In Kind Direct
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. 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 offers a unique partnership between business and the voluntary sector. Since 1997, 750 companies, including many household names, have donated £70 million 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 and companies have been helped to 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, it 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.
In 2007, In Kind Direct distributed 2,948 pallets of goods to more than 1,300 UK voluntary organisations. Download a copy of the 2007 In Kind Direct Annual Report by visiting the charity's website.
It has been great fun, and certainly challenging at times to start and substantially grow a charity the concept of which was inspired by The Prince of Wales. 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.
Robin Boles, Chief Executive
