In 2025, Smile Foundation witnessed the transformative power of brands uniting through cause related marketing (CRM) partnerships to challenge perceptions and create meaningful impact. Compassion driven collaborations demonstrated that CRM is no longer just a promotional tool, as today brands are increasingly seen as accountable, accessible and active social agents.
Furthermore, through CRM partnerships, consumers experienced the journey of change firsthand- a child gaining access to classroom, an older woman receiving healthcare at her doorstep, a young girl being able to continue her education despite menstrual issues, youth acquiring 21st century skills and women empowered with resources and skills to uplift themselves, their families and communities, proving that Cause Related Marketing is now a crucial tool for businesses to move with purpose and create social change, hand in hand.
Strengthening Relationships Beyond Giving
CRM partnerships played a pivotal role in deepening impact by enabling continuity, context and clarity. Every activity was recorded and analysed to create a cohesive lasting strategy that allowed brands to move beyond episodic collaboration.
Partners engaged with timely insights, impact data and storytelling which reflected their contribution’s real world-outcomes. By aligning organisational memory with human stories from the field, Smile Foundation’s CRM activities ensured that partnerships grow rich over time, rooted in shared learning, transparency and a deepening commitment to beneficiaries.
- Streamlined Partner Communication and Engagement Journeys
Effective communication was the backbone of trust-driven partnerships. Smile Foundation’s CRM programme enabled structured and personalised engagement journeys. From onboarding to impact reporting, timely communication and automated workflows supported consistency, while human oversight ensured warmth and empathy in the activities.
- Enabled Customised CSR Engagement Aligned with Partner Priorities
Every brand enters a cause with unique priorities. Smile’s CRM interventions helped in mapping these unique goals precisely with customised engagement models which was then further supplemented with tracking sectoral interests, geographic focus and impact expectations- resulting in making every investment resonate deeply with both corporate objectives and community needs.
- Supported Long-Term Partnerships Over One-time Contributions
Sustainable social change demands consistency, not one time generosity. At Smile Foundation, our efforts are to nurture long term partnerships by capturing impact progression over time. Data driven insights have demonstrated how continued support helps in achieving compound outcomes. The focus is to create a shared legacy for a sustained impact, where partnerships and communities evolve and mature together.
- Timely Engagements During Moments That Matter
By anticipating seasonal giving cycles like DaanUtsav, or responding swiftly during emergencies like floods in Punjab and Assam or festive engagements, Smile Foundation’s CRM mobilised swift support in partnership with brands. Such CRM collaborations helped in aligning real time needs, where our partners’s enthusiastic responsiveness transformed them from corporate entities to changemakers, standing alongside the communities during moments that are important.
Smile’s CRM Drives Impact in 2025
Submarine Pens joined hands with Smile Foundation to create impact beyond the product. With Smile Foundation’s presence across 2,000+ villages and urban slums in India, this collaboration helps to extend access to education and healthcare for children who need it most. Each pen purchased becomes a symbol of shared responsibility—transforming everyday moments into opportunities for learning, wellbeing, and brighter futures. Together, the partnership demonstrates how conscious consumer choices can translate into lasting social change, touching lives with dignity, hope, and purpose.
- Fashion with Intention, Impact with Meaning
The Lakshita–Smile Foundation partnership exemplifies purpose-led cause marketing, where responsible fashion was leveraged to create measurable social impact. Through a creative engagement initiative, children from Smile Foundation’s Mission Education Centres explored art, confidence, and self-expression using upcycled materials. The handcrafted creations were later showcased and sold at Lakshita stores, with proceeds supporting children’s education and wellbeing. This collaboration not only amplified brand purpose but directly enabled young learners to access opportunities, nurturing creativity while contributing to brighter, more sustainable futures.
- Relationship-Led CRM for Women’s Health
This CRM-led partnership with Amara Organics demonstrates how sustained corporate engagement can drive meaningful social outcomes. By co-creating a community outreach initiative on menstrual hygiene and reproductive health, the collaboration enabled open dialogue, trust-building, and awareness among women beneficiaries. Beyond education, the distribution of sanitary napkins ensured immediate access to essential care. Such engagements strengthen long-term relationships between corporates and communities, positioning cause-led events as strategic touchpoints that advance women’s health, reinforce partner commitment, and deliver measurable, people-centric impact through collaborative action.
- CRM Partnerships translates into Livelihood Outcomes
A placement drive under Smile Foundation’s skilling and livelihood initiative in Delhi, conducted in collaboration with Holiday Inn Express, enabled structured talent-matching for young aspirants entering the workforce. Supported by CRM-led coordination, the initiative ensured seamless partner engagement, candidate tracking, and outcome measurement. Through industry-aligned training in hospitality, retail, and BPO sectors, seven candidates secured placements, marking a significant step towards sustainable livelihoods. The collaboration highlights how data-driven partnerships and coordinated engagement can translate skilling interventions into measurable employment outcomes and long-term socio-economic empowerment.
Looking Ahead: Shaping a More Compassionate 2026
Smile Foundation’s partnership philosophy is anchored in deepening relationships rather than expanding numbers. Our focus remains on building collaborative partnerships that deliver sustained and measurable impact. Our Cause related marketing initiative functions as a strategic enabler with integrated insights, on-time responsiveness and accountability to support more human centered CSR engagements. By aligning partner objectives with on ground realities, CRM has strengthened trust and long term value creations for both brands and communities. This 2026, Smile Foundation’s CRM goals are committed to expand brands efforts to co- create impact through commitment, clarity and collective purpose.
Be Part of Purpose-Driven CRM initiatives this year. Partner with Smile to empower lives with education, healthcare and livelihood.
Sources
Cause Marketing: Campaigns That Balanced Heart and Commercial Goals
Do Good, Sell More: Can Cause-Related Marketing Promotions Boost Product Sales?
