I have the tremendous good fortune to be part of a group of people willing to devote their talent and energy to elevating the perception of promotional products as a marketing medium, using purpose-centered strategies to help businesses of all sizes stand out from their competition and create points of differentiation using promotional products. It's a winning strategy, one that we've all witnessed during the pandemic, as companies used our supply chain to extend their culture to a distributed employee base, thank their customers, or create demand for their products and services when they could not be physically present.
So, why not marry those two things in the name of a good cause?
That's exactly what the PromoCares team has done in creating that which we intend to be an annual event, SleepIn4Good this November 8th. This event was created in an effort to raise awareness around the stigma of mental health and its connection to sleep deprivation.
The goal? To use promotional products to help raise funds for
NAMI Wake - National Alliance on Mental Illness, which is on the front lines of providing advocacy, education, support, and public awareness so that anyone affected by mental illness can get the tools and resources they need to build better lives. More specifically, we're offering people the opportunity to make a donation to our fundraiser in exchange for some extra sleep that day in hopes of raising $10,000 in the name of the Wake Forest chapter of this non-profit.
We've designed an 8-week long campaign to raise awareness around our fundraiser, and we are using SleepIn4Good branded products to help keep the momentum going, using a hand-selected group of promotional product industry influencers to show off their products while continuing the conversation during the campaign.
We even went so far as to source products from industry suppliers who have identified with one or more of the PromoCares pillars; Ethical Sourcing, Diversity, Equity & inclusion, Giving Programs, Sustainability & Environmental Responsibility & lastly, Advocacy. Heck, even the box is completely compostable and printed with algae-based inks! This is the first event PromoCares has taken a stab at and we wanted to try and cover the bases. (We did make one little mess-up. I would tell you, but it's clasified)
Never one to shy away from results, I wanted to share the early returns. As of this writing, the program has received $1,194 in donations, PLUS, we've gained dozens of new followers on our Instagram, Facebook and Twitter feeds. The marketplace has already responded with love, and we are excited to see what sort of heights the campaign might reach in our quest to normalize mental health challenges most all of us are faced with from time to time.
Want to get in on the action? Looking for some sweet SleepIn4Good swag for yourself or your team? Visit promocares.org/SleepIn4Good for more information on how to get involved, and PromoCares is always on the hunt for stories about ways members of our industry are making the world a better place. Have a story to tell? Want to lend your head, hands, and heart to our work? There are ways for you to become directly involved in our mission, and we always welcome new people to the effort.
I've been known to say:
"When you hang around with inspirational people, you're bound to be inspired. It's like osmosis" I count myself as one of the luckiest people I know when it comes to those who have chosen to help us make this vision become a reality, and my life has been truly changed for the better by virtue of my association with this amazing group of caring people. I think we're well on our way to achieving our objective, and I hope you'll be inspired to join us.
Roger has spent 20+ years making complex concepts more understandable for both buyers and sellers alike, and has devoted the majority of his recent career to injecting purpose via philanthropy to his sales and marketing efforts. He’s intent on making the world a better place and his nirvana exists at the intersection of Mission, Passion, Profession and Vocation. He loves the outdoors and seeks memorable experiences whenever possible. Contact Roger at roger@socialgoodpromotions.com or 810-986-5369.