Circle Of Friends: Why Give Money Away? Posted 21st June 2008

Greetings from Circle Of Friends,

This is a question I received this morning in an email from Circle Of Friends.

Carol, why take 20% out of your pocket? Why not keep it for yourself? Or better yet, why don’t you give me a 20% discount on my purchase? If you’re giving money away, how about giving it to me?

That’s a simple question. With a very complex answer.

I’ll address the last question first. Why don’t I give you a 20% discount?

Because you can buy discounted items anywhere. Discount retail stores are prolific, anywhere you live. And the internet is full of discounted products.

The majority of discounted products don't live up to your expectations.

The product range we produce is exceptional in its quality and the value you receive from using it is greater than the price you pay for it. Because we keep our profit margins as low as possible.

And the 20% we donate to help others does just that. It helps a minimum of four other people.

A 20% discount back into your pocket helps only you.

Back to the first part of the question.

Why take 20% out of my pocket? Especially, as I just said above, that my profit margins are kept as low as possible.

This answer has nothing to do with being a hard nosed business woman.

It has everything to do with an innate need that I have to give something back to society. And to include you in my giving.

The email above arrived a few seconds after an email I sent this morning to my Canadian business friend, business coach extraordinaire Stacey Hylen at Hylen Success Coaching, who recently asked me what's new.

Circle Of Friends is new to her and I laid out the reasons why I started it.

And it’s as simple as what I told Stacey.

EMAIL TO STACEY

I'm not sure if I ever mentioned my innate need to help others. I can't remember a time in my life that I didn't feel drawn to doing things for other people. Even as a child.

Yet I'm not a volunteer for charity work.

But I am a giver. And I feel very strongly that my business should give back to the community as much as it can afford to.

We don't wholesale our products to retailers because I detest the retail philosophy of 'pay your suppliers as little as possible and charge your customers as much as possible to make sure that me, the retailer, makes super profits at every tick of the clock’.

But I am fully aware that every customer comes at a price. Even referrals cost. Because only a happy customer makes a referral to me. And they tell someone else about me because I’m doing as much as possible for my customer in every way. Which costs both time and money.

Combining my deep need to give back, with the reality that every customer comes at a price, I've made the decision that as I must pay for every customer, I want to choose whose pocket I put that money into.

So I set up Circle Of Friends Fundraising.

Which is a program where a group that has a need to raise funds for whatever reason, can register with Circle Of Friends, and anytime a member of their group makes a purchase of any of our products, we donate 20% of the sale revenue, less postage and handling, back to their group.

For example, members of The Quilters' Guild Of NSW donate hundreds of quilts every year to people in need through their Community Quilts and Blankets of Love programs. Members of the Guild give both their time and their money.

They've been a member of Circle Of Friends for a year and at the end of 12 months, they tallied up the accrued donations from us. And discovered they had sufficient funds from the sale of our products to their members, for the Community Quilts and Blankets of Love groups to purchase materials to set up a proper supplies storeroom for the members who give their time to make the quilts.

I don't know who was more excited at hearing this. The Quilters' Guild, or me.

It's hard to explain the deep sense of satisfaction I received at knowing that my business is capable of doing something that not only helps other people, but brings such pleasure to both of us.

There’s also another benefit that means a great deal to me.

By working with a group, I get to know them and they get to know me. And over time we become great friends. And friendship in business is as important as friendship in my personal life.

Friends have a special place in my life because the strong bonds we forge with each other make everyday life so much more pleasant and enjoyable.

I can't think of a better way to run my business. I give, I receive, and what goes around, comes around. All the right boxes are checked.

END OF MY EMAIL TO STACEY

I want you to understand this simple reason for giving 20% back to your organisation and not 20% back into your pocket.

It’s this.

The 20% I donate back to your group accumulates over time and its positive effect helps a wide range of people. It’s like a pebble dropped into a pool of still water. The ripples it creates are ever increasing.

I've done the math. Every 20% donation I give back to a group helps a minimum of four other people.

20% put back into your pocket has a positive effect on only you and no one else.

I’d really love to welcome you into the Circle so you can experience the joy of what goes around comes around for yourself.

All the details about Circle Of Friends are contained in my original post What Goes Around Comes Around. It's at the beginning of my posts.

Take care,

CAROL

Carol Jones
Director

This is where we live and work.
Interface Pty Ltd
6026 Sofala Road Ilford NSW 2850
PO Box 139 Kandos NSW 2848
Tel: 02 63 58 85 11 Fax: 02 63 58 85 10

To view my complete product range, visit my website: www.interfaceaustralia.com
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