Corporate cause sponsorship is expected to expand by 6.1% this year, according to the prognosticators at the IEG Sponsorship Report.   That's 44% faster growth than the overall sponsorship spending of 3.4%.  

Although many larger groups struggled to maintain partnership revenue levels in 2009, overall cause sponsorship spending was basically flat -- down 0.3% or $10 million to $1.51 billion.   Some groups attracted more business dollars by successfully "marketing the downturn", IEG reported.

Predictions of a better year for cause are supported by a spate of announcements we've seen for new and expanded programs.   For example: 

Today marks the launch of the Pepsi Refresh Project, an initiative to give away over $20 million in grants "to move communities forward."  Pepsi has garnered a huge amount of publicity since it announced in December that it was shifting money traditionally used to fund Super Bowl ads to finance other initiatives, most notably Refresh.
 
On Monday, the Milk Processor Education Program -- the people behind the milk mustache -- joined forces with Feeding America on the Great Gallon Give.  The program will give away 3 million servings of milk through food banks and raise $100,000 for FA through a Facebook promotion.
 
Last week, Procter & Gamble's CoverGirl brand announced it was donating $500,000 to Children's Safe Drinking Water through the new Clean Makeup Clean Water campaign.   In addition to publicizing the program via paid advertising, CoverGirl is offering to make an additional donation when consumers post a video on giving back.
 
Susan G. Komen for the Cure tells us that they have "exciting renewals and expansions" on the horizon and have created new sponsorship categories designed to deliver strong ROI.
 
For a great explanation of why cause is poised for growth, spend a few minutes reading this insightful column by Mike Swenson, CMO of Barkley. What do you think the prospects are for cause in 2010?

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