An idea about a business and donating...?

Question

I want to start working with cafe press or some place similar, and donating a portion of my profits to various causes, primarily anything about eco-friendly living and going green. How should I start this? How could I market? What is a good percentage to keep/donate? Would I need a business license? I dont know where to begin but I know this is something I am supposed to do.
Thank you in advance!

To work with cafepress i will not need any cash, just an idea and a little time.

cafepress is an online program that has products such as shirts, mugs etc. that you can get your design on and sell through a store they help you set up. It is completley free to join and you earn whatever markup you choose for your product

Answer 1

You will need to register as a non-profit. Contact your State Secretary of State's office about how to incorporate.

The goal of any non-profit, charity is to donate as much money as it makes to the cause. Corrupt charities spend more on frivolous overhead and hardly anything gets to the end-user.

Marketing: Word of mouth, advertising, Search Engine Optimization on the internet.

Donate: 75% or more, and you are doing great. Donate 10% or less, and you are not doing well.

License: to be legitimate, you need to register with the Secretary of State's office in your state. You will file several reporting documents on an annual basis. Failure to do so will get you into a heap of trouble.

Answer 2

Advance Warning - cynical view, don't read if you want a positive response.

Nice idea BUT I hope you have lots and lots of experience and a massive stash of cash. Been there done that with Fair Trade. 'Profits?' these are tiny or you end up out pricing yourself out of the market, so it becomes high turnover. Not a very eco friendly concept nor activity. It shouldn't be about profits at all, you are campaigning on an issue. The real irony is that by selling eco-friendly products you are contributing even MORE to overconsumption not less and going against your own values.

The belief that people will buy the Fair Trade/Green item to replace a less environmentally friendly one is, in reality, not correct. There is a market for eco friendly/Fair Trade goods BUT it is tiny compared to mainstream 'consumerism'. You are competing against mega companies with branded goods. The 'must haves' that the large companies who have spent large parts of their revenue advertising and doing PR for.

The other thing is that most people who buy these specialist goods do so in one of three ways;
At a local charity/voluntary organization
Online
At the supermarket/largest stores

If you do market research, do yourself a favour and throw the results in the bin. People say they will support/already buy. Few really do.

Positive suggestions

Get some Public liability insurance, buy some stock - enough to pack a 14 foot stall with risers only and go and do some markets and fairs.

Keep excellent books, do this for a month, then check carefully check your books. If you have made a really good profit, then go ahead.

The other way to do this is even cheaper, got a wider market but very competitive is to open an online ebay shop. At least you are at home, not freezing for 16 hours a day on a stall. The problem with this of course is that you have to factor all your 'packaging and posting times' costs into the price. AND your time.

Sorry, but unless you have loads of experience, this is not the best way to support green issues.

The best way is to limit your own consumption of everything including family size.