Why I’m a Fairtrade fan

It’s Fairtrade Fortnight in Australia, so I thought I’d take the opportunity to demystify some of the confusion around product certification. My awareness of the issue probably dates back to 2006-07, when there was a push to end child slavery in chocolate. Cadbury committed to making its Dairy Milk bars Fairtrade, first in the UK and then also in Australia. Fairtrade coffee started to pop … Continue reading Why I’m a Fairtrade fan

I’m an anti-slavery tour guide. Sort of.

I’ve always fancied being a tour guide for a time. Sure, it would get old pretty soon, but for 3-6 months it’d be awesome wearing the brightly coloured jacket, holding the umbrella, and taking groups of tourists around my hometown (or adopted city), providing snippets of history and local lore. The other day we put on a travel-themed digital event for some of our supporters … Continue reading I’m an anti-slavery tour guide. Sort of.

Marketing is broken. Can we fix it?

Why marketing feels icky To be honest, I would never have guessed that I’d end up with the word ‘Marketing’ in my job title. It reeks of big business. Chances are, I’m not the only one who feels this way. See how many of the following statements you agree with: Marketing is persuading you to buy things you don’t need. Marketing is about getting you … Continue reading Marketing is broken. Can we fix it?

Old people push up charity overheads

I spent all of Friday afternoon handwriting Christmas cards to people I don’t know. A regular day at work now involves, at some point, printing and folding receipt letters, stamping and manually addressing envelopes. To be honest, so much of what we do at my new job seems primitive. It’s not something we’re unaware of; we’ve spoken about the website and the way we process donations. Some of that … Continue reading Old people push up charity overheads