Taking a page from Pepsi’s playbook, Crate & Barrel, in partnership with DonorsChoose.org, is putting a spin on charitable giving by allowing fans to choose where the money is spent. This is creating great exposure for both organizations as it delivers sharable content, referrals, and an exponential amount of likes.

Anatomy of the Campaign

The entire campaign is centered on the same landing page provided by Crate & Barrel and DonorsChoose.org’s respective Facebook Pages. When a user lands on the page they can choose to vote from amongst three causes, one of which will receive a donation of $25,000. There are a total of four prizes given out, totally $100,000 in charitable spending. The page itself is fraught with social content. The pictures and written content of kids in school delves deeply into the human element. Parents and education activists alike will feel a connection to the campaign and the brands behind it. There is also a referral from the teacher or supervisor of each program that received a donation about how the money is being used to better their specific program. DonorsChoose.org has created a very transparent process of charitable giving that allows you to see the proof of your giving through photos and thank-you notes. This leads to on-going content-generation for the campaign long after the voting and giving is over. Crate & Barrel will be able to track and divulge the effects of the campaign for months, even going as far as watching the progress of the individual kids who are being most positively affected by the donations. There are calls-to-share everywhere. Every piece of content on the Facebook Page is sharable with nearby share buttons, unfortunately only via Facebook. The bottom of the page also provides like and share links for the current page, and the other company’s page (both Crate & Barrel and DonorsChoose.org have the same Facebook landing page). The best call-to-share comes after you vote for your donation choice, and are asked to publish your vote to your Facebook wall. People are enticed to share the ‘good’ that they have done in voting for the money to be spent on the cause they believe is most pertinent.

Bottom Line for Local Business

The success of these campaigns hinges on the fact that they create a strong personal connection between the brand and the consumers who voted for the cause that was decided on. Users feel like a part of the solution and that they and the brand are on the same team, which will lead ultimately lead to proficient brand loyalty amongst a team of vibrant evangelists. Check out the Crate & Barrel Facebook Page to cast your vote: http://www.facebook.com/crateandbarrel#!/crateandbarrel