It’s no secret that science is an expensive endeavor. When the goals are curing paralysis and solving some of the most complex neurological injuries and conditions, the experiments, techniques and technology add up rather quickly. When you come to realize that most peer reviewed funding sources, like the Department of Defense, National Institutes of Health, the Craig H. Neilsen Foundation and so many others, won’t fund early research. They will typically only provide funding to the highest ranked ideas and studies that have progressed well past the conceptual phase, so this early funding is key to developing the data necessary to gain more mainstream funding.
Enter Toshiba America Business Solutions, one of The Buoniconti Fund’s Cause Marketing partners. They are helping to provide funding for some of this early spinal cord and brain injury research at The Miami Project by just doing what they normally do as a business.
Toshiba helps save businesses money by providing savings on a company’s ink, toner and managed print services based on their current pricing. The company donates a percentage of its annual realized savings to The Buoniconti Fund, as a charitable donation and Toshiba contributes a charitable donation to The Buoniconti Fund, as well. This particular program provides a hassle-free, turnkey solution for these savings, often without the need to change any printing equipment.
The Buoniconti Fund gets much needed funds to support budding or underfunded project to help them grown and customers realize a savings on an expense they would normally have while also supporting cutting edge research. The companies involved in the program also have the benefit of helping us change the diagnosis for our many friends living in wheelchairs and with other neurological injuries, diseases and disorders.
Over the years, The Buoniconti Fund has had many successful programs that have gone to support our clinical trials initiatives, upgrade of capital equipment and research participant recruitment to test new theories, which is key to moving studies and trials to the next steps.
Past cause marketing campaigns that helped raise money and awareness for our cause have included a branded Buoniconti Fund Wheaties box where a portion of sales were donated back to the Fund. Another program that lasted several years and was activated in select markets around the country was with a few brands from global beverage company Diageo. Through their Glen Ellen Wines, Smirnoff, Guinness and Smithwick’s labels point of sales items were placed in stores and a flat rate per bottle or case was donated to the cause. Bridgestone even created a unique campaign where select stores sold specially created, sports themed Unravel Bandz at select retailers nationwide. The Unravel Bandz featured five different sports figures and are designed to “unravel” to symbolize The Miami Project’s decades long fight to unravel paralysis.
As you can see, the possibilities for promoting a great cause and raising money to make a difference are confined only by the imagination. Through creative cause related marketing initiatives, companies, The Buoniconti Fund, and ultimately the paralysis community are the ultimate winners. If you’d like to have a discussion about how your company could benefit from this type of marketing, please call 888-Stand-Up (872-6387).