Ensuring charity merchandise is ethical
According to the Government’s most recent Trust in Charities report, nearly 60% of people agree that charities play a fundamental role in our society. However, 45% say that their trust in charities has in fact decreased in the last year, with the public’s trust in charities knocked by controversies surrounding Age UK, Kids Company, and most recently, the Oxfam scandal. Trust in the charity sector is on the decline, and charities must take note.
Recent headlines and news stories have put the spotlight on charities’ fundraising practices and policies, most notably the recent revelations on the Comic Relief Spice Girls T-shirts being manufactured in poor working conditions. Consequently, the public is asking more questions of the charitable causes they support.
This poses a challenge for today’s charities, as the public’s level of trust directly translates into fundraising pounds. According to the report, over 40% of donors have decreased the amount they donate to their favourite causes as a result of dwindling trust and confidence.
To bolster public trust - and donation efforts - charities must alter their approach to fundraising, including how they source their fundraising merchandise. Fundraising merchandise is a key component of any fundraising strategy and ensuring ethical manufacturing practices can go a long way in building trust, soliciting donations and maximising the impact of your fundraising efforts.
There are plenty of reasons why your charity should take ethical manufacturing seriously, as well as many benefits that it can provide.
Protect your charity’s reputation
For charities, reputation is everything. It takes a long time to build a reputation that people are not only familiar with, but also trust. The largest, most successful charities have spent years developing a strong brand and establishing confidence with the public. If your charity can demonstrate that it is reliable and upholds its values, supporters will be more likely to contribute to your cause. Additionally, a solid reputation can open new possibilities for large-scale partnerships that have the potential to significantly bolster fundraising efforts.
The last thing you want to do is put your reputation at risk. A strong commitment to ethical manufacturing can help ensure that your charity avoids the type of reputational damage which could ultimately determine the success or failure of the charity.
Today’s supply chains are opaque by design, and it’s incredibly difficult to have 100% transparency into the supply chain. However, this doesn’t mean that you can’t take steps to help protect against unethical practices. In fact, it’s only through greater transparency, clear sourcing guidelines and a stronger commitment to ethical manufacturing that charities can influence how, where and by whom their products are being produced.
Leading the way
One charity which is leading the way is Marie Curie. To support a culture of openness, trust and integrity, Marie Curie developed a series of ethical policies that lay out the charity’s commitment to demonstrating social responsibility and adhering to ethical practices within care and research, fundraising, investments, the environment and purchasing.
Marie Curie’s purchasing policy seeks to cover the ethical issues and social responsibility within its supply chains, including the purchasing of fundraising merchandise. By establishing a detailed purchasing policy, Marie Curie can clearly define and communicate its commitment to ethical practices and make it clear that it expects its staff, volunteers and suppliers to be aware of the ethical considerations associated with their actions.
Supporters, donors, and partners can read through Marie Curie’s ethical purchasing policy and feel confident that the charity lives up to a certain standard of ethical values. This approach can go a long way in building - and maintaining - a reputation for honesty and integrity.
Encourage more donations
We’ve entered a new era of fundraising, where donors want to see greater transparency and accountability from the charities which they support. More importantly, they’re more likely to donate to charities that stay true to their values. Nearly a fifth of respondents in the Trust in Charities survey stated that “honest and ethical fundraisers” were the most important quality for their trust and confidence in a charity.
Taking a strong stance on ethical manufacturing can help establish your charity as a trustworthy organisation. By doing so, you’re more likely to develop better relationships with your donors and supporters. If donors are confident that their purchases have a positive impact, without harming anyone’s human rights in the process, they will be more likely to purchase fundraising merchandise - and come back for more.
Iconic pin badges
Take for example, the RSPB’s incredibly successful pin badge collection. The RSPB, the UK’s largest conservation charity, launched its first set of four enamelled pin badges in 1997 to celebrate the milestone of reaching one million members. Since then the charity has added more than 250 different badge designs to its collectable badge range, including birds and animals, bugs and flowers.
Each of the highly covetable pin badges is produced in line with the RSPB’s Ethical and Environmental Procurement Policy, giving supporters the confidence that they are making a positive impact on people and the planet when adding to their pin badge collection.
Not only has the popularity of the pin badges raised significant awareness of the precious species the RSPB works so tirelessly to protect, but it’s also helped raise thousands of pounds to assist the charity carry out vital conservation efforts. In 2016/17, sales of the RSPB’s badges brought in almost £570,000 in profit, with 70p of each £1 raised going towards their conservation work.
Relationships with partners
Charities stand to benefit from big donations through corporate partnerships. A successful partnership can raise your charity’s profile and significantly increase its income. In fact, the Institute of Fundraising reported that more than a third of charities rely on corporate partnerships as their principal means of fundraising.
The most successful corporate partnerships deliver value to both parties, while enforcing aligned brand values. Many of today’s leading corporations take social accountability very seriously and have strict Corporate Social Responsibility policies in place. By establishing your charity as a socially responsible organisation, you’re likely to build stronger and more profitable relationships with your corporate partners.
Take for example, the incredibly profitable partnership between children’s cancer charity CLIC Sargent and supermarket heavyweight Morrisons, who recently teamed up to raise more than £320,000 through the sale of Band Against Cancer bracelets.
As a socially responsible company, Morrisons’ customers expect the store to take responsibility for fair working conditions and workers’ rights in their supply chain. So, it makes sense that Morrisons would only partner with a charity which shares the same commitment to addressing ethical issues in the supply chain.
Supply chain practices
Fundraising ethics may not be easy, but it can deliver endless benefits. One of the best ways to protect your charity’s reputation is to establish clear ethical purchasing guidelines and get to know your suppliers. Share your own ethical credentials with suppliers and ask them directly about their own ethical practices. Suppliers who are truly committed to ethical trading will be able to provide transparency into their own supply chains and provide you with detailed documentation on their policies.
When it comes down to it, your charity’s success depends on its ability to establish trust with supporters, donors and partners. To avoid putting it at risk, it’s crucial to stay informed, involved and committed to ethical manufacturing at every step of the way.
