She’s the “founding mother” of Cause-Related Marketing, a pioneer in marketing communications for thousands of national brands, and I am lucky enough to have her on Dialogue’s Advisory Board. Welcome Carol. (insert virtual hug here).

I met Carol at my second job out of college and worked for her company for three terrific years. I learned a bit about CRM, how to build a brand, how to brainstorm great ideas for clients, and how to have fun while doing it.

Carol’s got this energy that’s downright contagious. As a hustling young account executive, I put in my hours. But they were never more than Carol.  She was always there before I arrived, and burning the midnight oil after I left.

As hard as I worked, I wanted more. I’d do anything for Carol. The day I left Cone (we PR people tend to hop around a bit) I remember feeling a tinge of regret – “did I make the right decision? “should I have stayed with her and her company?”

Now almost ten years later, I don’t have any regrets, because well, I get to work for/with her again. I’m thrilled and honored to have Carol on board. Here’s a brief look at her incredible background.

Carol Cone, CEO, Cone, Inc
Carol is nationally recognized for her work in the Cause Branding® and strategic philanthropy arenas. As the Chairman of Cone, Inc., she has embraced a steadfast commitment to building substantive and sustainable partnerships between companies and social issues for more than 25 years. Cone has pioneered vibrant new alliances for private/public partnerships to create signature programs for a host of Fortune 500 companies, including the Avon Breast Cancer Crusade, ConAgra Foods’ Feeding Children Better, PNC Grow Up Great, the American Heart Association’s Go Red for Women program, Reebok’s Human Rights Awards, Rockport’s Fitness Walking, and the Gillette Prostate Cancer Challenge, among others. Overall, Cone’s signature cause programs have raised more than  $1.2 billion for various social causes.  Today, Cone, Inc. is acknowledged as the nation’s leading Cause Branding consultancy.

Since her student days at Brandeis University during the turbulent and socially conscious Vietnam era, Cone’s career has been ignited with a keen passion for social justice. Intuitively grasping the benefits of authentic links between companies and social issues, Cone, Inc. helps companies and nonprofit organizations integrate values and social issues into brand equity and organizational identity to gain significant bottom-line impacts. Cause Branding, a term trademarked by the firm, creates dimensionality for the brand that cannot be easily replicated, vibrancy within the organization that builds pride and loyalty, and a bond with consumers and communities that leads to trust and long-term commitment.

Carol is also considered one of the nation’s experts in the field and is often solicited by the national media, including USA TODAY, New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, BusinessWeek and the Harvard Business Review.

Cone’s recognitions include (this is a truncated list because the list is WAY too long)

The 25 Most Powerful Professionals in the Communications Industry – PRWeek 2007
One of the 50 Most Powerful Women in Public Relations, PRWeek
Entrepreneur of the Year, Arthur Young/Venture Magazine

Carol was a contributing writer to the Big Moo, a collaboration of 33 of the world’s smartest business thinkers and their best ideas on how to be remarkable, edited by renown author Seth Godin.  The book made the Wall Street Journal bestseller list within two weeks of its release.  Cone was also a contributing writer/editor to Cause Marketing for Nonprofits by Jocelyne Daw.  Carol was selected by the prestigious Cannes Lions International Marketing Awards to be one of two US judges in their inaugural year of adding an entire public relations division to the competition.  She was also selected to be a chairperson for the 2009 Jay Chiat Awards in the Social Strategy Category.

She graduated magna cum laude from Brandeis University with a B.S. in Fine Arts, and Boston University with a Masters in Communications. In 1991, Cone completed the Owner/President Management Program at the Harvard Business School. Carol is a Board Member of Net Impact, a global organization of students and professionals using business to improve the world.  She also serves on the Business Advisory Council of Simmons School of Management and is a board advisor to the International Social Media Association and the Committee Encouraging Corporate Philanthropy.

Hometown: Weston, Mass and Wellington, Florida

Favorite Book/Recommended Reading: Built to Last by Jim Collins

How I Relax: Ride horses, cuddle cats, prune trees, rollerblade and arrange flowers

Words to Live by/ Words of wisdom: Be courageous, remember it takes 9 no’s before you get a yes