Sunny Thinking for Charity
by Sunny Thinking
When we set up Sunny Thinking back in 2008 we made ourselves a promise that we'd only work with brands and businesses that shared our Sunny Thinking outlook in one way or another. Just as important, was our promise to ourselves that each year we gave a percentage of our time and profits to help charities and good causes through the Sunny Thinking Foundation. So have we put our money where our mouth is? What have we been doing to practice what we preach? As it's International Charity Day we thought it's a good time to reflect.
This year, our chosen charity is the Children's Adventure Farm Trust. We've helped them by designing a corporate fundraising brochure and video plus a kids book about a cheeky little duck called Dinki. We then took it one stage further and recently pulled on some ill-fitting Lycra and rode the route of Stage One of this year's Tour de France. Nothing like a good fry up and couple of cheeky drinks to get you up them there hills! Despite our driver locking himself in the van, Stew falling in love with a stone wall and the rest of us nearly making a comical unplanned detour to the Hawes Creamery, we did it! As a result, we've raised over £1,700.00 so far this year for this amazing charity so thanks to everyone who has supported our efforts on Just Giving. Please keep your donations rolling in as it takes £1m each year to run this amazing charity that provides holidays and activities for terminally ill, chronically sick, disabled and disadvantaged children and their families.
To find out what else we've done over the years read about the Sunny Thinking Foundation here and also look at the work we've been doing in the charity and not-for-profit sectors here.
So why do we do it?
On a personal level why do any of us do our bit for charity? Is it for the warm glow we get in helping others or is it that we secretly crave some sort of recognition for doing the right thing! From a brand or business perspective are the motives similar? There's also the strategic relevance of what charity to align yourselves with. Does the charity have a synergy with your brand or business and your core values? Does it have a community or industry relevance? Or has the connection simply evolved from a personal journey or story?
Long and short of it - put it in very simple terms - we like the feeling of giving. It makes us feel pretty darned good about ourselves. We're in a lucky position to be able to occasionally help others financially (in a limited capacity!) and through providing marketing support.
What does your brand or business do? What can we learn from the likes of the major brands like Kellogg's and Innocent who are very clever and effective in what they do and how seriously they take their corporate social responsibility (CSR)? Is your commitment to CSR authentic and genuine or just here say and a vain attempt to drive some PR? That sound's like another Blog subject for Katie!!!!
Thanks again to everyone who has supported Sunny Thinking's charity efforts to date and good luck with your own charity work!
Cheers #sunnythinkingforcharity
