Why this awards event hands the power of choice to their entrants
Five years ago Karen Sutton, founder and CEO of the Global Good Awards, didn’t give a second thought to where she bought things and how they were made. Today, she drives an EV, invests in ESGs, has reduced her plastic consumption by over 60% and she’ll happily cause a scene should anyone attempt to put a straw in her drink.
That personal reinvention was the result of her involvement in setting up the Global Good Awards (formerly National CSR Awards) in 2015 and being inspired by what organisations of all sizes were doing in their communities, for their people, for the planet and for their bottom line.
They are the first awards programme to be accredited with the Gold Standard ‘Ethical Awards Trust Mark’ and have been shortlisted this year in the Most Robust Judging Process category of the 2019 Awards Awards.
For the second year, Karen is using Work for Good to donate £10 of each award entrance fee to a charity of the entrant’s choice.
“We give £10 for every entry that we receive within our annual awards programme — and we actually give the choice of charity to the entrant. After all, it’s their money and all of our entrants will have a preferred charity.
During the entry process, we give them the opportunity to select from the Work For Good charity list. We also select one ‘default’ charity, should the entrant not specify a preference — this year it’s our charity of the year, Goods For Good. They deliver overstocked goods donated by British industry and the local community to refugees and vulnerable communities around the world.
We’re passionate about the ‘Reduce Reuse Recycle’ mantra at the Global Good Awards, and through this charity donated items are prevented from going to landfill or being incinerated, and will find a home with millions of vulnerable people around the world. You can’t say fairer than that!”
Karen doesn’t just run an awards programme; she is committed to promoting change. And she’s found that putting a spin on the traditional business awards event by involving their entrants directly in charity giving has been a hit with everyone involved.
“We’ve had positive feedback from both entrants and sponsors. But we don’t want to be praised for doing this. We are firm believers in business ‘giving back’ so it was a natural evolution for us to take this path — it was a no-brainer really. Many of our entrants are charities themselves, and many corporate organisations enter a project that is a partnership with that charity.”
The Global Good Awards are paving the way for awards events to do more than just self-congratulate — alongside the bubbly, networking and celebrations of an awards ceremony, Karen has made room for everyone involved to look outwards and do good for others while they celebrate their own business achievements.
“To other awards organisers who’d like to follow our lead, I’d say do it! Your entrants and sponsors will both appreciate such a positive and proactive approach to charitable giving.
And having researched the legal red tape that comes with giving income-linked donations to charities without breaking the law, without Work for Good we simply wouldn’t have been able to do it. They make a potentially very complex issue for a small business straightforward.”
If you’re in the business of doing global good (or you’d like to be), check out the Global Good Awards website for some inspiration — including last year’s winners and this year’s nominees. The 2019 winners will be announced at a ceremony on 19th June at BMA House, London.
And if you’re an awards organiser looking to take a leaf out of Karen’s book and give to charity, get in touch with Work For Good to find out how we can help you set it up in just a few clicks!
Update: You can see who the 2019 winners were here.
