Thankyou: The evolution of a social enterprise over five years

Image courtesy of http://thankyou.co/movement/media

In developing countries such as Uganda and Cambodia, children can walk all day to collect water for their family, water that could kill them. In a nation of 22 million people, it is difficult to comprehend that 900 million people world-wide do not have access to safe drinking water. This was the horrible realisation of 19 year old Daniel Flynn in 2008, as he read about the world water crisis. Bottled water in the western world is a convenience, and an industry that Australians spend $600 million on annually.

Eager to address this disparity, Daniel Flynn founded Thankyou Water, a social enterprise selling bottled water to fund safe drinking water projects in developing countries. Each bottle of water sold funds access to one month’s water. The social enterprise simultaneously supports the local Australian economy, with all products made in Australia. Alongside several friends, Daniel donated much of his time to the cause. Despite many setbacks, in five years Thankyou Water has evolved into Thankyou, a movement encompassing Thankyou Water, Thankyou Food and Thankyou Body Care. Profits from sales in each range fund corresponding projects – Thankyou continues to fund safe water projects and now also supports food aid programs and health training in developing countries.

In 2010 Daniel stated that, ‘We just want to grow as big as we can in Australia. Our dream is that every day Australians can make a quick decision to choose Thankyou Water and they can get updates from the website or Facebook to see the result of their purchase.’ At this stage there were six companies in the north of Tasmania stocking Thankyou Water, now dozens of other companies have jumped aboard the movement.

There has also been a national sales increase, with retail giants, Coles and Woolworths agreeing to stock Thankyou Water, Food and Body Care ranges last year after an extensive media campaign.

In July [2013] the Thankyou team launched their Coles and Woolworths campaign online, requesting that supporters tell the retailers via social media that they would purchase the Thankyou range if it was available. Subsequently, they flew helicopters over the head office of Coles, with a banner that said, “Thank you Coles for changing the world (if you say yes).” They did the same for Woolworths. Daniel explains that thousands of Australians backed the campaign and pledged their support: ‘We took a big risk with it, and we were absolutely blown away by the support of the Australian public throughout the campaign…’

When the Thankyou team presented their range to Coles and Woolworths, they both recognised the potential of the brand and launched the Thankyou water, food and body care ranges.

 ‘After five years of trying to get our product on shelves to then have Coles and Woolworths come on board in record time was so surreal.’

This has dramatically increased the Thankyou impact overseas and Thankyou Water is now available in over 4000 outlets across Australia.

In recognition of their efforts, the Thankyou Group was awarded the Youth-Led Social Enterprise of the Year in 2013. Daniel was also named Victorian Young Achiever of the Year [2013] and a National finalist as Young Australian of the Year 2014. ‘Along with the accolades comes increased influence and we are very grateful and humbled to have people actively follow the Thankyou journey,’ says Daniel. For Daniel, having people believe in the Thankyou vision and purchase products from their ranges has enabled them to expand.

As part of the expansion of Thankyou, last year the team welcomed Masterchef All Stars winner, Callum Hann, as the Chief Taste Officer of Thankyou Food. Daniel states: ‘He’s [Callum] played a huge part in helping us develop great quality, great tasting food products that we are proud of.’ Each pack of muesli sold funds one week’s access to food and funds long-term projects. With one million people starving around the world, Thankyou acknowledges that the solution is not a simple “one size fits all”. For this reason, the sales of Thankyou Food products fund both short-term emergency food aid projects and long-term food security food projects.

The short-term food aid projects provide relief for communities in which famine, war, drought or natural disaster has disrupted access to food. Food aid organisations, such as the World Food Programme (WFP), ‘award contracts to “implementing partners”; that receive an agreement for a specific amount of food to be distributed in a specific region,’ Daniel explains. While some people question the sustainability of this type of food relief, Daniel highlights that food obtained for the WFP is often acquired from other parts of the developing nation being assisted. This in turn stimulates economic growth and provides a ‘foot in the door’ for Thankyou project partners to work with communities for long-term sustainable development.

The proportion of funding going towards long-term sustainable solutions supports agriculture, livestock and health projects. Daniel stresses that they also see great importance in funding long-term solutions that empower community members to work towards building their own futures.

When asked about the evolution of Thankyou, Flynn says, ‘the dream was to create more than just a bottled water brand. Something that would change the world and the way consumers view their part in that change.’ The launch of Thankyou’s Track Your Impact 2.0 app in July 2013 demonstrates the team is well on their way. Each Thankyou product features a unique code which can be entered into the app to allow consumers to view details of the project their purchase is funding. Many customers enjoy being able to track their cumulative impact and receive a final solution report once the project is complete. ‘It’s what sets us apart from other brands and allows us to engage on a deeper level with our consumers, connecting them to the cause,’ explains Daniel.

Thankyou’s first Annual Impact Report is due to be released later this year, and will outline their investments in projects so far. Daniel was able to provide a snapshot of their impact so far: ‘To date, Thankyou has funded 112 water projects across nine countries (Myanmar, Haiti, Cambodia, Kenya, Sri Lanka, Burundi, India, Uganda, Timor Leste), assisting a total of 67,896 people with access to safe water. To date, Thankyou has funded 65 health and hygiene projects across India and Myanmar, providing 60,388 people with health and hygiene training. At the end of March 2014, Thankyou will fund its first ever food projects after having raised enough to fund 62,888 weeks’ worth of food (which is the equivalent of 1,209 people getting short-term food aid for an entire year).’

Seeing their impact on developing nations has further fuelled the Thankyou team’s passion to see the social enterprise grow and help more people. ‘My main goal over the next year is to see Thankyou become a household name. We know it’s a huge target, but we believe that the more people hear about Thankyou and start to buy our products, the greater the impact we can make together.’ As Daniel stated in 2010, ‘Thankyou Water is the story of five young people and their incredible story, but we like to the story to be more about 100s and 1000s of Australians being able to do something.’

http://thankyou.co/movement