A Little ‘Sustainable’ Idea!

Another Little Idea that has already made a huge difference in the world.  Rather than tell it myself let me use the words of the organization to explain it.  And remember that it may seem huge now but it started off really small.  

Play a simple game of multi-choice questions, and help the World Food Programm fight hunger — and perhaps improve your own knowledge in subjects such as art, vocabulary, history and math. The program is called Free Rice.

Since October 2007, this initiative has generated more than 77 billion grains of rice (around 20 million servings) for hungry people around the world. The rice is paid for by advertisers, and the project is supported by the Berkman Center for Internet and Society at Harvard University.

The reason I like this idea is that Advertisers benefit as well as the hungry people of the world.  It is in the Giving and the Getting that makes ideas like these sustainable.  And I Love Sustainable Ideas!

By the way there is even an iPhone App for Free Rice called Mobile Rice.  In my spare time while waiting at the doctor's office or waiting to pick someone up at the transit station I have so far donated over 20,000 grains of rice.

One Dime At A Time

So here's A Little Idea sent to me by a Facebook Friend of mine.  It is called One Dime At A Time and it is a nationwide movement to educate girls in Uganda. It's easy. Just put all your dimes in a jar at the end of each day and watch your contribution grow! http://www.facebook.com/onedimeatatime?ref=ts

That’s Easy to Do!  It just a really Little Idea but is going to have BIG Consequences!  Imagine the next Prime Minister of Uganda or the scientific discovery of a cure for a major disease coming from one of these girls that were educated with your left over dimes each day. Thank you Valerie Kitchen for submitting this Little Idea. 

If you are reading this and you have a Little Idea I would be glad to share it for you on this blog.

The Marketing Genius of Doing Good

The really smart and savvy businesses have already realized that there is tremendous profit in Doing Good.  In my last post I wrote about what Starbucks has done in Rwanda but what you should also know is what Rwanda coffee has done for Starbucks profits.  The company started selling coffee from Rwanda in mid 2009.  2nd quarter profits in 2010 were an eight fold increase and the company has posted four consecutive quarters of profit now.

So what if everyone with a small or home-based business started to use this model?  If you are already in business here are 3 things you can do to become a Philanthro-Capitalist.

1-    Decide what portion of your gross sales or profits you can give to charity without hurting your business.  I know companies that have raised prices slightly so that they can give more away and they have done very well.  Look at the higher prices we pay for organic foods for example.
2-    Pick a charity to support.  You can even include your most loyal customers and supporters of your business in making that choice.
3-    Don’t just give the money to the charity.  Get involved and get your customers involved.  For example if your donations are going to support the local homeless shelter you might decide that the portion of your sales or profits that you are donating will go towards buying enough food for a Thanksgiving or Christmas meal for the homeless.  This is where you can include your customers to volunteer to do the cooking and serving of the food.  I know what happens and the feeling your customers will have because I have led such initiatives. This 3rd step will turn your customers into evangelists of you and your business driving more customers to you who will want to not just buy your products but be part of the experience.

Now imagine how much good you can do if you initiated this little idea in your business.  And as more businesses follow this model, the more money charities will have to do all the good work they do.  And if you include your customers it will raise volunteerism in our country and this is what I have learned about what happens to a person that is doing good.  They feel better about themselves and as they do their relationships get better and they do better at home and at work.  They make more money, they are happier and their lives are lifted because they lifted others up.

One trap you will need to avoid here is that there will be detractors that will tell you that this model will not work.  I have seen it work and I am seeing examples of it in businesses big and small.  However, there will always be those who discourage you and one of the arguments they use is: “what happens when other businesses start doing what you are doing with charities”. They argue that the competitive edge you enjoyed is now gone.

I encourage you not to think about the competitive edge you win or lose with other businesses but instead think about the collaborative edge you give to the world as all businesses join forces to change the world.

Philanthro-Capitalism

Some call it Social Business and others call it Social Enterprise and I have even heard the term Compassionate Commerce to describe businesses who profit while doing good.

I call it Philanthro-Capitalism – Doing Well while Doing Good.  While I may have come up with the term Philanthro-Capitalism, the phrase ‘Doing Well while Doing Good’ was originated by Spryte Loriano, one of the founders of Humanity Unites Brilliance.

Having been a Venture Capitalist or a Vulture Capitalist as some would say, it is much more satisfying to the spirit to find a way to give while you get.

One just has to look at what companies like Starbucks has done in Rwanda which was racked by tribal warfare and bloodshed beyond comprehension not very long ago. Today that country is doing extremely well as Starbucks has led the way in fair trade with the people there.

Humanity Unites Brilliance is another company that has a Global Marketplace where they sell fair trade products produced in Kenya and other African countries.  As the company grows there will be products from India and South America.

And recently I heard about a company called Ethical Ocean that through its vendors on the site sell ethical products that people can feel good using.

One Little Idea is that each of us can change little things we do to change the world a little bit at a time.  The next time you give a gift why not purchase an ethical or fair trade product?  You would feel good; the person receiving the gift would feel good and the people who benefit from your purchase live a little bit better.  If each time you give a gift, you give a lift to someone in greater need than you, that little change multiplied can have massive consequences.

Here is the magic that changes the world.  Each person whose quality of life gets better raises our quality of life.  As they begin to fend for themselves not only does their self esteem rise but the amount of aid they require is far less.  That aid can then be turned inward within our own countries to solve problems our societies face like homelessness, abused women and children and a myriad of other issues.  A rising tide raises all boats so don’t ever let anyone tell you that if they do better we will do worse. No way!