Objective

Born This Way Foundation, a nonprofit founded by Lady Gaga and her mother, Cynthia Germanotta, partnered with Australian-born fashion and lifestyle brand Cotton On and their philanthropic arm Cotton On Foundation with a goal to raise and invest $5 million USD to support youth mental health globally. The two organizations joined to create a range of limited-edition products available from September 1st, 2023, to October 15th, 2023 with Cotton On donating 100% of the net proceeds to Born This Way Foundation’s mental health initiatives, making Cotton On one of the biggest corporate contributors to global youth mental health resources and support in 2023. Customers could purchase items, including caps, T-shirts, tote bags, stationery, and a denim jacket online and in select stores globally to support the fundraising initiative. The ‘Kinder, Braver Together’ product design was inspired by Born This Way Foundation’s mission of partnering with young people to build a kinder and braver world that supports their mental health

The collaboration supported Born This Way Foundation’s ‘Be There Certificate,’ a free online course created in partnership with Jack.org, that provides young people (and anyone!) with the knowledge to support their own and their peers’ mental health. 

This partnership also invited young people globally to nominate local mental health organizations to receive funding up to $150,000 USD per country as part of Born This Way Foundation's ‘Kindness in Community Fund,’ expanding mental health support in ten countries where Cotton On operates. 

Strategy

The two organizations created a range of limited-edition products, with 100% of the net proceeds sold between September 1st and October 15th supporting Born This Way Foundation’s work.

The partnership invested in global mental health and wellness through two routes:

1. Increasing the number of people who have earned their ‘Be There Certificate,’ a free online course, created by Jack.org in partnership with Born This Way Foundation, that provides young people with the knowledge to support their own mental health and support their peers facing mental health challenges. Through this partnership with Cotton On Foundation, Born This Way Foundation was able to achieve the following:
   1. Promote the Be There Certificate across all Foundation-affiliated channels, including 242 posts that have generated 2.5M+ organic impressions. This included work with youth advocates and influencers who shared with their followers the importance of learning how to support your own and others’ mental health. 
   2. Equip partner organizations with a co-branded toolkit to share the Be There Certificate with their online communities.
   3. Execute a paid digital campaign across Meta and Google, geotargeting the US, UK, and Australia in September and October. The campaign generated 8.4M impressions for the Be There Certificate and recruited over 5K people sign up to earn their Certificate.
2. Due to Cotton On Foundation’s generous support, the partnership has enabled Born This Way Foundation to take the Kindness in Community Fund global and support community organizations around the world. These organizations must be informed and/or led by young people, provide free, accessible mental health resources, and be rooted in equity practices. Born This Way Foundation is currently in the final stages of selecting these local organizations within a pool of over 1,900 nominations from Australia, Brazil, Hong Kong, Malaysia, New Zealand, South Africa, Thailand, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Selected organizations will receive grants up to $150,000 USD per country to support their work providing mental health resources or support to young people in their communities.

Results

The partnership was successful in investing millions of dollars to support youth mental health globally. Through this partnership, Born This Way Foundation was able to nearly double the number of daily visitors to BeThereCertificate.org.  They are well ahead of pace to meet the goal of 40,000 accounts created and 22,000 certificates earned in the first 12 months. Every person connected with the Be THere Certificate is connected with a resource that equips them with the knowledge and confidence needed to support someone in their lives who is struggling.  60% of Certificate-holders have told us in surveys that they have had a conversation where they’ve supported at least one person’s mental health using the knowledge from the course. That means we can reasonably estimate 7,000 people have been supported by a Certificate-holder. The program also remains youth-focused, with a whopping 78% of certificates completed coming from those under the age of 35.

The best is yet to come, when later this year the Kindness in Community Fund grants will be distributed to the selected local organizations around the world, increasing their capabilities and capacity to provide community-based resources and support. These organizations will be selected from a pool of nearly 2,000 nominations from young people and allies around the world. This partnership was successful in growing the movement to build a kinder and braver world.

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