Spare Change=Real Change: Whole Foods' Bag Donation

The cause marketing I am most familiar with in my everyday life is the request from the checker at Whole Foods asking if I'd like to donate my bag charge. This is not the most sexy or exciting form of cause marketing, but it's worth doing: these micro-gifts can add up to substantial ones (over 5% of Whole Foods' net profit goes to charity), and the nonprofits who benefit don't have to perform the massive, resource-draining tasks of writing grants and wooing deep-pocketed donors that's usually necessary. As a marketing director at a nonprofit literary journal, I know our cause (the arts) is unlikely to be on the bag donation shortlist, but I am happy for the nonprofits who do benefit from Whole Foods' efforts.

The bag donation isn't a new idea, but  there are several reasons why I think Whole Foods does a great job of facilitating these 5- or 10-cent donations. The recently adopted Seattle bag charge is obviously fortuitous for this kind of cause marketing: as paying for a bag becomes a sunk cost in the minds of grocery shoppers, donating the charge when you don't need the bag becomes a no-brainer.

They also give the shopper three simple giving options--usually kids, economic development, or the environment--making the gift feel more personal and rewarding. Despite the fact that they have two company-sponsored nonprofits that serve the same causes, Whole Planet (focusing on global economic development) and Whole Kids (focusing on domestic children's nutrition in schools), Whole Foods selects local nonprofits as their beneficiaries for the bag donations. This leaves me with an impression of Whole Foods as a company that is dedicated to its communities, and that wants to have a truly broad-ranging impact--not just a company that picks up a pet cause to tout for its own company image.

The bag donation even motivates me to remember to bring my reusable bags, now that I can do something good with my nickel. Thanks, Whole Foods!