Donating proceeds to charity

[Former_Member]

Has anyone done this? Any advice or places I should look for information? My brother has Lupus and is raising money for a "walk for the cure" type event in August. I was thinking of having a month dedicated to his cause where 50% of my profits are donated in his name. I don't want to accidentally do something that can be considered shady - any suggestions for doing it the right way?

[Former_Member]

This is all Etsy has to say about it:

https://www.etsy.com/help/article/269?ref=help_search_result

Maybe in the future they will handle it as easily as Ebay does....instant click donation, to hundreds of worthy causes, at whatever percentage you specify, for whichever (or all) items

[Former_Member]

Really lovely idea.

To be honest when people write that their profits go to charity, it is always in the back of my head "are they really doing that or are they just saying that". Sometimes doubt over that can turn me off a sale.

If you want to show that you are legitimate, maybe put up some photos of the event and description of what it is all about on a Facebook page and link to it?

(PS I am not an experienced seller, just going about how I would feel as a buyer).

[Former_Member]

That's why I like the Ebay system...Ebay sends the funds directly to the charity that you specify..whatever percentage you say....once you set it up in your listing, everything is sent automatically.

[Former_Member]

A charity system is a great idea, however I agree that there are a lot of people who worry that their proceeds don't in fact go to a charity but into the seller's pocket. To help end the worrying, its an excellent idea to take pictures of charity events and link your shop to facebook or twitter accounts that host videos and events, to show that you as the seller are legit and not scamming innocent people out of their hard earned money.

[Former_Member]

IDK Skeptic here I dont trust such listings.
If i wanna donate, Ill donate. If I wanna buy an item Ill buy the item. The two crossing doesnt really work for me.

[Former_Member]

I'm currently (for the month of May) donating 10% to The Sparrow Fund. I have an announcement in the announcement section. I had a whole lot of customers earlier in the year who were connected to international adoption in one way or another, and one person told another person about me, and so on. So I felt like this was the right thing to do to support them. A few of the women who help out at the fund are blogging about all of the shops that have pledged support. So many of the people who have purchased from me this month are finding me through this venue.

So, maybe you can work with someone in a lupus foundation who can blog about your shop or support you in other ways I haven't thought about. There are entire communities out there that will help you help others. It's a pretty beautiful thing.

[Former_Member]

If you want the credibility that the above commenters claim charity listings are lacking, forge a close partnership with the charity you're wanting to donate to (you need to get their permission first anyway, before you go using their names in your marketing). Make sure they are well aware of every detail of what you're doing in regards to donating to their charity, and request, in exchange for your donation, that they advertise you a bit--even just a quick blurb on their Facebook page can work wonders for credibility purposes. That way people can visit the website/pages/whatever of the charity you're donating to and verify that you are in fact partnering with them.

May not work with bigger foundations, but it's worth a shot for credibility's sake.

[Former_Member]

Amy, that sounds like a good idea!

[Former_Member]

Kristine, I do this in my handbag shop (helpandhold). I say I donate 10% of profits, but actually donate a lot more than that. I just do it behind the scenes, and then deduct my donations from my taxes. I also made sure I had permission from the charity (awomansplace.org) to use their name on my site, business cards, etc. It's really pretty simple. Good luck to you and to your brother.

[Former_Member]

Thank you for all the suggestions! I do worry about people's skepticism - I had planned to include links to the event's website as well as his personal donation page in the hope that it would help people feel at ease. I'll see if I can get touch with the organizers - I don't know how big it is or how easy it would be to partner with them.

Thanks for your help!

[PIXELGRINphotography]

I agree with Christine M and Breanna. I walk away the moment I see ANYTHING about a family "sob story" or "donations to charity". I don't think it belongs here. To me, Etsy is not some reality show competition. I am just so turned off by even the slightest indication of children living with x disease, and so on.

It's too gimmicky and that personal family stuff is none of my business or concern. It's just an appeal to pity and I don't buy it.

On a side note, I think it is a great idea. However, i would NEVER mention it on my Etsy shop. If you want to do it, than just do it behind the scenes and feel humble about it. It would be better if you marketing personally by whatever means, and linked people to your shop.

[Former_Member]

Thanks, Jennifer. So you think if I just mention it on Facebook, Twitter, Blog, or whatever it's okay? I don't think I'd want to make a shop announcement for the random browser, just keep it personal for people that know the me and the shop (which is what I think you're saying).

[PIXELGRINphotography]

Kristine, in my own personal opinion I would say that would be the best route. Just spreading the word around by any means you had planned, other than announcing it on your shop page.

That's just me though. I would encourage you to do what you feel is right for yourself and your business above the opinions of any one else! You hit it right on the nose with what I was getting at. Every year I donate to the "walk for the animals" to a few girls in my office who send out an email reminding us it is donation time! I think that if you have a day job that is relaxed like my office it would be a great way to spread the word! Also, of course to your followers on social media. :)

I think what you're trying to do is amazing, but I just don't like the whole personal/business thing. I mean being personal about yourself being a crafter or whatnot is fine as it's the core of Etsy.. but personally, mixing the whole charity thing is just too much for me to believe.

As sad as that is, I would like to think of our society as perfect humanitarians, sadly, it's nearly impossible despite my positivity and optimistic outlook. I wish you luck with the fundraiser though.

[MariaJoseTreasures]

Any suggestions for me? I am making crochet neck gaiters for troops in Afghanistan (my son just deployed there), and I have made quite a few. I figured if I sold them in my store, I could donate one for each one sold, but I've donated two already, and none have sold. I'm wondering now if people just don't believe what I say in my store. What's your suggestion? Please give me your ideas.... I will continue making them and sending them, even if I don't post them in my shop any more.

[Former_Member]

I really like your neck gaiters. Looking on the search they are reasonably priced and one of the best looking gaiters for men.

Don't know about mentioning about donating one for one. Sounds a bit gimmicky. Maybe just mention how many you have given?

The one thing you could do is work on your tags. If I was looking for a product like yours I would type "men's neck gaiter" so maybe add that in (I also misspelled gaiter as 'gater' once while looking. They would also be very useful for skiing/ snowboarding.

[LaLindaArtStudio]

I personally find it distasteful. I feel like a lot of people try to gain sympathy through their illness. As soon as I see a sob story, even if it is true I don't like it. I donate to charities seperate from my shopping.