Guest Blog from Work for Good
With plastic pollution, climate change and global warming on everyone’s minds, it seems like every business is donating 5% of their sales to some kind of good cause. For bigger businesses, it makes sense as a stop-gap measure while more significant structural changes are made (like changing to recyclable packaging, or using green energy). But is it achievable for smaller businesses?
In a word, absolutely! And in fact, if you own a small business, giving to charity isn’t just the right thing to do – it could give your business a serious boost. We approached three small business owners who give to charity, to find out how it worked for them – through our (free!) business donations platform, Work for Good.
Tash, of Hatchling Makes
Tash’s business is a one-woman show, selling prints and gifts with her signature brightly-coloured animal designs at craft fairs and markets in the UK. Though her business is super-small, Tash still wanted to make a difference through her work – and so far it’s been a win-win.
“Since giving to charity, I’ve doubled my monthly sales, and connected with customers who really care about my business and making a difference in the world.”
So far Tash has donated 10% of her monthly sales to environmental and wildlife charities including WWF, Elephant Friends and The Bumblebee Trust – and by donating a percentage of her sales, she guarantees that as her business fluctuates, she’s able to give in a way that’s manageable for her.
2. Applegarth Farms
When it comes to giving back, Applegarth Farms restaurant wanted to help their customers feel involved in their charity donations. So they set up their ‘Charity Table’. When a customer eats at the charity table, the restaurant give 50% of the profit from their meal to a charity – chosen from a selection by the customer themselves. After over 2 years, it’s still a hit.
“We’ve seen a considerable benefit from the Charity Table, in terms of word of mouth referrals, repeat customers, and local press. It’s a win-win!”
3. Oak Fine Art Services
The lovely guys who run Oak Fine Art Services spend their days travelling through London between clients, and felt they owed something back to their community. So they signed up to give a percentage of their invoices to charities like The Big Issue, Cool Earth, and Bowel Cancer UK.
“We’ve seen a direct increase in repeat business since we started giving to charity. Clients really appreciate the warm feeling that some of their money is going to good causes.”
Of course, many of us have the best intentions to give back and make a difference, but when you’re running a small business, those good intentions can fall by the wayside – especially when you find out the legal admin involved in giving to charity and promoting it. Many charities are even forced to turn away smaller business donors because of the hassle it takes to set up the agreement you need (the CPA, aka a fundraiser’s nightmare).
That’s why we set up Work for Good – we help small businesses like Hatchling Makes, Applegarth Farms and Oak Fine Art Services give to the causes they care about – while we take care of the legal admin that allows them to promote their giving.
Could your business get a boost from giving to a cause you care about? Work for Good could have your business giving to charity in just a few clicks.
Small Business Research and Enterprise 