Charitable giving

I have been struggling with new and effective ways my company can give back.
I have only been in business a few months however have found myself knee deep in donation requests already.

In order to give I have to have (otherwise there just isn't anything to give). I have come up with the idea that when there is an event that I would like to support I will offer a discount card that will enable the participants of that event to purchase off my website and when they enter that code a dollar amount or percentage will be donated to the cause they were involved with.

I see this as an excellent way to be able to afford to donate more, grow my business and get in the public eye.

The reason I started thinking about this is a good friend approached me to donate for a Canadian Breast Cancer fundraiser. Like most, I have been greatly affected by Breast Cancer with the loss of loved ones and family members. I am also proud to report that I also celebrate friends and family members that have survived.
In 1995 I raised the most money for the Run for Breast Cancer in the province. That is something I am very proud of. So that being said, this is a charity I wish to support, but how?

Was donating a fingerprint charm going to be enough? That is when I put my thinking cap on. This event is a huge event where opportunities for awareness of my product is evident and I would love to give SO much more than I have at the moment. So why not combine the two? After a sleepless night of contemplation I came up with a solution.

I will have 300 (Or how many people are expected at the event) special cards made up with a unique code. When someone from the event purchases something from my website they can use this code and $25 from each order will result in a donation to the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation.

I think it is a pretty good idea, maybe I am off my rocker.. but I see it as a win win for both and I am able to potentially donate a lot more than a $100 necklace.

Any thoughts? Am I missing something? Has anyone tried something like this before?


I hold a few other charities and foundations close to my heart and think this may work for those as well.