Recently the cause blogosphere has been abuzz about fast food restaurants partnering with health-related nonprofits: KFC’s ‘Buckets for the Cure’ to benefit Susan G. Komen® for the Cure and White Castle’s hamburger-and-onion scented candle for Autism. Some of the industry’s most well-known bloggers tend to agree that these kinds of partnerships are distasteful and, over the long run will do more harm than good to consumers and the cause.

At the heart of their argument is the point that regardless of the money raised through these programs, much more money will need to be spent to educate people about the importance of healthily nutrition to prevent the very diseases the nonprofits are trying to cure. Furthermore, the cost of pain and suffering in treating the disease will be significant unless health-related nonprofits find corporate partners who are equally as committed as they are in the systemic change needed to make an impact.

I see the point, and don’t disagree, but I don’t think the answer is that fast food restaurants and health related nonprofits can’t mingle their brands. On the contrary, I think there is much to be gained through these kinds of relationships – IF they are built in a transparent and mission-driven fashion. They can raise money for the cause while increasing the brand’s equity; and can, for some, become the beacon to draw consumers’ attention to healthier menu options.

Importantly, these kinds of partnerships can also become the impetus for significant change within a company. From improving employee health benefits and programs to the development of healthier menu options, maybe even the elimination of unhealthy ingredients, these partnerships can have a lasting and positive impact.

I’m not here to speak for or against Komen’s actions. Although we have represented the organization, our company did not work on this particular sponsorship. We’ve worked for lots of brands and nonprofits in the cause space, such as P&G and Yoplait, as well as a slew of health-related nonprofits such as American Diabetes Association (ADA), America on the Move, and Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF). We’ve provided many of them with award-winning programs as well as helped them select and manage appropriate partners.

We’ve gathered some key learnings along the way:

Know your goal. Corporations need to think through what is the ultimate goal of the partnership. Most likely the main goal is to sell product and raise funds. Generally speaking, with most non-food/health-related cause partnerships this goal is easily attained. But when it comes to fast food and health causes this goal will not always work out, instead turning your company into a lighting rod for bad press.

A more productive route may be to realize what fast food has going for it – massive consumer awareness and lots and lots of foot traffic. Leverage those key assets to educate the public about their health risks.

Think out of the product box. Don’t get stuck in a rut and think that the cause marketing promotion has to be tied to the sponsor’s product – as in buy this and we’ll make a donation. When it fits, great – like buy Yoplait and money goes to Komen. But lots of times when a health-related cause joins hands with a food company it is not that easy.

But you can raise money for the cause and educate consumers through another kind of donation mechanism. Get creative and imagine other non-related products that can be co-branded (e.g., candles, scarves, iTunes) that consumers would enjoy purchasing to raise money for the cause. I know pin-up programs work great in highly trafficked places with multiple locations. Ask consumers to purchase them for $X made and the restaurant donates $X made to the cause.

Set criteria. In better economic times, nonprofits were becoming quite adept at forming criteria with corporations as a condition of forming a partnership. Many causes sat in the drivers’ seat demanding companies clean up their acts through sponsorship criteria. But with funds harder to come by and research just as important as it always was, many causes have had to give some to get some.

Nonetheless, when forming a partnership with a food company, health-related nonprofits should require serious commitments. From small changes like encouraging employees to be healthy at work, to requiring serious commitments like changing the way companies manufacture and market products – it can make a big difference.

Messaging really matters. Don’t let the promotion overshadow the cause message. Things will go amuck when moving product to generate revenue for the company eclipses the need to raise awareness and educate consumers about the issue. I heard recently that in Komen’s case they felt that aligning with KFC gave them the opportunity to educate a demographic that is terribly at risk, that they would otherwise not have been able to effectively reach. Unfortunately, this was not the take-a-way message people heard as they watched the ads.

Balance is key – you must bake educational messages into your cause marketing promotions. And you’ll have lots of opportunities to do this if you are working with a food product because there is always a ton of online and offline real estate for marketing. Consumers can learn a lot from in-store POS (take ones, shelf talkers, etc.) and product packaging.

No question there is a lot to digest when embarking on these types of partnerships. So whether you you’re a food corporation or a health related nonprofit we hope you’ll now have the appetite to consume them in good taste.

Melissa Radin

Principal, Group Strategy Director of Cause at PowerPact

Meissa runs the cause group at PowerPact, a leading consumer promotions agency (www.powerpact.com). Over the past eight years, she’s led award-winning work for sanofi aventis, Yoplait, and P&G as well as helped steer nationally-recognized nonprofits toward successful partnerships and programs. Her philosophy is that cause partnerships can do more than just do good, they can do good business. Finding that balance is what she does best.