Since early 2009, you may have noticed subtle changes and enhanced services slowly unveiling as CauseConnect® prepares to celebrate a decade of doing business by doing good.™ This is all in anticipation of our firm’s 10th anniversary, which officially began October 2010.
In January 1999, what is now known as CauseConnect® originated when four business associates decided to get together for the purpose of sharing ideas and connections based on their expertise in sponsorship and corporate giving. Soon thereafter, other nonprofit and corporate professionals throughout Southern California and beyond joined them, expanding the networking group of four to nearly 300 who regularly convened to present opportunities for possible collaboration and to contribute best practices for effective nonprofit-corporate partnerships.
As the networking group headed into another direction, in October 2000, Melissa Richardson Banks started her own business, CauseConnect, through which she began offering professional training and consulting to companies and causes. After 9/11 in 2001, demand for her services increased dramatically, so she left her position as Director, Sponsorship & Marketing at the Library Foundation of Los Angeles to concentrate on CauseConnect on a full-time basis.
Today, CauseConnect can point to three milestone years as its Cause for Celebration: 1999, when the concept for the firm was conceived; 2000, when the firm name and logo were officially introduced and used for promoting, creating and implementing services; and 2001, when the firm began expanding its services to make them available to clients on a full-time basis.
Join us this coming year as our refreshed look and more public approach is revealed on our website and through our growing social media presence. Keep an eye out for our expanded line of products and services, quietly used behind the scenes over the past several years (and tested with blue-chip clients). And, as appropriate, we will begin sharing more about our good work that is focused on ensuring our corporate clients achieve business returns on charitable investments.™
Thank you for your support and continued business!