Here’s a great example of the concepts of "Co-donating", "Perkonomics", "Brand-butlering" and "Trynomics" — all at once.
For anyone else who’s a business book junkie like me, this offer is hard to resist.
It’s also a great example of being authentic.
From the folks at ChangeThis and 800-CEO-READ :
Continuing a tradition we began last year, we’re giving away the many books we’ve received throughout 2008 to benefit a good cause.
On top of the steady flow of books that arrive in our office for review everyday, there was a deluge that poured in as candidates for our Business Book Awards. Books on storytelling, finance, innovation, marketing, management… At this point, we’re climbing over books just to get to our desks, and we’re looking for good homes for them.
So, we’re giving them to anyone willing to make a small donation, and donating the money generated to Room to Read, an organization that partners with local communities throughout the developing world to establish schools, libraries, and other educational infrastructure.
THE DEAL: For $30.00, we are putting together a MYSTERY BOX of three business books. In this box you are guaranteed one title that either won, or made the shortlist for, the best book of 2008 in its category, along with 2 other titles from last year that were submitted for the awards. As a bonus, we will include a copy of this year’s IN THE BOOKS, our annual review of business books. 100% of the purchase will go directly to Room to Read, and we’ll cover the shipping on all orders. Get on board and help us make a difference!
To take part in this special offer, visit The 800-CEO-READ Mystery Box page: http://800ceoread.com/products/?ISBN=roomtoread08
Be well,
The ChangeThis Possehttp://www.changethis.com/
I am an organizational consultant, change advocate, and organizational identity/reputation scholar with a PhD in leadership & organizations. I research, write about, and consult with organizations on the relationships between organizational identity, actions, and purpose. I teach Technology Management, part-time, at Stevens Institute of Technology.
My current research focuses on how social technologies in the workplace can drive organizational change, generate meaning, and catalyze purpose. See the 
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This does sound like a great idea — marketing a valuable nonprofit, offering an opportunity to donate, and at the same time drawing attention to the ChangeThis brand.
Are there other examples out there of companies helping to support nonprofits in a way that reinforces their own authenticity? There’s so much skepticism out there of corporate philanthropy, and how it’s done only for self-serving reasons…. it’d be interesting to contrast inauthentic philanthropy with more authentic examples.
Sandy, I’m on the lookout for these org-issue combos, so if you run across any let me know! cv
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