul Search

What do you really care about? What makes your heart melt? And what really pisses you off? Pick a cause that you feel passionately about, one that impacts your personal life, a message that you would share with the world if you could. When you find a cause that truly calls out to you, you can always make a difference for it, no matter where you are in your brand journey.

KAB works with Simply Straws, a brand that makes reusable glass drinking straws, founded by professional snowboarder Chanelle Sladics. Every day in the United States, an estimated 500 million plastic straws are used and then thrown away. Simply Straw’s mission is to reduce single-use plastic straws with the hope of reducing waste. They are a registered B Corp, which means they have committed to meet social, sustainable, and environmental performance standards.

Simply Straws has two straws that support Keep A Breast. And as part of their “Straws for a Cause” campaign, they give back to Plastic Pollution Coalition, a global alliance working for a world free of plastic pollution and Protect Our Winters. This worldwide snow sports community is leading the fight against climate change. Chanelle’s passion for eliminating plastic pollution inspired her to create this very cool brand. Simply Straws is a great example of an enterprise built on doing good.

(psst! be sure to print it double-sided!)

2. Research!

Once you have a few choices, do your research and get to know what makes the organization tick. Who was it founded by, and why? Check out their annual report to get an idea of their activities. Look at how they spend their money and how they spend their time. Then, you can decide whether you agree with their strategies.

Brands and influencers contact me every day to collaborate. Unbelievably, Carl’s Jr. once asked if we wanted to do an i love boobies! chicken breast sandwich. True Story.

We always take the time to do our research. Keep A Breast is a certified PETA Humane Charity and will not work with any brands that test on animals. When beauty or food brands approach us, we carefully examine the ingredient lists and do not partner with any company that uses known carcinogens in their products. Keep A Breast wants to partner with people and brands that share our values. It is important to know who you are potentially aligning with; be sure they measure them up to your beliefs and values.

Even if you are simply giving an organization a donation of your money or time, it is important to know if their work aligns with your personal beliefs. Your time and money are important, and if you are going to give it to someone, you want to know that they are doing the work that attracted you to them in the first place.

3. Meet Up, Virtually

While in-person meetings and events are crucial to building relationships, there are so many amazing virtual tools available to us. We can still get to know each other while staying safe in these times of social distancing. 

If possible, meet with the organization’s founder and staff face-to-face. Zoom counts!  Get to know each other. How can you learn from and help one another? How can you create a mutually beneficial relationship? Formulate a plan, so you’re both clear about your expectations. Check-in regularly to keep the relationship vibrant and dynamic.

Technology has made it easy to connect with like-minded people that have a similar spirit. These days, you can have a best friend that you’ve never met in person. It’s vital to meet new partners face-to-face, even if it is virtual. Seeing each other’s faces, reactions, and emotions make a big difference with our connections and communication. Working together is a marriage of sorts, and it’s important to have a feeling of trust when entering into a new collaboration. A face-to-face meeting can ignite excitement and passion about a partnership that you just can’t get from an email.

If your personal brand is still growing and you can't quite get a meeting with the organization's founder, try to find talks or presentations they’ve done online. Even just diving into their social media can help you get to know them a bit more. It's important to get the vibe of the person you want to align yourself with and see what they are really about in the most transparent way possible.

4. Have Fun!

Tell your network about your charity and any chance you get, weave their cause into your personal brand. Create a fundraising campaign and use the creativity that got you here to meet your goal. I’m sure you will exceed it. This can be done at any time in your life. Some of the best fundraisers for Keep A Breast have been put on by people organizing their own event and donating the proceeds. Of course, giving looks a little different these days, but it’s becoming easier and easier to fundraise online and have fun doing it! Strong social media, videos, and video chat are your online fundraising friends! Nothing is too little and every act counts. 

This is one of the most important steps. Working with a charity is not just about doing good, but enriching lives. Our partners have enriched my life in immeasurable ways; they have brought me around the world, introduced me to the kindest souls, and challenged me to become more open. Most importantly, they have allowed me to live a purposeful, do-gooder life. You don't need your own organization to feel this way; volunteering for your charity of choice or putting on a fundraiser can introduce you to other do-gooders and form a life-long bond, spur an idea, or take you to another level in your do-gooder journey.

OK! With these four steps in mind, get out your do-gooder checklist, and go make some magic!

Want to be a next-level KAB do-gooder? Join The Prevention League: A breast health movement for all.