Hack:
Chartiy begins at work

The Reason

Raising funds for charity is becoming increasingly harder for everyone. Charities are already experiencing a significant reduction in donations from the general public, as people struggle to make ends meet. There simply isn’t enough left over for most people to give to others as readily as they once did. In these times, we look to companies to help provide much-needed funding.

Yet the business world is in recession. Many CEO’s and Boards, who until now have focused much more heavily on producing value for shareholders, are now finding themselves defending their positions against widespread public distrust of business.

Supporting 1FreeDay is not altruism or philanthropy – it is an opportunity for every company to restore public trust in their actions, a chance for CEO’s and boards to act as agents for society rather than shareholders, and a tipping point for how companies work alongside charities to deliver much needed financial backing…and it will not cost any company a single penny.

The Action

Every four years we gain an extra day – a leap day. For most of us, this is a day that we welcome – for a growing number of people, it is an extra day that they neither want nor need. An added day of no food or water, or medicine, or an extra day’s worth of beatings and punishment.

In contrast, this ‘free day’ provides companies with an opportunity to earn additional revenue that they will not have budgeted for. In essence, the profits generated on 29 February each leap year are surplus.

All companies around the world are invited to donate the ‘free’ net profit generated from trading on 29 February 2016 to a charity, or charities, of their choice. If a company cannot accurately validate this amount, they can donate 1/366th of the net profit from the trading year ended closest to this date.

With 1FreeDay, on 29 February 2016, charity begins at work.