Top charities push flower delivery plan

NEWS

Four leading charities are launching a postal delivery flower service which allows people to donate to charity while sending a gift.

All profits from the Charity Flowers Direct scheme will be ploughed into registered charities and the consumers can decide which charity they want the donation to go to.

Age Concern England, the Imperial Cancer Research Fund, the British Heart Foundation and an unnamed fourth charity are the “founding” partners investing 400,000 to get the scheme off the ground.

Other charities will be recruited to promote the scheme to their donor and databases in the latest example of diversification in charity fundraising.

The new company running the scheme will be involved in its own branding push but much of the marketing will be handled through the participating charities, existing supporters and retail outlets. The organisers are also trying to attract brand owners to develop on-pack promotions and corporate customers.

“The key was finding a product that people already buy and then adding the idea of charity donation on top,” says Age Concern business development manager Tony Page.

The charities estimate the company will have a turnover of 1.4m in the first year, which could rise to 5m within the next three years.