biophase
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FASTLANE INSIDER
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I run a mission driven business and here's my problem with most of them. Most companies have very vague statements on what they will do. Many do not commit to donations but rather think of them as a give if I have any left over.
You say 100% of the profit from merchandise sales goes to charity. What is considered profit? Is it just gross sales minus cost of goods? Or is profit calculated after the owner pays himself?
35% of sock sales, is that the gross sales? It's a little too vague.
You also say this "Show your support buy purchasing or gifting a SaniSock and we’ll send a bottle of soap to someone in need." Ok, but who is the someone in need? Is that your friends? a homeless person?
Most of these businesses are very vague in what they donate and they can also fudge the numbers so that they make no profit at all.
I would like to see companies with very clear donation guidelines. I know it is very hard, because what you want to donate and what is logistically possible are totally different things.
We spend over $100,000 a year on just shipping of our donations. We employ a full time person and had a custom website built just to manage the donations. But because of this, our mission is very clear and people understand it and support it. I did the calculation on my business and if we were to use one of those canned mission statements, based on my costs to donate, my company would say, we donate 40% of the profits to charity, and the owner pays himself $40k a year.
You say 100% of the profit from merchandise sales goes to charity. What is considered profit? Is it just gross sales minus cost of goods? Or is profit calculated after the owner pays himself?
35% of sock sales, is that the gross sales? It's a little too vague.
You also say this "Show your support buy purchasing or gifting a SaniSock and we’ll send a bottle of soap to someone in need." Ok, but who is the someone in need? Is that your friends? a homeless person?
Most of these businesses are very vague in what they donate and they can also fudge the numbers so that they make no profit at all.
I would like to see companies with very clear donation guidelines. I know it is very hard, because what you want to donate and what is logistically possible are totally different things.
We spend over $100,000 a year on just shipping of our donations. We employ a full time person and had a custom website built just to manage the donations. But because of this, our mission is very clear and people understand it and support it. I did the calculation on my business and if we were to use one of those canned mission statements, based on my costs to donate, my company would say, we donate 40% of the profits to charity, and the owner pays himself $40k a year.