Nonprofits Bring Cause, Expertise & Stories from the Field to Publishing

by Caitlin Erb, Good Company

Just a few weeks ago, 1,500 exhibitors filled the Jacob Javits Center in New York City, showcasing hundreds of new titles and the latest and greatest in publishing technology at BookExpo America, the foremost publishing event in North America.

While the impact of technology on the publishing industry could not be ignored at this year’s show with the continued rise of electronic readers, digital downloads, and even MP3 technology as the  new face for books and public library book rentals, the presence of nonprofit or cause-branded books and cause driven activities was also noteworthy.

Ranging from content publishers to cause marketing partners, non-profit brands were duly represented at this year’s show.

Given the public interest in supporting causes through product purchase, it’s not surprising to see a movement toward books that highlight social issues.  But more importantly, this trend highlights the intellectual property expertise of nonprofits as with content that easily extends to really good books.

Non-profit organizations are in fact established to lead the way in cause:  disease research and eradication; to identify people, animals, and places in need and provide relief; or to create communities of constituents and allow individuals the opportunity to unite in support of a cause.  In order to conduct this research, provide this support or unite these individuals, non-profit organizations must become entrenched in their area of interest.  Nonprofits are quite often the frontline – they are the experts.  And what better resource for insightful, interesting content than at the research and social engagement level where the forefront of change on virtually every issue we face actually happens?  Nonprofits are an ideal place to go for stories from the field, for gaining knowledge and expertise on these issues that can be translated into content.

Here are a few examples featured at BEA:

American Cancer Society, (ACS) a major nonprofit cause-brand that has been publishing content for years.  The ACS showcased titles ranging from scientific and educational materials, to healthy lifestyle and cookbooks, to children’s titles aimed at helping kids cope with cancer.  A leading cancer research organization and support provider for those affected by cancer for more than 60 years, ACS serves as a model for a non-profit organization’s ability to aggregate experience, knowledge, and research and translate that into content.

WriteGirl is a creative writing/mentorship nonprofit that empowers young girls through self-expression and creative writing.  WriteGirl provides workshops and mentoring sessions for young girls with local authors to inspire and educate girls to use creative writing as a positive form of expression.  WriteGirl has published the collective works of some of their sessions into award-winning anthologies, illustrating a non-profits’ ability to showcase the positive effects of their efforts through publishing.

ASPCA,was present as the recipient of donations collected from Peachtree Publishers . This cause effort coincided with the launch of their new children’s title, The Blue Dog House– the story of pet adoption and love. Peachtree Publishers offered a $1 donation to ASCPA for every BEA attendee that previewed the new title.  The Blue Dog House’s association with ASPCA helped illustrate to BEA attendees, the core values and message of the new title.  Similarly, Mo’s Nose, publisher of the award-winning Mo’s Nose Scentsational book series was also in attendance.  The Mo’s Nose series invites readers to use their senses to follow a rescue dog named Mo on his adventures around the world celebrating life.  Mo’s Nose donates a portion of proceeds for every product sale to non-profit partners.

In addition to the non-profit titles and brands mentioned above, non-profit organizations continue to increase their presence in publishing as category experts and content providers.  For example,  American Heart Association,  American Red Cross, YMCA, Habitat for Humanity, i-SAFE, and Girl Scouts of America are only a few of the many non-profit organizations participating in publishing.  And we can expect to see even more partaking in the future.

Research, category expertise and forefront involvement are not new concepts to non-profit.   Consumer awareness of non-profits as we are seeing it today IS.  With the growth of cause marketing (According to IEG Sponsorship Report, corporate cause sponsorship will increase 6.1% in 2010, reaching $1.61 billion*) consumers are becoming more and more aware of non-profit brands and the expertise that comes with these brands.  As cause marketing continues to grow, consumers will continue to look to non-profit brands as the authority and the strength of these brands as experts can be expected to go a long way in consumer appeal.  And publishing will continue to be a natural cause brand extension and category for many nonprofits.

Caitlin Erb is director of marketing & partnership development for GOOD COMPANY.  She is also a category expert in licensed publishing partnerships.  Her most recent success is a partnership between JW Wiley & Sons and I-SAFE bringing great and important content to parents through a workbook series designed to teach kids to use the internet responsibly. For more information on nonprofit brands and publishing, please contact her at caitlin.erb@goodcomarketing.com