GameStop and Chili’s Bar and Grill are hoping to ramp up donations for St. Jude’s Children Research Hospital’s annual campaign by encouraging consumers to donate via mobile devices, online and in-store.

Chili’s is ramping up marketing for donations with its new Ziosk tabletop tablet devices. This is the second year that GameStop is partnering with the hospital for the Thanks and Giving campaign to raise money for research and treatment of childhood cancer.

“GameStop is a proud supporter of St. Jude and we’re about to kick off our second annual Thanks & Giving Campaign,” said Sarah Trigg, coordinator of community relations and corporate giving at GameStop, Dallas, TX. “We have chosen these outlets to best reach our customers, and are hoping to build upon the $1MM we raised last year for the children at St. Jude.”

Seasonal giving
From Nov. 24 onward, Chili’s guests can add a donation to St. Jude’s campaign right onto their check when using the Ziosk tabletop tablet device at any Chili’s location.

From Nov. 3 through Dec. 24, consumers may donate while shopping at GameStop and partake in the retailer’s  initiative to combat life-threatening illnesses for children.

Because the campaign experienced high levels of success last year, GameStop is rolling out participation to the other specialty retail brands that fall under its umbrella, including Game Informer, BuyMyTronics.com, Spring Mobile and Kongregate.com.

GameStop is also offering consumers who choose to donate an incentive: a coupon for a 10 percent discount on a future purchase of a previously owned game.

GameStop prides itself on reaching mobile users through deep understanding and the delivery of meaningful content that resonates with the consumer (see story). With one of the most popular loyalty rewards programs among retailers, the brand seeks to develop an emotional connection with its customers – a strategy that has been working.

Partnering with St. Jude’s adds an extra layer of corporate social responsibility to the brand that will likely increase loyalty. The retailer aims to make donating as simple as possible on their Web and mobile sites, as well as in-store, in the hopes that St. Jude’s can surpass the high numbers it has seen in previous campaigns.

Collaborating with brands
The St. Jude’s Thanks and Giving campaign counts a wide variety of top brands as collaborators for the holiday fund-raising program. The program, which was established in 2004, also accepts specialty items from certain retailers as donations.

Other major brands that have teamed up with the hospital for the annual campaign include Target, Coca Cola, Ticketmaster, Pottery Barn and Old Navy. It has also enjoyed the support of celebrities such as Jennifer Aniston and Sofia Vergara.

However, St. Jude’s Hospital acknowledges GameStop’s massive client base and believes that teaming up with the electronics brand will raise awareness even more. St. Jude’s is a publicly-funded hospital that does not ask for payments from clients, and has been able to raise over $487 million during the past ten years of the campaign.

“This year, some of our technology brands are joining in the fight against childhood cancers and other deadly diseases,” Ms. Trigg said. “They are not only increasing awareness for St. Jude, but also raising funding to help support the hospital as it saves the lives of children every day.”

Final Take
Alex Samuely is an editorial assistant on Mobile Commerce Daily, New York