Depaul UK, a youth homeless charity with limited marketing budget, asked us to help raise funds that they desperately needed.

The traditional charity marketing model relies on getting people to care enough about your cause to donate. But in an increasingly crowded market, the traditional model wasn’t working for Depaul UK. So we didn’t just set out to find a new audience, we set out to find an entirely new fundraising model. Rather than relying on sympathy, we started being useful. And once we engaged our audience, we used that platform as a canvas for meaningful communications.

We launched The Depaul Box Company, a business selling cardboard boxes to home movers, with all the profits helping the homeless move off the street. Advertising, PR and social media campaigns promoted the business venture to house movers.

Once the boxes are bought, they act as a canvas to spread the word of Depaul’s work, featuring illustrations and stories of homeless people helped by Depaul. The first batch of 6,000 boxes sold out in a few weeks, and a second order for 10,000 has been placed. And we’ve begun to expand into archive boxes, with two large pre-orders already placed.

We created an engaging piece of communication that people were willing to spend money on. The first batch of 6,000 boxes sold out in just a few weeks, and a second order for 10,000 has been placed. Not only have people been supportive with their wallets, but they’ve also been keen to pass the message on. Some people have even sent in photographs of the boxes in use.

Estate agents have approached us for partnerships. And we’ve expanded into archive boxes, with two large pre-orders already placed. It’s an entirely self-sustaining revenue stream with minimal marketing expenditure from Depaul UK.

Everyone associates cardboard boxes with people sleeping rough. We created a product that flips that negative association into a positive one. No one should have to make a cardboard box their home. Buying our boxes ensures nobody has to.

The Depaul Box Company represents truly original thinking. It’s not just a breakthrough in the world of homeless charity communications, it’s also a new model for charity fundraising, which suggests that charities should look to make money by being useful, rather than just asking for sympathy. It’s helping Depaul UK tackle youth homelessness, without spending large amounts of money on marketing.