A lot of things in life are better in threes; Stooges, for instance. Or, coins in a fountain. Or, little pigs. Or, Bee Gees. Or, Great Pyramids at Giza. Or laws of motion.

I'm sure that the headline of this article seems too good to be true, but it's not. Surprisingly, many nonprofit organizations still are unaware of the Google Grant and its potential for them.

When running the ING New York City Marathon in November for a small local charity, it was easy for me to see the big picture - especially when surrounded by thousands of other charity runners. It reinforced the idea that contributing to a cause is never a solo act. The things we believe in aren't about just ourselves; they're about our communities, locally and globally, and joining together with other likeminded people to effect change. Because of that, powerful cause marketing will always be about building stronger, better and more meaningful relationships that inspire people to be a part of …

Virtual events may be considered cutting edge these days, but bringing people together to burn some calories for a good cause remains a healthy source of funds and inspiration for a wide range of nonprofit groups.

The other day I came across an essay from a lawyer at a Washington food policy institute who argued that cause marketing was such a powerful inducement that it ought to be highly regulated if not banned outright.

We can all relate to overcompensating when we feel less than confident in any situation - too much cologne or perfume before the first date after a long period of being on the sidelines or circling a building a dozen times an hour before or even a day before a big interview or pitch.

People may not be scanning QR codes forever, or passing their smartphones near an NFC chip, but demand for online content to enhance and support offline activities is strong. That's what your nonprofit needs to begin addressing. In this, you have no choice.

Cause marketing is full of earnest appeals and images designed to touch your heart and your tear ducts. The field has a fascinating minority of marketers who succeed at mixing purpose with a sense of humor.

Almost everyone in the workforce today, excepting the oldest of the Boomers, grew up playing some kind of video or computer game on a console/computer, handheld device, or old-school video games at the arcade. That's basically all or part of three generations. The global video game business is worth more than $56 billion, according to a study from PricewaterhouseCoopers, and is headed toward $82 billion by 2015. Add another $2 billion or so for the fantasy sports leagues (U.S.) and you have the makings of a monster business.

I recently spoke on a panel about cause marketing at the Kellogg School of Management, where an MBA candidate asked a simple but fundamental question: "Who is driving cause in the marketplace, consumers or companies?" The answer: both. And things are about to get a lot more interesting. Marketers and brand builders take note: the future will be all about leveraging societal impact as a source of innovation and business advantage. Here's a look at some key trends showing where things are headed.