Buy1GIVE1 (Buy One Give One) is profiled by XL Magazine in Singapore.  

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Supercharged CSR

There’s a rapidly growing awareness of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR); companies giving back to make a difference.  And yet as important as that trend is, very few companies focus on the real effectiveness of their giving. Fewer still understand the powerful impact that giving can have on their business.

The key to the effectiveness lies in converting the CSR programme from Corporate Social Responsibility to Customer Sociable Response-ability — the ability to powerfully and positively
involve existing and potential customers directly in the giving process. When businesses ‘get’ that, it turns CSR into Supercharged CSR. Let’s look at why that is.

In business, it is so easy to think that our customers are only interested in how good our products and services are. And when we think that way, we rather naturally ‘tell the story’ of those products and services. But magic happens when we do that a different way. Magic happens when we start telling our customers that it is actually they who make a difference, simply by choosing our products and services. And that magic shows itself in dramatically-increased sales and bigger profits. And, of course, that in turn leads to even greater giving.

Consider a simple example. Imagine you and I are partners in a restaurant. We work hard to make sure the restaurant delivers a great dinning experience to our guests. We create innovative marketing to attract new customers. We even give 10 per cent of our profits to charity.

And then imagine that one day, we decide to create magic by putting Buy1GIVE1 into action. On this day, we change the front of our menus to carry this powerful story:

“Every time you
dine with us, a
hungry child gets
fed. Thank you
from them and
us for making a
difference.”

You can just picture what would happen, can’t you? Our guests would feel great! They’d want to come back more. And of course, they’d tell their friends.

And so our business builds dramatically.

And then we go two important steps further. We start to tell that ‘Every time you dine with us, a hungry child gets fed’ story in our ads. And we use the B1G1 brand to give the story even greater authenticity.

And guess what: even more customers come as we build our attractiveness simply because we’ve specifically matched our giving directly to the customers’ hearts and minds.

And our inspired and specifc transaction-based giving results in us getting more: more customers, more loyalty, more sales, more media coverage, more profits. We’ve supercharged our CSR.

Can you see how simple and effective it is? And so now make the jump from the restaurant back to your own business. Isn’t it true that in your own business, precisely the same thing would happen?

You match the giving specifically and you make it transaction-based, with the cost being covered out of your marketing budget because of the return you receive. You add in the B1G1 brand. And our business and your giving build together.

It works because customers today are changing too. They’re more aware of social issues than ever before. Just like you, they really do care.

And when you recognise that, you recognise immediately that being a good company providing good products and good service is no longer good enough to make you stand out in the
marketplace. And when you act on that recognition in a powerful way, everything changes. You, your business, your team AND your customers connect synergistically to make a difference: not just to the world but to a far better, even more profitable, even more giving enterprise.

A hidden aspect of effectiveness: How Much ends up with the Worthy Cause?

It’s sad but true: the more money we give these days, the more could be going places other than intended.

Have you heard of how much of what is donated to charities really reaches the causes? Here are some facts on charities that might surprise you:

• A recent UK study found that the average cost of fundraising for each organisation was approximately 18 percent.
• According to an article in The CPA Journal, some telemarketing companies in the US take over 65% from the funds generated.
• In a particular case, one company was allowed to keep 70% to 80% (with other affiliate taking some), leaving only 3% to be used for the charitable activities promised.
• The average fundraising cost of charities in Australia is 22% (statistics from GiveWell). This does NOT include administration costs which come off after this.
• An idea of good-practice examples of administration costs is 15% among some non-profit organisation associations — but many organisations spend far more than this amount for administration.

And what adds to some of these problems? Simple. It takes so much effort for the charities to go out and raise the money!

We can be judgmental about this, or we can choose to find a better way.

Buy1GIVE1 is that way. It not only gives huge value to businesses (in the form of marketing stories and branding to increase their revenues so they can give more away); it also
streamlines, and indeed, automates the process of fundraising for worthy causes — thereby drastically reducing their administration and fundraising costs.

So B1G1 impacts the business, the business’ customers AND the worthy causes.

Additionally, B1G1 Worthy Cause Partners are now finding that they are not just at the receiving end of the giving chain. They are suddenly realising the value they have to offer businesses in the form of stories that the business can use for marketing. Worthy cause partners provide valuable marketing materials and stories in exchange. This is not just giving—it is a total and equitable value exchange.

Buy1GIVE1 is now spreading rapidly around the world, inspiring many business owners and Worthy Causes.

‘PROBABLY THE BEST Muesli in the World!’

Nicky Meehan is an entrepreneur in Brisbane, Australia who produces and distributes one of the best quality, great-tasting muesli you will find (you have to try it!). Her gluten-free muesli tastes better than any muesli around. Yes, her products are unique and people rave about them. However, this year, her customers are raving even more — because now there is more!

Every packet of muesli her customers purchase feeds a child.

When her customers sit down for breakfast now, they know they have fed a child. Imagine how that would make you feel.

In the world where every day, almost 30,000 children die of malnutrition, the carefully-designed nutritious meals prepared in an hygienic environment fresh each day by Nicky’s Worthy Cause Partner, ISKCON in Mumbai India, is making a massive difference. ISKCON currently provides 125,000 free meals PER DAY to underprivileged children. Through people like Nicky and by partnering with B1G1, they’ll grow that already staggering number to 500,000 meals a day by 2009.

Nicky’s business may not be a massive corporation yet, but her business is already making a significant impact on thousands of children today, just by donating a small part of each transaction in a very specific way to ISKCON.

“I have been looking for an effective way of making a difference” says Nicky, “and through B1G1 I’ve found just that. Now, every time a bag of muesli is purchased, it provides a midday meal and education for a child in India through Buy1GIVE1 and the ISKCON’s Midday Meals Project.”

Nicky is now expanding and starting to license what she does, and is seeking others to join her vision. (Do send her an email at nicky@maplemuesli.com )

Modern Day Stress-Relief Relieves Trauma in Abused Girls

Alan Hewitt runs Earth Star Publishing, based out of Perth, Western Australia, and distributing globally. He provides amazing tools to his clients to transform their lives. Alan has just partnered with All One Foundation run by Dr Lynelle Kerr, XL Global Social Entrepreneur of the Year 2006 recipient.

“The benefits of meditation have been known for thousands of years,” says Alan. Many of my customers come to me for my powerful audio technology called ‘Holosync’ that sends a very specific stimulus to the brain and creates states of deep meditation, quickly and easily. By helping people with depression, anxiety, stress and sleep problems, we wanted to help women and children in distressed situations.”

Alan became a business partner of B1G1 because he wanted to give effectively, as well as grow his business.

Alan’s Worthy Cause Partner, All One Foundation, has been created to provide permanent healing support for children and young women who have suffered abuse and violence from the sex trade in countries where limited rehabilitation services exist.

Now, every time Alan sells a CD programme, a young girl receives a healing treatment session to transform her life. Another form of Buy1GIVE1.

Giving First or Last

In Mark Victor Hansen and Robert Allan’s book Cracking the Millionaire Code (a book that helped inspire the creation of Buy1GIVE1), there is an interesting idea about giving—the power of giving FIRST.

Most companies try to give a percentage of net profit at the end of the financial year if they are focused on giving at all. However, giving the last $ is not as effective as giving the first $. Giving first immediately creates your company’s attraction.

Mark and Robert’s book also has many quotations by famous philosophers about giving. But beyond the logic and the theories, we all inherently know the power of giving. Giving creates. It’s nice to be even more creative with giving!

Be Part of The Story

Whether you’re a business, a worthy cause or simply an individual, B1G1 invites you to be part of this new and original global giving trend. When you become a member or partner of B1G1, you become part of the unique value exchange: a value exchange which benefits your business AND the worthy cause AND the customer.

It’s all about creating a real WIN/WIN/WIN situation actively involving business, a worthy cause and the general public.

As a member of the public (and we all are one!), you can also be part of B1G1 immediately. B1G1 has recently added to its already unique concept by giving you a simple, effective and powerful way to contribute every day to making our world more of a ‘giving’ world. You’ll see more about that (and much more) by visiting the B1G1 website at www.Buy1-Give1Free.com or by writing directly to the B1G1 team at info@Buy1-Give1Free.com.

Give today, enjoy today. We all are one. And together we can make a difference, every day, in every way.

Republished from XL Magazine Singapore.

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