In preparing for my talk as part of TEDxCCN, I was doing some research from a shop’s perspective and thought I’d share the results.
In 2011, over 14,000 people decided to make over 130,000 purchases from Amazon via TheGivingMachine worth over £2m is sales.
That generated a corresponding 130,000 donations worth £70,000 for 3,000 different charities and schools all over the UK that didn’t cost anyone a penny extra to give.
This £70,000 makes a huge difference to community organisations. I’m also a trustee of East Herts YMCA in Bishop’s Stortford where I live. Most of the charity income is restricted for specific uses. Income via TheGivingMachine is unrestricted and keeps flowing in. Even a small amount of money like £100 can enable East Herts YMCA to fund a trip or sports event to build feelings of social inclusion, have fun, build an identity of ‘belonging’ and, hopefully, contribution through teamwork.
But the financial outcome of £70,000 is only part of the story – surveys show that giving makes us happier and our own recent survey indicated that over 80% of respondents think more positively about the shops they buy from via TheGivingMachine.
The end result:
It makes shops like Amazon amazing. Jeffrey Bezos and his Board and everyone at Amazon should be delighted about this real corporate social responsibility initiative they are part of. And they are not alone. It makes all of the shops involved with TheGivingMachine amazing.
Is this a new business model – a giving business model? One that works on a commercial level as well as having social impact too?
I think the numbers speak for themselves – exciting times ahead!
Richard
Read our guide on corporate social responsibility here.
