How Giving to Charity Sells More Printers and MFPs

According to Nielsen, buyers are willing to put their money where their heart is when it comes to goods and services from companies committed to social responsibility.

Xerox channel partner, Document XL has used this insight to their advantage and is selling more printers and MFPs by utilizing their print assessment expertise to create a clever way for their customers to support local charities, be more environmentally friendly – and save money at the same time.

I spoke to founder Stephen Dobson to learn more about Charity Wrap, the innovative print and copy CSR initiative, that Stephen thinks can change the world, one printed page at a time.

Built on a desire to give

Stephen has always been charitable, but when his mother was at the end of her journey with cancer and residing at a hospice run by Marie Curie, the charity which supports people living with a terminal illness and their families, his desire to give back amplified.

Marie Curie’s dedication to providing a caring and supportive atmosphere for people spending their last few days alive inspired him to find a way to help other businesses support a charity close to their hearts.

Making it part of typical workday

After researching the best corporate social responsibility (CSR) programs, Stephen wanted his program to raise money without the customer having to do anything more than going about a typical workday. As Stephen explained, “They say simple things are usually the best and Charity Wrap is very straightforward – every time a participating company makes a print, a penny of that charge goes to their nominated charity.”

A win for the customer

The process begins with a free 30 – 90 day print health check using industry-leading MPS experience and advanced analytics from Xerox® and NewField IT®. Document XL also include a formal audit of the prospect’s current lease costs. “It’s a way to show where money can be saved and we don’t charge for this,” says Stephen. “We’ve found that clients are happy to give some of the initial savings to a charity, which creates an immediate win for the non-profit as a direct result of the assessment.”

The program leaves everyone with good feelings and Document XL makes it simple by managing the accounting and fund transfers to the charity. Customers are using the Charity Wrap story in their own marketing through blogging and social media to brag about the charity they support.

Charity Wrap printers have benefits beyond fundraising too. For example, Stephen uses the Xerox ColorQube printers, which are environmentally friendly. Using ColorQube printers makes it easier to satisfy CSR managers because they can support a non-profit, save money on print, and reduce their carbon footprint.

A win for the charity

One of the challenges non-profits face, especially smaller ones, is how to create recurring donations. Charity Wrap gives them one more way to do this when speaking to businesses about funding options.

As Stephen pointed out, “It’s the snowball effect. If you get one little desktop printer that produces 100 pages a week, it’s not going to generate much revenue. When you encourage larger companies to invest in the Charity Wrap printers, you generate more pages. The more machines charities have out there, the more recurring income they generate.”

A win for Document XL

When you compare the time spent managing the Charity Wrap program to the benefits then it’s time well spent. Customers take meter reads and the Document XL accountant sends invoices every three months. Document XL tallies the charity portion, pays the charity, and an invoice is sent to the participating customer so that they can track the transaction.

Using professional social networks to spread awareness

Document XL uses LinkedIn to connect with charitable organizations and CSR managers to explain the program. The program has opened doors to new business relationships with other companies doing similar work.

As Stephen says, “There is nothing like it – and we’re even talking with a phone company who is doing a similar thing about striking up a synergy. So as each finds new customers, we can work together to generate more business opportunities for ourselves and the charities through print and telecom.”

A win even if the prospect is on a long-term contract

Sometimes the timing just isn’t right for a prospect. As Stephen points out – “Some companies have multi-year lease contracts that have to be fulfilled before making a change – we’ve had meetings with large businesses that love the idea but have 50 printers on contract with another three years before they can make a change.”

Stephen looks at this as a nurturing opportunity – “When this happens we remain in contact with them so that we can build a pipeline of conversations and prospects for the future. That’s how Document XL wins in the long run.”

If you interested in finding out more, visit the charity wrap website to see how easy it is to fundraise and win more business. Or contact Stephen Dobson directly +44 (0) 8456 448600 or stephen.dobson@documentxl.com

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