Giving Back with Your Back to School Promotion

For some students, this past Monday was the first day back at school. Over the next few weeks, the rest of the students across the country will follow suit. That being said, many large retailers have been advertising their back to school promotions since June! Aside from the regular deep discounts and gifts for shopping, one retailer stood out from the pack.

For the first year, Target (@Target) turned to cause marketing for their back to school strategy. By partnering with the Kids in Need Foundation (@KidsInNeed), they were able to do good and generate buzz for shopping at Target.

For every Up & Up school supply product they sell, they’ll donate one to the foundation. All in all, they are hoping to donate $25 million worth of supplies to Kids in Need this year. As Up & Up is Target’s “generic” brand, it’s usually cheaper than other name brands. Hopefully, that coupled with the fact that buying the Up & Up brand will benefit Kids in Need will lead more parents to buy Up & Up and give back while doing their back to school shopping. How awesome is that?

If it’s not realistic for you to participate in a “buy one, give one” program at your small business, here are some other ways you can participate:

• Offer teachers a special discount when they show their ID.
• Organize a school supply drive to benefit a local school or after-school program.
• Provide coffee or catering for a teacher’s meeting at your local school.
• “Adopt” a local school or library as your charity partner for the year.
• Offer your coffee shop, bar or restaurant as a meeting space to local teachers or education groups.

To learn more about ways to give back, check out these other blog posts!

• Donating Services or Goods to a Charity
• Hosting a Charity Drive
• Make Your Location a Destination: Charity Give Back