Doing good doesn’t get old. But marketing leaders know that effective promotion of a company’s charitable giving requires a subtle combination of bedrock advertising principles with a few twists. It’s often here that marketing and legal meet at the eleventh hour before a campaign goes live. Understanding the bounds of federal, state, and local laws that regulate charitable fundraising before these efforts launch helps marketing teams to be more efficient.

Knowing what type of giving campaign is in play is critical for understanding what regulatory requirements apply. While options abound, some perennial favorites include:Continue Reading Syncing Marketing and Legal: Compliance Considerations for Cause-Related Marketing

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Effectively marketing your company’s charitable giving efforts requires not only the application of creative advertising principles, but an underlying familiarity with applicable responsibilities under federal, state, and even local laws. From sweepstakes and contests, to commercial coventurers’ charitable sales promotions, customer donation

Times of national crisis tend to trigger an uptick in charitable solicitations and charitable giving. And for-profit businesses, including recognizable retail brands, want to do all they can to help as well. As the COVID-19 crisis unfolds, with its far-ranging economic and societal repercussions, many brands are engaging in coronavirus-related commercial co-venture (CCV) activities and cause marketing promotions, advertising to consumers that purchase or use of their product or service will benefit a charity or a charitable purpose.

Although the COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in a delayed federal income tax filing deadline, mortgage relief programs, and other types of suspended governmental requirements, the regulations applicable to charitable sales promotions and the commercial coventurers who carry them on remain fully in place. In some ways, compliance with these rules—particularly disclosure requirements—is more important than ever given the increased desire to act now and do good. There is no “pandemic exception” for compliance with states’ CCV laws, or state and federal truth‑in-advertising laws. Indeed, while states may accommodate reasonable filing or registration delays caused by COVID-related business interruptions and the FTC similarly has acknowledged the strain on all businesses right now, these regulators will also crack down on marketing abuses that take advantage of consumers’ generosity or fear during the pandemic. For brands wanting to capitalize on the moment, keep in mind the following basics when it comes to conducting a compliant campaign:Continue Reading Charitable Sales Promotion Rules and Best Practices: Be Sure to Cross Your T’s and Dot Your I’s During the Pandemic

online fundraisingLast week, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the National Association of State Charity Officials (NASCO) hosted “Give & Take: Consumers, Contributions, and Charity,” a conference exploring consumer protection issues in the changing landscape of charitable giving. Day One of the conference kicked off with introductory remarks by Acting Director of the Bureau of Consumer Protection Tom Pahl, as well as Colorado Attorney General Cynthia Coffman (Day Two was not open to the public). Some of our readers may recognize General Coffman’s name because she was a panelist at Venable’s 2016 Advertising Law Symposium, where she also expressed her state’s strong interest in combatting charitable solicitation fraud. Government enforcers are clearly paying more attention to this industry, as we have written before.
Continue Reading Highlights of the FTC and NASCO Conference – Give & Take: Consumers, Contributions, and Charity