Customers that engage with charity partnerships are more than three times as likely (250%) to stay loyal to the brand, the MD of sustainable packaging supplier Priory Direct told representatives from more than 40 businesses and charities at a Kent CSR event in November.
Aimed at connecting local organisations and sparking meaningful collaborations, the event explored the business value of supporting charities – from boosting profits to improving employee and customer retention, but also, importantly, driving positive change.
Held at Priory Direct’s headquarters in Aylesford, Kent, attendees heard from expert speakers and nine very different charities.
Josh Pitman, managing director of Priory Direct, which is a certified B Corp, said: “Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives have been around for many years but are often synonymous with bolt-on charity support, frequently through one-off fundraisers.
“This event brought together lots of different voices to share the value of really integrating these activities, forming lasting partnerships and even building them into the business model.
“This approach will have a much greater impact on the charities involved, the wider community and your business bottom line, as our client data shows.
“Our customers receive loyalty discounts, but they can choose to gift their discount to our charity partners instead.
“These ‘charity-engaged’ customers that opt to donate have more than trebled (217%) their orders with us, and we’ve seen a 312% rise in annual revenue from these customers over the past year. Most importantly, we have raised almost £85,000 for charities in this way over the past five years.”
Charities presenting at the event included Heart of Kent Hospice, Dandelion Time, Demelza, Rainforest Trust, Switch Cafe, Learn and Thrive, Big Give, Windmill Community Gardens Margate and A Good Thing.
Dr M. May Seitandi, an expert in CSR from Kent Business School, also shared insights from her more than 30 years of experience in helping people, organisations and societies pursue societal good collaboratively.
The CSR event sprung out of a new Kent B Local group of certified B Corp organisations formed earlier this year, of which Josh is one of four co-chairs.
The B Local group comprises 37 organisations and provides opportunities to meet, collaborate, learn and maximise their positive impact on the local environment and society.
