“I like to help people, of course”
With the smell of hot veg. samosas in the air, I meet Pooya (right) and Edith (left). They are selling samosas to celebrate Diwali and also raise money for a volunteer abroad program in Honduras. They are part of a pre-dentistry club and are hoping to raise funds for their trip to volunteer at an orphanage. Both of these moustache-clad ladies, are studying health or medical sciences with the ultimate goal of somehow using their skills to help people.
I have had amazing experiences travelling for conference-related, or pure pleasure. I believe these volunteer abroad programs are fantastic ways of seeing and learning from another culture, but I am often shocked at the exorbitant price tag. How much of the money truly benefits the community you visit? Does it matter? I don’t know what the hard-and-fast number would be, but if $1 is donated out of every $100 then that would definitely not be ok.
In a similar way, cause-related marketing is when there is a more direct link between a for-profit corporation and a non-profit organization where a certain percentage of sales of a particular product are donated to the cause. Perhaps the cause-related items we buy can serve as a conversation starter about larger issues about health…However, when you purchase that Moustache item, how much money is actually donated? This is critical information because knowledge is power and there needs to be more transparency across all charitable organizations.
PLUG: My amazing MoSistaTO team is hosting an event this Friday at Underground. See more info at: https://www.facebook.com/events/343965385700264/ )
Our MoSista calendar will be on sale and all of the proceeds go straight to Movember. $20 for the calendar = $8 production cost, $12 donation, and a whole lot of labour of love.
Happy Diwali!
Jenna Jacobson 