The story of In Kind Direct

Posted 19th May 2008 15:14pm by Robin Boles

By Robin Boles, Chief Executive of In Kind Direct

It was the waste of perfectly good products which inspired The Prince of Wales to ask me – Robin Boles - to set up In Kind Direct. Eleven years later, his idea has been transformed into a successful, innovative charity which is making a huge difference to the fortunes of thousands of voluntary and community groups, and the millions of people they serve.

We offer a unique partnership between business and the voluntary sector.

Since 1997, 750 companies, including many household names, have donated £70million worth of their products and over 5,000 charities have benefited. And because an estimated seventy Olympic-sized swimming pools-full of surplus goods have been saved from landfill, the environment has benefited too.

By offering charities the goods they and the people they serve need, In Kind Direct helps them make their money go much further, leaving more for their core activities.

In Kind Direct gives manufacturers and retailers an efficiently run single point of contact through which their goods can be distributed to charities all over the country, and by proving that in-kind giving can be a serious alternative to landfill, we help companies fulfil their corporate, social and environmental responsibilities. This also results in employees’ morale being boosted by seeing their companies’ creative solution to surplus help all kinds of good causes and people in need.

Because In Kind Direct supports charities of every type and size, we can redistribute a huge range of household and office products. It might be cleaning supplies, office equipment and tools for an employment training organisation; toiletries, bedding, toys, nappies, toilet rolls and books for a women’s shelter or emergency relief charity; toiletries, shoes and clothes for a homelessness group; kettles, toasters and china for a charity housing refugees, or games software, arts and crafts materials and sporting goods for youth groups in deprived areas.

This redistributive approach touches very much on current business values which focus on sustainability and good corporate governance.

Charities only pay a handling charge for our service which is a fraction of the value of the goods they receive. Over half of our charity partners have an income of less than £50,000 so our leveraging effect makes a real difference to their ability to continue to help people in need.

It has been great fun to start and substantially grow a charity inspired by The Prince of Wales, and certainly challenging at times. Helping companies meet their corporate, social and environmental goals while reducing landfill is very important. And hearing so many of our charity partners explain that they couldn’t exist without us, makes it especially rewarding.