On a flight abroad last week I had time to flip through the Virgin Inflight magazine and was delighted to read about a partnership that was built on creating shared value.
The story was about Virgin Australia's partnership with Buffed – a social enterprise platform that gives long-term unemployed people a crack at small business ownership.
Initially launched last year to coincide with domestic travellers heading to Melbourne for the Spring Carnival, Buffed is now a year-round feature in Virgin Australia's Sydney lounge. A small fee of $8 is all it costs to have your shoes shined and the opportunity to walk away knowing you've contributed – in part – to providing a valuable income stream to some of our most marginalised people.
Founded by the Wise Foundation in 2011, Buffed is a network of shoe shine stands based in major cities across Australia. Buffed provides these people who are generally 'excluded from mainstream employment' with support that includes technical and business training, location and equipment sourcing as well as mentorship and marketing. It is hoped that through this high-level support, Buffed shoe-shine owners develop the experience and confidence to successfully go on and create a successful business.
As well as Virgin Australia, the Bank of Queensland and the University of Queensland Business School are also partners with Buffed.
These partnerships are doing more than just supporting a social franchise.
They are providing vital financial assistance as well as mentoring and guidance to fully develop the potential of the partnership. With long-term objectives in mind, the partnership becomes self-sustaining.
Sponsors and the Buffed social enterprise generate plenty of shared value. In Virgin Australia's case, the shoe shine service provides the airline's busy traveller with a shoe cleaning and leather care service enabling them to look their best despite being time-poor. Taking a few minutes out to have their shoes shined means they're making someone's day – someone who wouldn't have otherwise got a second glance as they rushed on by.
It's a win-win for everyone – for Virgin and its travellers as well as for the Buffed operators. Perhaps the biggest win of all lies in the fact we're realising that partnerships need to matter. To matter, we need to wake up to the fact there's social injustice all around us.
It's corporates that have the potential to create the greatest change.
Considering a social enterprise partnership on behalf of your company and want to know more about it? Drop us a line at caroline@eventsponsors.com.au or like us on www.facebook.com/eventsponsorsinc and we'll give you everything you need to know to make sure you're building partnerships that count.
