Affectionately dubbed the eBay of the charity world, Good360 has developed a philanthropic solution that is good for business, good for charities and good for the environment.
Good360 is a social platform that connects non-profits, companies and individuals in a way they have never before been connected.Using clever shopping cart technology, Good360 introduces businesses who have excess products to charities who need them and individuals who want to support them, building a Circle of Good for people in need.Anything from office furniture from an office refit, stationary, to shoes, clothing or linen no longer needs to end up in landfill, instead they can go to the people who need these things most.
Good360 have been operating in the US for the past 30 years, helping millions of people and giving away around $8 billion worth of product.
Why Good360?
While many Australians are struggling to make ends meet, and non-profits can’t keep up with the growing demands for their services, businesses have excess products with no easy solution to dispose of them usefully.
Many charities are redistributing food but what is happening to all the other excess product? The clothing, shoes, linen, toys, household goods, office supplies, and so on? These questions dogged Alison Covington, so she found a solution – Good360.“The reality is that all of this product sadly ends up in landfill,” says Covington. “Everyone hates waste, we needed a solution and here it is. Good360 is innovative, efficient, collaborative and it doesn’t replicate.”
More than 100 Australian charities have already registered and businesses pledging goods include 3M, Linen House, Shoes of Prey, Super Retail Group, Staples Office Supplies and Lush. More than $3 million in unwanted products has been donated and the stock is growing fast.
How Does it Work?
Instead of ploughing them into landfill, businesses can donate their excess products. Good360 lists the product on the online store – GivingPlace360 and registered nonprofits can shop online for products they need. The products are good quality or even brand new and most importantly, free. Nonprofits just need to pay for the cost of shipping from the Good360 warehouse. Individuals keen to support the project can help ease the cost of shipping by donating cash to GivingPlace360, where a $1 donation translates into approximately $30 worth of shipped goods.
Good360 has also launched a ‘Sponsor a Charity’ campaign. This allows people to support their favourite charities, by covering the $250 annual registration fee to be part of GivingPlace360. They can then sit back and watch this small donation grow into thousands of dollars of donated product. Carl Hartmann of Temando kicked off the campaign with a personal donation of $25,000, sponsoring 100 charities, one for each of his employees.
Results
The online GivingPlace360 went live in March 2015 and has already distributed sheets, clothes, shoes, health and beauty items, furniture and office supplies to charities nationwide, helping a variety of causes including women, children, health and education.Charities like Diabetes NSW have benefited from repurposed office furniture saving almost $100,000 when Good360 helped them source workstations for a new office fit out. This money can now be spent on direct services rather than administration costs. The beauty of Good360 is that it involves and connects people on all levels of giving. Companies can better see the impact of their giving, non-profits can take an active role in getting the donations they really need and individuals can amplify their cash donations and make a real difference.
To find out more about how Good360 is making goods great, visit the website or email: contact@good360.org.au
Published in Generosity Magazine – May, 2015: generositymag.com.au
