Idea for charity

[stevieo85]

I've been working on an idea for a charity for the past few months and wanted to get some feedback if possible...


I currently do freelance work in web design, SEO, online marketing and social media. I've had fantastic results for local businesses seeing profits double, triple, and in one case, quadruple. I've also done work for a few local charities where I've designed a website for them and handled their online presence which resulted in a 5 fold increase in donations after 6 months. All work done for charities was free of charge.


I got a great sense of satisfaction from helping these charities and seeing the amazing results that came out of giving them an online presence, and I would love to do it full time.


My idea for a charity is to set up a charity web studio which handles web design, SEO, online marketing and social media for local and national charities - free of charge. The power of the internet can have fantastic results for smaller charities that may not otherwise be able to afford a website or marketing campaign.


I've put a rough business plan together and the annual business overheads equate to £2,500 per year - which is lower than I expected. Of course I would need to be paid a salary on top of that to earn a living. I would be happy to take the lower end of the web designer’s salary scale at about 17.5k per year, as I would really enjoy the job.


I plan on contacting big technology firms such as Google, Apple and Microsoft for sponsorship, as well as high street banks and other businesses. I would need to raise 20k per year to successfully run the charity.


I'd love to get some feedback on the idea so far.


Thanks


Stevie

 

[playboy_bunnie]

Being a fellow web dev, I guess my first question would be, how are you going to survive and pay for the running costs?

 

[ethical PR]

Stevie. I don't think you can set up a charity and then employ yourself to run it. Best to check with the Charity Commission.http://www.charity-commission.gov.uk/Start_up_a_charity/

You could consider setting up as a social enteprise model, where profits are invested back into the social/environmental aims of the organisation. So you could set up an online marketing agency offering subsidised rates to not for profit organisations where any profits go towards supporting a cause you favour, for example, training young unemployed people in social media skills, helping the homeless, providing holidays for children with disabilities etc.

There are already a few marketing/PR/social media agencies that operate this sort of model. Try the Social Enterprise Coalition for more information.

If you enjoy working in the charity sector an alternative might be to look for a online marketing role within a charity.

 

[frozen]

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[grayensmith]

The charity must be given without any expectation of return! Of course I do not want to waste your time and money, but can not control whether they do or not! It's wonderful that people want to help, I hope to find something that suits you.

 

[Dotty]

I second the Social Enteprise route.... This business idea seems perfect for it and any surplus gets reinvested for the benefit of the company.. Therefore everyone is happy!

 

[Malchy Dorris]

It's a great idea from the charity's side of things Stevie. I think it would really help a lot of small charities if they had someone to turn to for a long term web/social media presence. My wife is just getting a small charity set up at the moment and i know her and her committee would be really interested in your services.

Having said that you need to pay yourself a decent salary - which there's absolutely nothing wrong with as long as you're providing a great service. Speaking from my own experience of volunteering my time, you can get too wrapped up in it and end up disheartened after a bit because even though you'll be doing all this great work for others you'd still be struggling to pay your own bills. That then is no good for the charities you'd be working for because they want you to be around for the long haul and not burn out after a bit.

I'd agree with the social enterprise route and charge the charity a subsidised rate. Most, imo, would be happy to pay because they'd be getting an ongoing service which is actually helping them to raise income. Any money rasied by your enterprise over and above costs could go towards subsidising the work.

 

[athanne]

A great idea indeed only that apply low charges so that you can meet your own expenses for a sure continuance and benefit of the charities you intend to help.

 

[td2011]

It's a great idea and I agree with the advice Malchy Dorris had to offer above. I know it defies the purpose of working for charity if it's not charity you're providing. There are not many people that could work for free in this age. I hope you find some way to work this out.