After my post ’bout the launch party for Social Atelier — an “ethical collective” that launched a new fashion line — Yael Afriat of Social Atelier wrote to clarify the % of money the company’s giving to charity. Basically, Social Atelier will donate 15% of profits from the sale of all shirts, with a 2-year goal is to donate 50% of all profits.
What this means, for the T-shirt wearing, Darfur activist:
* Social Atelier’s T-shirts go for about $88.
* 15% of $88 is $13.20 — but that’s 15% of sales, NOT profits. 15% of profits will definitely be less than $13.20 — and there’s no way to figure out what the final amount donated per shirt will be.
* Worst case scenario — Social Atelier doesn’t turn a profit — which’d mean $0 of your $88 goes to the Solar Cooker Project aiding the people of Darfur.
* Miraculous best case scenario — Social Atelier turns a big profit and magically lowers overhead costs to nothing — perhaps via donations or grants — which means about $13 of your $88 goes to the Solar Cooker Project.
Which is to say: Social Atelier is an interesting company with laudable ethical goals, esp. compared to many other companies out there. 15% of profits, comparatively speaking, is a pretty big chunk — and the goal of 50% is really quite impressive.
Yet clearly — if you don’t need yet another T-shirt, spending $88 on one is not the best way to help the people of Darfur.
So — Assuming you have a budget of $88: If you feel Social Atelier’s T-shirs are worth $88, buy one and feel good that you’ll send somewhere between $0 - $13 to the Solar Cooker Project. If you think $20 organic T-shirts look just as cool, stick to what you know and send the extra $68 to Solar Cooker Project or Darfur Advocacy Fund.
June 25th, 2007 at 10:05 am
Yea, I’ve always been aggravated at fundraising purchases. “by this wrapping paper…” - welp, how about I write a check to the baseball team and skip the middle man?
Those fundraising exercise things I leave to other folks, too. “Give me some money for each mile I ride…” sheesh. Donate. Find a way to make the event visible for that aspect of it - but I can’t pretend I wouldn’t want to ride 150 miles anyway :=)
June 25th, 2007 at 12:37 pm
It’s the same issue with bike-a-thons, walk-a-thons, etc.
I wish I could tell all my friends “Hey, write a check to the Long Beach AIDS Foundation”. But if I did that, nobody would do that (maybe my mom would but that’s it). Instead, I asked people to sponsor me for the Long Beach AIDS Walk. I got $500. Of course, a large fraction just goes to cover the cost of the event (I think 50% is a reasonable guess). Still, most of my contributors wouldn’t have given anything otherwise–not because they don’t care, but because it’s not a cause they think about very much.
So it’s the same thing with these t-shirts. Reasonably, a person should buy a cheaper t-shirt and give a big fat check straight to the NGO.
It seems like a stupid system, but they probably end up getting more money that way.
By the way, are you modelling the $90 t-shirt in that photo? For that price, I’d want something a little….. nicer.
June 25th, 2007 at 2:00 pm
Siel, way to go - again! This kind of thing has always bugged me, especially as I know most people never think through the details. Its also always bugged me how too often the companies offering the charitable hook seem to be cynically exploiting shoppers’ charitable impulse and mis-understanding. It’s especially annoying when they also use the opportunity & the feel-good glow of the related cause to jack up the price of the item. (Frankly $88 seems WAY steep. I think the wholesale cost for even a _organic_ t-shirt is only about $5.)