Can Marketing Save the Planet? Episode 119: The Power of Circular Giving, with Cathy Benwell, Co-Founder of ‘A Good Thing’
In this episode of Can Marketing Save the Planet, we are joined by Cathy Benwell, Co-Founder of CIC, A Good Thing.
A Good Thing is a brilliant platform with a beautifully simple, yet truly impactful exchange idea, connecting businesses that have surplus items to local charities that gratefully receive items they need.
Like many impact focused ventures, Cathy and her husband founded A Good Thing over a dinner table conversation about a cupboard full of nearly new laptops doing nothing. Cathy was working for a charity called Home Start and her colleagues were battling daily with machines that were so slow you could make a cup of tea waiting for them to boot up. Putting the two things together, they believed there was more opportunity than just that one single exchange. That moment of realisation, and the lockdown downtime that followed, gave them the opportunity to explore the ‘gaps’, becoming the seed of a platform which now operates UK-wide, matching businesses' unwanted goods with charities' expressed needs.
The platform works both ways, businesses list what they have, and charities list what they need. From furniture and tech to branded merchandise, construction materials, and even a life-size inflatable elephant, Cathy has seen it all. Critically, it addresses a dynamic Cathy witnessed first hand, which is the fact that charities often feel they can't say no to donations, ending up with things they don't need. "It can become a headache for the charity, she explains, “we took on Easter eggs (500 of them), which ended up in an enormous pile in this tiny office." The ability to request exactly what's needed has been a game-changer for both sides.
What makes A Good Thing so compelling is its dual benefit and genuine win-win. Businesses reduce waste, avoid disposal costs, and free up warehouse space, while charities receive vital resources for free. The platform is free to use, supported by voluntary business subscriptions, and its marketing has grown entirely organically through word of mouth and passionate advocates within the community. As Cathy puts it, "It's an incredibly simple message, a really simple story. It's a no-brainer."
Cathy hopes to see every UK business using a platform like A Good Thing in the future, and with international pilots in the US, France, and the Netherlands they are looking at expanding the impact. Her advice to Marketers is to focus on the human story. "Telling the human story rather than just focusing on the numbers really, really draws people in."
Tune in as we talk to Cathy about:
-
How her platform connects business surplus with charity need.
-
Why enabling charities to request what they actually need transforms the dynamic of corporate giving.
-
The astonishing range of items donated and what it tells us about business waste.
-
Why A Good Thing remains focused on their core proposition and has chosen not to measure carbon or financial impact as part of what they do.
-
How word of mouth, passionate volunteers, community and a simple story can scale a circular economy solution.
If you’re keen to get involved, we’ve shared plenty of ways you can connect with A Good Thing:
Cathy’s LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/cathy-b-a1408768/
Via Email cathy@agoodthing.org.uk
And more links via web and socials:
www.facebook.com/agoodthing.org.uk
www.linkedin.com/company/agoodthing-org-uk
www.instagram.com/agoodthing_uk
Enjoy…
________________________________________________________________________
About us…
We help Marketers save the planet. 🌍
Join the Marketers and organisations who have signed our manifesto, engage with our newsletter and training and, work with us to communicate sustainability more effectively. Sign our Sustainable Marketer Manifesto, and join us on our mission. Get in touch to chat.
You’ll find the Podcast on all the usual pod platforms - and also on The Global Player. If you love it, do share it and spread the word. Talking about climate change and the role we play is one of the most important things we can do. So join the conversation. We’re all in this together.
Our podcasts are recorded purely via online conferencing platforms, we apologise for any minor sound quality issues.