Cambridge Wine Merchants Good Works Policy
Both individually and as a company we have a strong commitment to giving something back to our community and supporting charity.
Key Points:
1. We do good works each year by staging our own charity events.
2. And engage with our local community via non-profit tasting events for schools, clubs, community groups etc.
3. As a retail wine company we are taxed on literally everything we do: every bottle of wine, every staff hour, every penny of rent we pay. We pay a staggering amount in taxes every year, so I like to think we’ve already given something back to society!
My master-plan for good works is this:
What we don’t do is hand over cash or bottles of wine whenever we’re asked (this would lead to bankruptcy and tears), nor do we dress up in silly outfits and shake tins at our customers.
What we do though, is what we do best: we organise stuff. We put on our own charity events using our company’s infrastructure, tap up friends, customers, contacts and suppliers for support and hey presto we hit the optimal outcome, for example:
Red Cross Haiti Fundraiser dinner April 2010
A four-course formal dinner in a college dining room for 50 guests at £42.50 a head including wine. All costs covered by donations.
Which is charity perfection because:
· Each donor just does what they do best: cheese course from a cheese merchant, a case of wine from a supplier here, a waiter there. Nothing onerous.
· Red Cross organise the ticketing – easy for them.
· We organise the whole shebang – easy for us as we’re the party kings.
· Guests get an amazing night out at a super price.
· We all have a laugh.
· We’ve made a profit by creating a product whose value of greater than the sum of its parts. That’s good business.
So we’ve been doing these events for years – much money raised and much fun had.
It’s not all about money though. My current project is offering extravagant days out for disadvantaged children. Again, using our contacts to secure support and donations. See http://daysoutcambridge.blogspot.com/
Brett Turner
Chairman
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