An introduction from our Royal Founding Patron, HRH The Prince of Wales

Leading the way since 1997

Born from a visionary idea by our founder, HRH The Prince of Wales, In Kind Direct has received donations of new surplus consumer products from over 1,200 manufacturers and retailers and has made them available to more than 10,000 charities so far.

From office supplies to sports equipment, cooking utensils to clothes, essential toiletries, tools and toys - charities desperately need these products to run their services and to give to the people they serve.

With funding challenges and increasing demand, charities have to be ever more prudent with their resources and save money wherever they can:

• 91% of charities in our 2017 survey said that using In Kind Direct enabled them to source goods they would otherwise be unable to afford.
• 67% said using our service helps them to save precious funds and use the products to expand services and increase capacity.
• 70% confirmed that we simply help them to keep their doors open.

Beyond this, we have found that people who live in poverty and cannot access basic necessities are more prone to social isolation, issues with early childhood development and a crippling lack of confidence and self-esteem.

The insights from our impact survey, coupled with the stories and case studies from the charities in our network, allow us to focus on attracting the donation of goods most in demand. But we need to do more.

Trusted by over 1,200 businesses since 1997

Many of the major product donors which contribute to our charity today are among the early-adopters of the product giving model; having recognised the powerful social impact their contributions make and the benefits to their business, employees and customers.

Companies are increasingly expected to operate responsibly, in a way that considers and respects the environment and communities. In our recent poll of 100 CEOs:

• 91% agreed that the company they work for has a responsibility to reduce the amount of waste because of the negative environmental impact.
• 64% told us that they donate their surplus stock to charity to demonstrate delivering positive social impact.
• 85% agreed that if surplus is simply put into landfill, an opportunity is being missed to put these products to use for the good of society.

The world has entered a period of unprecedented change, which will profoundly transform the way we live and work and require businesses to adapt. The relevance and effectiveness of product giving have never been clearer. A simple step could make a vast difference to the lives of millions of disadvantaged people who cannot afford the everyday essentials many of us take for granted.

Talking to consumers

In 2017, for the first time, In Kind Direct committed to a consumer-facing, public relations campaign designed to help the general public understand the valuable contribution our product donor companies make. Using consumers’ influence on the companies they shop from, we want to build greater awareness of the work that we do.

In March 2017, our Life’s Essentials campaign shone a spotlight on the individuals and families, who, long before they are forced to go to food banks, have already stopped buying other every day essentials.

In July 2017, we exposed the issue of ‘Hygiene Poverty’ affecting tens of thousands of people every year and were able to create a clear call to action to both businesses and charities that more needs to be done. The campaign reached over 60 million and has started to embed Hygiene Poverty into the social consciousness, setting a new agenda amongst consumers and the media and providing us with a broad platform to talk about the importance of product giving.

With 86% polled FMCG CEOs saying their companies should donate products to charity - specifically to help alleviate hygiene poverty - our cause-related campaign enabled us to call on manufacturers and retailers to donate products to help address a specific challenge. But this and many more social challenges lie ahead.