• "Living Lessons" is a Canadian initiative to increase awareness of hospice palliative care and end-of-life care services in that country. The campaign's purpose is to encourage and enable open dialogue, information exchange and service provision in the hopes of enhancing quality of life for individuals facing the last stages of life. By encouraging open dialogue on death and dying, Living Lessons hopes to move the hospice palliative care movement from the periphery of the medical system into the mainstream where it belongs. The program was developed by The GlaxoSmithKline Foundation in partnership with the Canadian hospice palliative care movement.
  
  
• Harlequin Enterprises Limited, the world's leading publisher of romance and women's fiction, sponsors the “More Than Words” program, which solicits nominations of ordinary women who have made extraordinary contributions to their communities. Five women are then selected as award recipients each year and Harlequin donates $10,000 to their chosen causes. The company then asks a few of its leading authors to write a collection of short stories inspired by the lives of the award winners. The stories are published by Harlequin and the proceeds from the book are reinvested in Harlequin's charitable initiatives, while the winners are honored in an annual ceremony attended by the winners, the authors and Harlequin’s devoted readership.
  
  
• The Marriott International hotel chain began Pathways to Independence as a job-training program for welfare recipients in 1991. Marriott now has programs in 40+ cities where it assigns trainees to the front desk, switchboards, restaurants and laundries. They provide security, drive customers to and from airports, and handle luggage for the corporation’s various hotel brands. In the program, economically disadvantaged and chronically unemployed individuals learn to overcome common hurdles to job retention and become productive members of their communities. Classroom and job-site training are combined to teach fundamental work skills. Offered in conjunction with community-based partners, the program operates in locations where there are sufficient jobs available for graduates in Marriott facilities.

Just about every company these days is committed to a particular community issue or social cause. But the programs above go beyond the typical commitment. These programs create fundamental behavioral changes that address the root causes of the issue, not merely apply "band aids" through donations or volunteerism.

These are true signature programs.

According to Richard Pringle, co-president of consulting firm GrantStream,"Some companies identify a focus of their corporate donations and call it a signature program. But there are significant differences between focus areas and signature programs."

Pringle defines a signature program as a unique, custom-designed and visible corporate community investment initiative designed to contribute to measurable change on a societal issue or cause. Ideally, the selected issue should align with a company's brand, vision, mission and values. In making a difference to the issue, the program enhances the company’s reputation and relationships with employees, customers and other key internal and external stakeholders by demonstrating commitment to good corporate citizenship.

Pringle describes some of the differences between focus areas and signature programs. For instance, a focus area concentrates on a selected category of giving, while a signature program typically involves a narrowly defined cause or issue, (e.g., helping unwed mothers, reducing seniors’ isolation); a focus area is commonly shared with many other companies, foundations, etc., while a signature program is developed and “owned” by the company; other funders may be selectively invited at discretion of the company. Pringle also emphasizes that signature programs often incorporate a “systems” view of the issue, encouraging a variety of approaches.

Authors Philip Kotler and Nancy Lee use the term "corporate social marketing" to describe signature programs: "'Corporate social marketing'" is a powerful, if often misunderstood, strategy that uses marketing principles and techniques to foster behavior change in a target population, improving society while at the same time building markets for products or service." ("Best of Breed," Stanford Social Innovation Review, Spring 2004.)

In that vein, developing a signature program is akin to bringing a new product to market, says Pringle. It requires careful analysis of the market for opportunities and challenges, consideration of the company’s strengths and weaknesses, significant planning and diligent execution. Some of the steps include:

• Aligning with your business: what business are you in? Sometimes the answer is obvious, sometimes it requires some creative thinking to truly identify the benefits that your company brings to its clients. In any case, it is vitally important that your signature program is consistent with your business interests. Otherwise, you risk confusing your employees, clients and other stakeholders.
  
  
• Reviewing your company’s long- and short-term business goals and objectives: these should be forefront in your thinking as you research potential causes; look for opportunities that connect with your corporate strategies and target audiences.
  
  
• Reviewing your community investment plan: the signature program must fit smoothly within your community investment framework.
  
  
• Identifying competitive activity: understand what your competitors are doing in the community. Know where they are active and how they have been successful (or unsuccessful). It’s best to find new opportunities versus trying to go head-to-head with a competitor (after all, it’s about benefiting the community, not beating your “enemy”).
  
  
• Considering community needs: successful programs address unmet or unsatisfied needs in the community.
  
  
• Looking at trends: signature programs are like surfing – better to catch the wave before it breaks rather than wait until everyone is riding it. Look for new developments, emerging issues and shifting attitudes: these are the hallmarks of high potential opportunities.
  
  
• Engaging employees: employees are probably the most important audience for a signature program. By involving them in the process, you create enthusiasm, excitement and ownership in the program.
  
  
• Locating internal partners: successful signature programs have buy-in from internal business partners. Do this by seeking input from allies in marketing, corporate communications, human resources, government relations, business development, and others. Ask your colleagues in these areas about their priorities, and what the company as a whole should be paying attention to.
  
  
• Locating external partners: no signature program – nor the company that creates it – can “own” an issue or a cause. Success comes from collaboration with experts in the relevant fields, with respected organizations that have established reputations and with stakeholders who are affected by the issue. It is essential to develop healthy, long-term relationships with key individuals and groups if your program has any chance of success.
  
  
• Communicating: good communication is the foundation to any successful initiative. It is critical that everyone (inside and outside) understand what you are doing and how you plan on going about it.

Want to learn more about signature programs? Richard Pringle and Eric Young will be teaching The Center's upcoming program, Building and Branding a Breakthrough Signature Program, on March 29-31 in Orlando. Richard and Eric have worked together and independently on the development of several award-winning signature programs – along with ones that didn’t get launched – providing them with tremendous depth-of-experience and first-hand knowledge of not only designing and developing signature programs but also navigating them through the “waters” of corporate approvals and oversight. Learn more and register.