Objective

"Goods for Good" aims to link buyers, sellers, and public welfare organizations and establishes a sustainable public welfare participation mode through a e-business approach.

Problem

In China there are more than 2,000 organizations asking for donations every day. People are left with the hard choice of who to help. Most will end up giving one lump sum to an organization when in reality there organizations need a steady stream of income.

Solution

Alibaba has established the digital platform of “Goods for Good”. Public welfare organizations register their projects on the platform while sellers choose their interested ones and then add a digital label of “Goods for Good” to the products listed at their e-stores. After a consumer buys a product with a "Goods for Good" label, the seller automatically donates a tiny proportion of sales (approximately CNY 0.02 per deal) to a public welfare organization through the digital platform.

Impact

"Goods for Good" is not only about donation, but also creates a sustainable e-business model which nurtures the habit of philanthropy in the society.

On the one hand, consumers actually pays zero extra cost. However, their choice for "Goods for Good" rewards seller’s philanthropy efforts. On the other hand, the program asks businesses to donate as little as they can, so little it will barely register on their P/Ls. Because Alibaba is the world’s largest eCommerce platform, with nearly 10 million merchants and 700 million of consumers making millions of transactions every day, now those 0.02 RMB soon adds up to millions before anyone knows about it.

In 2018, over 2 million sellers on the Alibaba platform donated a total of RMB 266 million through "Goods for Good" and their public welfare actions were supported by 360 million buyers, equivalent to 25% of the Chinese population. The donations were sent to 31 provinces, municipalities, and autonomous regions in China as well as Myanmar, Ethiopia, Sudan, and other countries and regions.

https://pages.tmall.com/wow/gy/act/gongyi?wh_biz=tm

• Ethiopia
• Myanmar
• Sudan

• Youth
• Older persons
• Women
• People with disabilities
• The poor
• Remote and rural communities

"Goods for Good" builds on eCommerce infrastructure and requires nearly no extra investment for eCommerce companies. As eCommerce has now accounted for approximately 10% of global retail sales, there is huge potential to replicate the model worldwide.

"Goods for Good" is not traditional donation, or simply giving. It links buyers, sellers, and public welfare organizations and creates a sustainable cycle. Buyers do not pay extra for "Goods for Good". Sellers, who are also the donors, are rewarded by growing "Goods for Good" sales. The digital platform plays the role of pooling billions of tiny donations (0.02 RMB) and directing steady stream of income to public welfare organizations. In summary, more "Goods for Good", more business and public welfare.

The impact of blending e-business and philanthropy was most evident during eCommerce Festival on Nov 11, 2018, when an unprecedented 300 million charitable transactions were executed in 24 hours by 100 million consumers.

"Goods for Good" is a good example to show how ICT helps to integrate economic and social values. In particular, the program enters a new territory how ICT can be used to improve traditional philanthropy work. "Goods for Good" makes philanthropy relevant and actionable to every one through an eCommerce platform.