Can marketing change the world? That’s the question we’re asking in this weekly miniseries. To find out why, read the introduction here.

When most people think of marketing, they think about the large corporations that bombard their television screens, like Coca-Cola or Budweiser. They think about the ads that try to get them to buy something. Of course companies like these use marketing to grow their reach, gain new customers, and increase sales.

But just because they don’t have the money to compete with those kinds of for-profit organizations, we should not discount the marketing efforts undertaken by non-profit organizations and other groups.

Non-profit marketers have a difficult job. They’re competing in the same space as the for-profit guys, but often with far lower budgets. And they need to make every dollar count.

But when they’re effective, they can make a huge impact.

Let’s take a moment to remember last summer’s viral Ice Bucket Challenge. While this was the work of individuals in the market and not any specific ALS organization, it’s the perfect way to illustrate how cause marketing can impact the world.

The Ice Bucket Challenge took advantage of social media and went on to raise over $100 million for ALS research.

Just like marketing generates big dollars for large corporations, it can also generate interest in, awareness of, and funding for critical issues we face around the world today. And the marketers that are responsible for those activities can absolutely change the world.