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Here at 5BYFIVE, we’ve always looked for ways to give back, and all of us here feel it’s more important than ever to do so. But if I’m being honest, we haven’t totally figured out how to talk about it in a way that lifts up the cause without making us feel uncomfortable talking about ourselves.

What follows are some thoughts on what’s worked for us and what hasn’t. Frankly, some of this is still aspirational for us. But when we do get involved, this is how we try to keep the focus on the cause, not ourselves.

Focus on what you actually care about

If you don’t care about the cause, people can tell. There’s no way around that.

For us, a lot of the causes we support are our clients. We know them. We care about them. We see the work they’re doing up close. Supporting them isn’t a strategy, it’s just a way to give back to people we already believe in.

We can’t support everything, and pretending otherwise doesn’t help anyone.

Keep the cause in front, not the brand

It can feel weird to share volunteer work sometimes. But we do it anyway because we care about the cause and want people to know it exists.

That said, if it starts to feel like it’s about us, we’ve probably missed the point.

Most of the time, the right move is to stay out of the way. Share the story. Point people toward the organization. Let them speak for themselves.

A simple rule we try to use: if the message still works without our name on it, it’s probably headed in the right direction.

Listen to the people who know the space better than you do

Nonprofits and mission-driven organizations live this work every day. We don’t.

When we get involved, we try to do what we always do: ask & listen. What do they need right now? What’s realistic? Where can we help without creating more work?

Sometimes the best support is visible. Sometimes it’s not. Both count.

Make it easy for people to help, and be honest about the outcome

Invite others to get involved if they want to, and don’t make them work for it.

Be clear about how to help.
Be clear about where the support goes.
And be honest about what happened, even if the result is smaller than you hoped.

Not everything ends up a big win. That doesn’t mean it wasn’t worth doing.

Try to show up more than once

Consistency is hard. It’s also what makes things feel real.

This part is still aspirational for us. We’re busy. We miss chances. But when we’ve been able to show up again, even in small ways, it’s always been better than a one-off.

The goal isn’t perfection. It’s not giving up. And not letting the perfect get in the way of doing some good.

The Bottom Line

Cause marketing shouldn’t feel like marketing. It should feel like helping.

Do what you can.
Be honest about why you’re involved.
Keep the focus on the cause.
And don’t worry about getting it exactly right every time.

It’s better to do something than nothing.

Mark Eberhardt

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