What's in store for CSI in 2010?

In other words, fundraisers (NGOs, NPOs and companies) will be going that extra mile in making sure that people show interest in their campaigns. Those who will not try to evolve - and are expecting cheques because they feel they are entitled to donations since they are helping the poor - will be left behind. It's a harsh reality.

This is my CSI forecast for the year (2010) ahead:

Green CSI:

The most talked-about topic today is climate change and most conglomerates are slowly catching up to the going-green campaign.

Campaigns such as the 5 Cent Project will become very popular across board among green activists and the communities it will be benefiting, while meeting its primary objective - to collect uncirculated coins to help underprivileged schools raise funds to improve their learning environment. People are being encouraged to donate their unwanted coins, which will mean they are now circulating these coins (reusing or back in the banking system), instead of new coins being minted as this would contribute to even more pollution.

Such campaigns are a win-win (it's more like shooting at two birds with one stone).

Social media:

Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and blogs (which have almost replaced chain emailing) will be dominant platforms in spreading the word about the social responsibility campaigns taking place. This will be good for fundraisers since it requires minimum input in terms in the finance department and will provide a maximum output in reach out.

There is a catch, though: fundraisers must come up with interesting content for their pages to acquire and sustain traffic. People must be captivated and touched by the cause to start leaving their thoughts on a group's Facebook page or even to send messages to their friends urging them to join the group and support the cause.

Soccer:

Influenced by the 2010 FIFA World Cup buzz, more and more soccer-related charity events will occur. For example, Argentinean national team coach Diego Maradona recently visited the Tshwane School in Soshanguve to hand out a soccer kit to the school's soccer team.

Companies trying to gain entry in the South African market will use any opportunity to connect with locals through the soccer frenzy vehicle, mostly in developmental areas around the sport, be it sports fields, soccer kits or even coaching.

Celebrity ambassadors:

Although more often than not the media tends to report more about celebrity misses (controversial topics) than hits, fundraising campaigns that have celebrities involved are likely to get more coverage from the media and participation from the public.

For example, DJ Sbu has a daily breakfast show and a weekly TV show on SABC1 and has a huge fan base around the country. When he talks about social campaigns he is involved in, the majority of people (especially the youth) respond to his call.

Fundraisers will have to strategically align their campaigns with trustworthy and reliable celebrity figures as this can backfire if ambassadors start getting coverage for the wrong reasons.

In a nutshell, this trend has been proven to work and it will continue to grow during the course of this year.

Experience is better:

Gone are the days of those media cheque handovers with a big Colgate smile. More and more conglomerates (especially during this recovery stage from the recession) will be engaging in campaigns where they target locals to be part of the experience in shaping their lives for the better.

This will also help brands interact directly with communities as it will be in a form of ongoing projects. The other advantage of such designed projects is that communities will automatically become active principals of something they had an input in (eg their time), compared to something they were just handed over.

Trust is also on an all time low (remember the global economic crisis is highly blamed on corporate greed), so handing over cheques or transferring money will only be on the decline, with the exception of small amounts being donated.

Youth involvement:

The majority (60% +) of the country's population are young people and it will be crucial for fundraisers to target this group. This trend of targeting the youth started picking up during the national elections in April 2009, where television and outdoor adverts were graced by faces of young A-list celebrities to try and reach out to young people.

Other than just targeting this group, fundraisers will have to include the youth (have a youth panel) during the planning stages, especially with campaigns that are aimed at youth empowerment. To run a campaign without proper consultation and assume young people will be interested might prove to be suicidal. Most companies have also come to this realisation.

1. Help you to help yourself:

   Education and skills development, especially in entrepreneurship, have been identified as the most invaluable way of giving back to society (teach a man how to fish as opposed to giving a man a fish).

   A perfect example is Shanduka's Black Umbrellas CSI programme that aims to empower emerging entrepreneurs. For a monthly fee of R500 or R1000, the programme provides member SMMEs with a working environment and the support services to enable them to thrive. Benefits include office space, computers, Internet and telephones, vehicles with drivers, a compulsory reliable bookkeeping service and a structured mentorship programme with a business consultant/mentor.

   NGO/NPO competition:

   Money is tight; that's what you hear from most executives lately. I believe this year will see more competition among fundraisers trying to appeal to corporate SA for their CSI budgets. Complementary collaborations will be the way to go.

   For example, a corporation such as Medi Clinic collaborating with organisations like Doctors Without Borders or the Red Cross requires less effort in facilitation since both are in the field of helping people within the health discipline. Fundraisers that show a high level of innovation and integrity will be the winners.

   World record attempts:

   With so many organisations looking for funding and the need to be different and unique in approach, more and more projects are aiming at being the first in the world - setting a world record - or attempting to be the best - breaking an existing world record. A great example is the CANSA campaign.

   This makes it easy for corporates to want to get involved in such campaigns. Why? If the campaign is successful, they will be part of history (being in the Guinness Book of Records or Ripley's etc) and if the campaign is not a success in terms of getting the record, it remains a good try for a good cause.

   Competitions:

   More and more charity projects run by companies and NGOs/NPOs will raise the bar in running competitions to raise funds, with lucrative prizes (eg cars and a holiday for two) up for grabs.

   What is unfortunate, though, is that more and more people seem to be motivated by the what's-in-it-for-me syndrome, which I feel is unintentionally perpetrated by organisers. But since this seems to work for them, organisers will be focusing on the bottom line and this will predominantly run through SMSes.