Translations

GIVE SOMETHING BACK distributes its benefits to associations

7. Community involvement

Community development

Sector Business / Distribution

Year 2016

Country United States

Transmitter

Context

Give Something Back is a company providing green office supplies. Mike Hannigan & Sean Marx founded GSB in 1991 with the idea of building a successful company which earnings would be donated to other non-profit organizations.

Objectives

Donate to non-profit organizations thanks to the company’s earnings: take profit from market place to distribute it to the community.
Encourage companies to buy green office supplies
Connecting the business world to social responsibility

APPROACH

Provide competitive office supply
- Prices are less important than big companies thanks to low overheads and diligent sourcing

Customers’ happiness at the center of GSB strategy
- GSB help managing the customer shopping list
- Customers are delivered the next day
- The customer must be satisfied  they are looking to maximize their value

Encourage customers to commit themselves for helping communities
- Customers can vote for non-profit organizations they want to help
- Customers can see on the website what changes are made in California (Education, environment etc.)
- Education of customers :customers want a more profitable way to spend money : spend for consumption but also to serve a caritative cause

Build a reliable reputation thanks to transparency
- Communicate their financial statement on the website
- Introduce non-profit organizations on the website (goal & GSB contribution)
- Certified B corporation: strong piece of evidence for their customers about GSB commitment

CONTRIBUTION TO COMPANY PERFORMANCE

15% of sales profit in San Diego are distributed to San Diego charities chosen by customers
Gross Profit $ 7,602,926 in 2014

Benefits

6$ million dollars donations to non-profit organizations over 25 years
Donations represents a 73% of net earnings (VS national average = 1%)
Corporate headquarters use a 50,000 watt solar farm
Recycling programs are offered to customers at the end of the products’ life cycle