‘No Small Plan’ to tackle poverty
Covid, Black Lives Matter protests, bushfires, unemployment queues, panic buying … the world is a difficult place for some to survive in. The Thankyou campaign is trying to bridge the gap between the extremes — the well-off and those living in poverty. Thankyou was created to close the huge space between the 736-million people living in extreme poverty around the world and the $63-trillion (R1-quadrillion) spent on consumer products each year.
After all the costs involved in getting Thankyou products to consumers are taken care of, every last cent Thankyou makes goes towards ending extreme poverty.
Daniel Flynn, pictured right, one of Thankyou’s founders, told us what the campaign is all about: What inspired you to start this campaign? Before the pandemic we, the world of consumers, spent $63-trillion on stuff every year. I don’t know if I really even understand how big that number is. But in this same world 736-million people were living in extreme poverty. It doesn’t feel right. One world, two extremes. Then the pandemic hit and we went from bad to worse.
The global pandemic has many of the poorest countries teetering on the edge of famine, as millions of people are pushed back into extreme poverty.
And the strangest part of it all is while the world was in turmoil some people got really rich. I know that because we’re some of them. Despite the pandemic, consumers still consumed, and we made over $10m profit. The secret: we sold hand wash and sanitiser and it was like a gold rush, everyone got in on it.
Through its campaign “No Small Plan”, Thankyou offers consumer products — personal care and baby product ranges — for the sole purpose of funding lifechanging projects.
This isn’t a story of David joining Goliath. This is a story of us, a movement of consumers, finding a global partner (we’ve invited P&G and Unilever to join us) and together becoming a bigger David to take down the true Goliath: the $63trillion consumer system that makes the rich richer and has left the poor behind.
What are your successes so far?
To date, Thankyou has raised over AUD$17m (R201m) for impact partners serving the world’s poorest populations, helping over 857,000 people in need in 22 countries, including Australia. Their partners, which span over 14 organisations, address water, health, sanitation, economic development programmes and maternal and child health programmes in low-income communities.
What can South Africans do to help?
We are asking you to post four words onto whatever platform: “I’m in, are you?” Tag in P&G and Unilever so they know you are serious. #thankyoutotheworld
On October 14 we’ll meet with P&G and Unilever over Zoom. Then three weeks later we’ll be posting who’s in onto the biggest digital billboard in the world, found in Times Square, New York.
What can people gain by supporting you?
Basically, if we get this partnership right then we’ll be able to scale up and expand to 190 countries, including South Africa, which means that we’ll find impact partners in South Africa to benefit directly from Thankyou sales.
Our products are currently only available in Australia and New Zealand but we want to convince the world’s biggest product companies to make and distribute Thankyou products to the world so that we can have a positive effect everywhere.