This section is for social entrepreneurs starting up, or others wanting to partner with charities. This section will be tweaked over time, but we hope some of this comes in useful on your journey in the meanwhile. Thanks to Jared of Wurld water for inspiring this : )
Need a resource or bouncing board?
Lessons learnt: Connecting with charities, working with their branding, and exclusivity.
Links that may be useful: charity & social enterprise, going green, sustainability & LOHAS/Solution Seekers, business, giving & loaning to others.
Li Ling, thehinitiative's director, has a pair of hands, is passionate about causes and can work, or volunteer if absolutely taken aback by your idea!. She's also available as an idea bouncing board, not that she knows everything there is to know, but it's nice to have someone on the same wavelength to connect with sometines. Drop a line on the Contact page to get connected : )
This is the process that Li Ling used to connecting with charities like World Vision New Zealand, Wellington City Mission, Mental Health Foundation, Royal New Zealand Plunket Society (most of these were cold calls too - Li Ling didn't really have any previous connection with them):
Other things to watch out for during relationship-building or assessing whether it will be beneficial to even start a relationship
They are or can be very protective of their name/branding. E.g. won't freely let others use or reference their name or brand/logo. And of course have every right to be!
If you are supporting a charity for its cause and freely giving to them, ensure that they clearly understand that you are NOT wanting to be a corporate sponsor of some kind. They may want you to pay outright or guarantee a payment/return of some kind to them.
Sometimes charities may demand exclusivity i.e. if you support us, you can't support Charity A, B and C as they are our competitiors. For example, humanitarian relief & development agencies see each other as competitors, but see emergency aid & relief agencies as different. I was surprised when I found out about this at first, but it does make commercial sense for them.
There are also different audiences / supporters for the different charities, resulting in varying outcomes for your enterprise and branding so tread carefully and find out what their supporter demographics etc are.
A daring question to ask in response to theirs about exclusivity could be "why choose you over another?" - worded nicer of course! I also wonder if sometimes money all put in one place may have more impact than smaller amounts spread about? Your call : )
If you did go exclusive, it would be best if the charity is extremely supportive in every possible way, for example, actively promoting and creating awareness of your social enterprise to all its supporters.
Another good thing about exclusivity is that No One Else can do what you're partnering with that charity to provide. So, if someone else came along to do something similar to your business, they wouldn't have the same partnerships in place as your business if you had already secured all the charities.
|
Charity & Social Enterprise |
|
Search the Charities Commission Charities Register. |
Want to double check that a charity is a registered charity in New Zealand? Or see other charities' application forms, rulings, charitable purpose as examples of what can become a charity? The Charities Commission website is especially useful if you're not too sure if you want to function as a charity or a business, and need to find out more. |
TakePart Social Action Network |
TakePart is a cause-related site designed to help you explore today's issues and get involved. Their makers believe that with the right information and tools for action, individuals can-and will-make a difference. It's a place to find information on an issue, collaborate with others or connect with people who care. It's still in beta so is growing... |
Social Edge |
Discussions By Social Entrepreneurs, For Social Entrepreneurs |
Design21: Social Design Network |
Better design for the greater good! "Are you a socially conscious designer, non-profit, individual or organization who believes social change can happen through design?" Then check this site out : ) |
|
Going Green, Sustainability & LOHAS/Solution Seekers |
|
TreeHugger |
"The leading media outlet dedicated to driving sustainability mainstream. Partial to a modern aesthetic, we strive to be a one-stop shop for green news, solutions, and product information." The place to be seen if you're green! |
LOHAS.com.au |
"LOHAS may be the biggest market you've never heard of encompassing [goods and services ranging from] organic food, energy efficient appliances and solar panels [to] alternative medicine, yoga tapes and eco-tourism" - New York Times. An informative website by Mobium Group, an Australia-based strategic consultancy providing market insights to business about issues of sustainability, technology, health and well-being. |
Moxie Design Group |
The New Zealand equivalent to Mobium Group. Cool group of people to work with! |
|
Business |
|
Fast Company |
"Where ideas and people meet" - the magazine and the website are a great read and very inspiring! |
Business.govt.nz |
Website run by Business Information NZ, with information that can help you start, grow and manage your business. |
BusinessWeek |
BusinessWeek. Need I say more? : ) "A global source of essential business insight that inspires leaders to turn ideas into action." |
|
Giving & loaning to others |
|
Givealittle |
Givealittle is an online giving platform for everyone, a useful tool for when you want to make stuff happen quickly using your networks. |
Kiva |
Loans that change lives! Loan to entrepreneurs in developing countries. |