How it Works
1
shop as usual
Give back from every sale or when sending an invoice. You can also cap your giving to meet a budget.
2
choose where
The i=Change platform appears after checkout, engaging customers to choose where it goes.
3
track the impact
Customers can see how much their purchase has helped raise & its impact in real-time.
The new retail normal
Retail can be a powerful mirror that takes the pulse of the people, reflecting the zeitgeist.
Yet while COVID accelerated the digital shift, it hastened another fast-growing trend; purposeful business. Consumers have begun demanding that their purchases create change.
Data also shows how retailers can run campaigns that feature their purpose, rather than promotions, drive sales – and in turn impact – much more than expected. So retailers that authentically and transparently become a ‘force for good’ are building into their brands a resilience and relevance that drives growth.
It’s exciting that retail – and business in general – is on the precipice of a significant shift, bridging worlds between NGOs and retailers, delivering each other value
through partnerships that not only connect us meaningfully to the brands we love, but create the social and environmental change we need to see in this fragile time.
As retail shifts from product and promotion to a more authentic version of itself, telling stories of lives changed and addressing the challenges we face, connecting brands with consumer’s hearts might just be the leap we need. For we all care about something, and if given a clear and simple choice, most of us would rather support a brand that gives back than one that does not.
If product and purpose does emerge as the new retail normal; for retailers, consumers and the environment that sustains us all, this will – surely – be a very good thing.
With my dollar, I’m choosing change.
Giving 100%
We forward 100% of retailer’s donations to the chosen development projects. i=Change does not deduct any fees from donations, nor charge our NGO partners any fees to be a funding recipient.
Why focus on women & girls?
A high proportion of projects we support are committed to the development of women and girls. This is because their empowerment is proven to be one of the greatest drivers of economic growth and social stability globally.
Investing in women generates some of the highest possible returns. Whilst we support other projects, i=Change is proudly focused on the empowerment of women and girls and helping unleash their potential.
Why so few projects?
Funding fewer projects allows us to fund sustainably, so NGO’s can scale their work responsibly, with the resources to measure and continuously improve. So while it may be attractive to offer a long list, our goal is to curate a great list.
Why these projects & how are they chosen?
We’ve identified our NGO partners to be among the best in their fields of development. We’ve met with them, understand how they operate, and visited many of their projects in the field.
Interestingly, (and contrary to popular opinion), ‘best practice’ is not necessarily a measure of NGO’s with the lowest administration costs – but also of their capacity and commitment to effect sensitive, community-driven change that empowers over the long-term.
- Long-term commitment to communities
- Empowerment rather than ‘aid’
- Employing local community to deliver services
- Sourcing goods & services locally
- Transparency of reporting
- Respect for local cultures & traditions
- An organisational culture of continual improvement
