Each Friday, the another jennifer blog shares stories of those who incorporate philanthropy into their everyday lives – personally and professionally – in a creative and unique way. If you have a story you’d like to share, please contact Jennifer. You can view past posts from the series here.
I was first introduced to B1G1 Business for Good through Carol Pearce at Naked Specs. You may recall how Carol’s company donates five pairs of glasses or the equivalent funding amount for treatment, such as cataract surgery, when a purchase is made in her online optical store. She uses B1G1 to ensure that the charities and projects that Naked Specs supports are completely vetted.
Before I had the chance to contact B1G1 on Carol’s advice, I had an email in my inbox thanking me for the mention of B1G1 in my post about Naked Specs. It was from B1G1’s Chairman, Paul Dunn. While he was in Cambodia on the 2014 B1G1 Study Tour, he noted that we should connect when he got back.
B1G1 is based in Singapore. As the website notes, “B1G1 Business for Good is a collective brand for businesses who share the vision of giving back and making a difference in our world.” When Paul and I finally connected via Skype (on an evening for me and a morning for Paul, due to the time difference), the first thing I noted were the large letters on the wall behind him: Impact Habit Connection. When I asked about the words, Paul told me those words are what drives B1G1.
So how does B1G1 work? The following screenshot from the website explains the program.
screenshot from b1g1.com. click the image to enlarge
B1G1 is a membership-based company. When your business joins, you can choose which high-impact projects you want to support. As a member you can use the B1G1 logo and share your impact with your clients and/or customers. (See how a B1G1 member is sharing its impact here.) You can also create a gratitude certificate to give to your clients / customers so they know their purchase made a difference. Paul shared the story of a man who gave extra money when he paid his accountant for doing his taxes, just because he knew he his money would be going to a good cause.
B1G1 does not take a percentage of donations, so 100% of members’ giving goes directly to the charities and projects they support. You can find out more about how the program works and how the organization is structured. There is the social enterprise side that works with businesses, and the nonprofit side that works with the worthy causes.
The causes and projects that are the recipients of the donations are put through a strict selection process that looks at three key elements: impact and efficiency; transparency and integrity; and uniqueness and scalability. If you are wondering about impact, you can view this neat interactive map that shows the participating businesses and the projects they support all around the world. According to the website, they work with nearly 1,000 businesses from over 20 countries, with members creating over 30 million micro-giving impacts since 2007.
So how did B1G1 come about? The story is actually quite amazing. Watch this video to hear founder Masami Sato tell the story of how she overcame some incredible obstacles while making her small business work and how it led her to let go and imagine a world that was full of giving. It is 17 minutes that is worth your time. (Particularly if you are a mother, as I know many of my readers are!)
Prior to being involved with B1G1, Paul (who, by the way, was one of the first ten people in Hewlett-Packard Australia) tells me business was all about adding value and having fun. Today, business is all about giving back.
If you are not ready for B1G1 Business for Good, there is also a personal giving side of B1G1 called Giving Life. Giving Life allows you to tie basic everyday activities to giving. You can create your own giving journal, track your impact and share with others.
Are you ready to unleash the power of small?
I am going to have to check out that giving journal and thank you for sharing all about this here today. Will also have to come back later to watch that video, too 🙂
Janine Huldie recently posted..Taking Care of Tantrum Worthy Moments ~ My Hidden Talent
The video is amazing, Janine. It’s a bit long, but worth the time!
anotherjennifer recently posted..Wordless Wednesday: Snowy United States of America
This is AMAZING! (and you were totally right…that was a great video. She is so charming and I love the way she told the story of B1G1. Things were rough..I mean WOW ROUGH but she is just so positive and amazing….and “giving up was not par of the plan”. I love her.)
This is such a fantastic and revolutionary idea for giving. GENIUS!!! –Lisa
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I totally agree with everything you commented on, Lisa! Just a great story overall.
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That was an incredible video! What a dedication to their personal mission and vision. I can’t imagine having my baby on the floor of a kitchen and having him sleep in a vegetable box. I love this mission. And I love that their goal was to give back to orphanages! <3
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Masami’s story is just incredible. I thought it was fun to hear the evolution of her business. When I asked about the personal story behind B1G1, he said I just had to watch the video because it was best told by Masami herself.
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I definitely have my eye on this for when I open my doors. Love.
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It’s perfect for you, Ilene! 🙂
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Really captivated by the video and the narrator/creator. And her adorable baby! What is in that baby’s mouth in the video??
I will keep my eye on this too.
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Did not notice anything in the baby’s mouth! Maybe a vegetable from the vegetable box. 🙂 Can you imagine giving birth in a kitchen? Crazy to think about.
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I noticed your comment here, Tamara. Just wanted to let you know ‘the thing’ in Myra’s mouth (my daughter) is seaweed. She loved eating seaweed when she was a baby (and even now). 🙂
That was an amazing video…she was wonderful!
I can’t imagine giving birth in a kitchen though!
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Amazing, isn’t it? She’s definitely an inspiration!
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My business has been giving back with the help of B1G1 now for over 18 months. Their integrity is outstanding and their service is an essential, fully integrated part of our daily activites. With B1G1 its never about the dollars but always about the impact. And they make so easy to.see just what sort of impact you make. It inspires me every day.
That is so wonderful to hear, Karen. Thanks for sharing your experience with B1G1!
anotherjennifer recently posted..Wordless Wednesday: Ice Castles, Loon Mountain, NH
You can also check out Karen’s business in Australia called KOBOMO (https://www.facebook.com/kobomo). She has been working with B1G1 for more than 2 years and has been giving literally EVERY DAY, really demonstrating the power of habitual giving through B1G1. She also launched a new outlet for children’s clothing just recently and it’s really lovely. We are very happy to be working with businesses like Naked Specs and KOBOMO (and 1,000+ other businesses). Businesses that care.
Thanks for sharing, Masami!
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What a great video! Thank you for sharing this wonderful post love!
Diana
http://www.ManhattanImageandStyle.com
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My pleasure, Diana!
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