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aking the checkin and making it philanthropic

lets users post their actions via SMS, web, email, Foursquare or Google Talk.

ach act earns the user points that can be redeemed for actual rewards and discounts

For decades, the decision to be an environmentally and socially responsible company has been based on the bottom line: Would it be profitable?

In terms of traditional accounting and the legal requirements of corporations, costs always outweighed benefits.But it now seems that this equation is starting to lean the other way as brands recognize the potential financial and reputational advantages they can gain by engaging with consumers around the shared ambition of building a better world.

We can see this already happening among some leading brands such as Pepsi, Google, Nike, Patagonia and Starbucks, who have all earned consumer respect for their involvement

Responsabilité sociale: un facteur d'attraction pour la génération Y

La génération Y représente déjà le quart de la main-d'oeuvre au Québec. Un chiffre qui ira en augmentant. Les entreprises doivent donc en tenir compte dans la course au recrutement et pour retenir les meilleurs talents. Du coup, celles qui se soucieront de responsabilité sociale et environnementale pourraient mieux réussir que d'autres.

Marc-Étienne Julien, président de la division Recrutement de Randstad Canada, une entreprise spécialisée dans les services en ressources humaines, nul doute que les sociétés qui s'arrimeront aux valeurs de la nouvelle génération sauront mieux se démarquer.

owing that non-profit supporters around the world have been adopting the use of social networking in their daily lives we set out to figure out if the use of social networks had any impact on personal or peer-to-peer fundraising. The results we’re pretty amazing

e found that participants who use social networking tools like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube communicate with their networks more regularly and send more messages. This resulted in increased fundraising results by up to 40%.

Twitter as a Multiplier Twitter users set higher fundraising goals and raised more money. In fact, Twitter users increased their personal fundraising goals by at least three times more and raised nearly 10 times more online than their peers who did not use Twitter.

An overwhelming number of marketers consider social media to be integral to their strategies this year, and 70% plan to increase their social media budget by more than 10% this year

found that the primary social media goal is to increase Facebook “Likes.”

social networking would take 11.9% of their overall budget this year compared with 13% for TV

A 2009 study by Mzinga and Babson Executive Education reported that 84 percent of professionals from a variety of industries said that they do not measure ROI within social media. This, tallied with my own experience, suggests there is a widespread desire to jump into social networking without all—or even some—of the answers. But not making the attempt to explore metrics is not an option for businesses with long-term vision and goals. ROI does not mean "Return on Ignorance."

The barrier to entry in social networks is much lower than in most other communications and branding channels. In many cases, establishing a presence in these networks is free. But remember the saying, "nothing in life is free?" The same holds true in social media. Your time has a price tag, and resources don't materialize without costs. At the same time, the imperative of social media is real.

Transparency and corporate responsibility are more important than ever to consumers as they struggle with purchasing decisions in a tough econom

despite the recession, 75 percent of consumers believe social responsibility is important, and 55 percent of consumers said they would choose a product that supports a particular cause against similar products that don't

the survey found that 70 percent of consumers are willing to pay a premium for products from socially responsible companies

GamesThatGive is one company helping brands take advantage of the social gaming boom via Facebook

GTG makes custom-branded Facebook games with charitable twist. For example, its You Play, We Give campaign for MasterCard donates as much as 10 cents to Junior Achievement Hudson Valley for every minute a person plays the game, which has more than 30,000 Likes and gets more than 80% of visits from returning visitors. On average, gamers spend 45 minutes on the game page each visit.The concept and execution are the same for GTG’s other big-name clients — Pepsi, Propel, Starbucks and Quaker. A user can play those companies’ custom-branded games on Facebook for a short amount a time until a pop-up box appears requesting that the user “like” the company in order to “double your donation.”“Not only are thousands of dollars going to charity as a result of people playing games, but large companies are successfully using branded social games to turn Facebook fans into customers,” Archer says.

Facebook is launching a resource center to help non-profits use the social network.

The site will include educational materials, tutorials and a downloadable non-profit guide geared toward raising awareness and funds for causes specifically through the social network.

how to create a Facebook Page and explains how to set up events and use discussion boards to connect with an audience

Why Top Brands Are Investing So Much Time In a Social Media Leaderboard

Massive brands like Intel, Audi, Microsoft, Ford Motor Company, Toyota and AT&T have also invested in EA and are quickly rising up EA’s business leaderboard. The real-life success of a company seems to directly correspond with EA’s scoring algorithm. The Fortune 500 ranks public companies by the most after-tax revenue for the year, but how does EA determine its scoring? “We really look at the following: Activity (how much and what you do), audience (who’s listening) and engagement/interaction (how are people engaging you),” Dups said. “So if you can break down any network in that way, you can figure out what we listen to.”

Getting In Early