Campaigns that funded wells in Ethiopia, provided life-saving vaccinations and fought veteran unemployment – all while building stronger businesses – were among the initiatives honored at the twelfth annual Cause Marketing Halo Awards.

Eighteen category-specific winners were selected out of more than 100 entries by the Cause Marketing Forum at its annual conference. In addition, Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals and TOMS each received a Cause Marketing Golden Halo Award for breakthrough, long-term efforts to do well by doing good.

Descriptions of winning campaigns can be found online at www.CauseMarketingForum.com/halo2014.

Taking home multiple honors this year were:

Dig In & Do Good, a transactional cause marketing campaign that invited frequent diners to use their MasterCard when dining out and unlocked a total of $8 million in donations to Stand Up To Cancer in 2013.

iHeartRadio Show Your Stripes, Clear Channel Communities’ CSR campaign addressing the issue of unemployment among U.S. veterans. Clear Channel dedicated $100 million in media assets and partnered with numerous business and nonprofit groups and celebrities to connect veterans with job opportunities.

Home Sweet Home, a campaign from Canadian telecommunications company TELUS encouraging Canadians to support local wildlife. Consumers could buy a plush panda with proceeds going to WWF Canada as well as spread awareness by participating via clever social media activations.

“Once again this year Halo-winning campaigns rose to the top by effectively communicating cause-related messages while measurably generating social and financial dividends,” said Cause Marketing Forum President David Hessekiel.

This year’s Cause Marketing Halo Award-winning campaigns were:

Best Transactional Campaign
GOLD: Dig In & Do Good (MasterCard and Stand Up To Cancer)
SILVER: Give Breast Cancer the Boot (JCPenney and National Breast Cancer Foundation)

Best Message-Focused Campaign
GOLD: 100 Wells for Ethiopia (Pacific Dental Services and charity: water)
SILVER: iHeart Radio Show Your Stripes (Clear Channel Communities)

Best Social Media Campaign Finalists
GOLD: Craziest thing I Did to Save Money (H&R Block Dollars & Sense and DoSomething.org)
SILVER: Home Sweet Home (TELUS and WWF Canada)

Best Video Creative
GOLD: The Moment (CIBC and Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation)
SILVER: Dig In & Do Good (MasterCard and Stand Up To Cancer)

Best Health-Related Campaign
GOLD: Get a Shot. Give a Shot. (Walgreen Co. and United Nations Foundation)
SILVER: imbornto (March of Dimes and Mud Pie, Bon-Ton and Famous Footwear)

Best Environmental or Animal Campaign
GOLD: Alternative Spring Break (American Eagle Outfitters and Student Conservation Association)
SILVER: Home Sweet Home (TELUS and WWF Canada)

Best Business Model Integration
GOLD: Zoetis for Shelters
SILVER: Alex & Ani Charity by Design

Best Social Service Campaign
GOLD: 2nd Annual Great American Shake Sale (Shake Shack and Share Our Strength)
SILVER: iHeart Radio Show Your Stripes (Clear Channel Communities)

Best Education Campaign
GOLD: Celebrate Schools! (General Growth Properties and DonorsChoose.org)
SILVER: Great Starts, Great Stories (Kellogg Co., Scholastic Inc. and Books for Kids Foundation)

Now in their twelfth year, the Cause Marketing Halo Awards are North America's highest honor in the field of cause marketing. They are presented to US and Canadian companies by the Cause Marketing Forum, a company dedicated to providing business and nonprofit executives with the practical information and connections they need to succeed. All Halo winners can be seen online at www.CauseMarketingForum.com/halo2014.

Engage for Good

Engage for Good

Engage for Good (formerly the Cause Marketing Forum) helps business and nonprofit executives succeed together by providing access to actionable information, valuable contacts and recognition for outstanding work through conferences, distance learning, online resources and customized services.

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