I just returned home from a trip to the San Francisco Gift Show, which was very successful for me on several levels. I was excited hear the fabulous feedback on our summer edition of GIFT SHOP magazine, there was a wonderful turnout for my presentation on retailing innovation and I found great new products to show you (stay tuned later this week).

For the second year in a row, the SFIGF graciously organized a fundraiser accepting both donations and food to benefit Head Start, a non-profit organization that supports 160 different charities. While I always knew the gift industry was very generous, it warmed my heart to see how retailers and vendors lined up to participate at this year's drive despite the challenging retail environment.

This fundraising effort reminded me of the value of cause marketing, so here are three reasons why I believe it's so important:

1. On a philosophical level, I believe the more you give, the more you get back. Giving makes you feel great on many levels, and on a more spiritual note, I think you attract in life what you put out (i.e., if you're a good person, you attract more good people in your life).

2. There is a fantastic PR opportunity with cause marketing. Think about organizing a special food or clothing drive in your store, a road race to benefit a local charity (sponsored by your store and other local retailers) or creating a place in your store where shoppers can write/send a personal letter to the troops (an idea I saw in action at the National Stationery Show). You may be able to get an article published in your local newspaper about your efforts, or at the very least create an excellent reason to reach out to your customer database. Promote the event on Facebook, Twitter, through email marketing and on store signage.

3. It creates an additional way to connect with your customers as you come together for a common cause to help a local charity. You may even want to conduct a store poll (through your website, or in the store) to determine which charity you'll be helping. Don't forget to take lots of pictures during the event and upload them to Flickr and Facebook. You can also blog about the event, and include details in your store email newsletter (with a link to the photos on Facebook).

Have you recently organized a successful charity event at your store? Please share some of the details with us so we can all get ideas.