Teaming up with the Food Bank Foundation, the agency persuaded the “two most important pizzerias in Asuncion” to accept delivery requests from customers, advising them that the food would arrive within 45 minutes. Feigning bad service, all the pizzas were delivered much later than this specified time frame, prompting angry calls from those who had placed an order. However, when the food finally arrived, each box came with a note explaining: “When you’re hungry, you understand hunger.” Couriers then told each customer that the pizza was free of charge, but any money they did give would be donated to the Food Bank Foundation to help those for whom hunger is a genuine fear, rather than an irritation. The idea behind the concept was to help those who can afford takeaway food to put their complaint into perspective, in return offering them a pizza for free as a thank you for taking part in the experience. The following video was created by ONIRIA/TBWA to demonstrate the campaign:

Where traditional campaigns may appeal to rational thought or emotion to convince viewers to help, the ONIRIA/TBWA campaign gave pizza customers an unusual experience they are not likely to forget. According to a Fast Company report, the campaign helped collect 50 tons of food for the Food Bank Foundation, but would you be prepared to risk permanently dissatisfying your customers for a single campaign?

Website: www.oniriatbwa.com
Contact: www.oniria.com.py/index.php/contacto

The city of Rotterdam is now hosting the 5th International Architecture Biennale Rotterdam (IABR) until August, and its main exhibit this year is entitled “Making City,” with a focus on smart new ways to make cities more livable. Launched recently by IABR and local architectural firm ZUS, the “I Make Rotterdam” project focuses on the area that stretches from Rotterdam Central District to Pompenburg and Hofbogen. “The area around the Hofplein used to be the bustling center of town, but now it is dominated by large-scale infrastructure, traffic and rear facades of buildings,” the project explains. “Our challenge is to use unconventional means to enliven the area rapidly by creating pedestrian connections and reinforce existing programs.”

Accordingly, a wooden pedestrian bridge dubbed the Luchtsingel will span 350 meters and require 17,000 planks. Citizens are invited to chip in and help fund the effort with donations of anywhere between EUR 25 for one plank and EUR 1,250 for an entire bridge section — whatever the size of their purchase, they can inscribe the result with their name or any other text of their choice. Perhaps most interesting of all is that the length of the bridge will depend on the number of planks purchased. With more than 1,000 participants to date, roughly 14 percent of the bridge has been built so far.

We’ve seen plenty of crowdfunded efforts over the years, but not often does a civic initiative ask citizens to “put their money where their mouths are,” so to speak. A model for emulation in other parts of the world?

Website: www.en.imakerotterdam.nl
Contact: info@imakerotterdam.nl

While Google’s Transparency Report already serves a similar purpose, OONI was motivated by a frustration with the closed nature of such tools, according to a report on Forbes. Short for Open Observatory for Network Interference, the project was reportedly funded in part by a grant from Radio Free Asia, and source code for its probe tool has been released on GitHub. Anyone can participate in the project by using that tool to perform scans of their own — data will be aggregated and published for public viewing. The project’s developers explain: “This is a human rights observation project for the Internet. The end goal of the OONI project is to collect data which shows an accurate representation of network interference on the Filternet we call the internet.”

Though still in its very early stages, OONI has already turned up two instances of online censorship, including one in the United States by T-Mobile. Tech-minded entrepreneurs — what nefarious activities could you and the crowds help bring to light?

Website: www.ooni.nu
Contact: arturo@filasto.net

Spotted by: Katherine Noyes

Australian-based mmMule has already been connecting tourists with locals who may need goods from abroad. The idea behind the site’s new arm – AngelMule – came from a trip co-founders Andrew Simpson and Avis Mulhall took to Rwanda, where they visited an orphanage carrying a much-prized football. In Andrew’s words: “It was the most amazing experience to turn up at the orphanage with a football and see the ecstatic reactions of the kids who had been using a plastic water bottle to kick around…” Aiming to provide a platform for other travelers to have a similar experience, AngelMule enables visitors to set their current location and destination and search for posts by non-profit organizations in need of goods. If a match is found, users can then message the organization to arrange a delivery. Charities can list the items they need travelers to bring, as well as the reward they are willing to offer. These can range from a hug to accommodation, or a tour of the local area.

AngelMule gives travelers the chance to have a unique experience abroad as well as give something back to the communities they are visiting. How else could you put a charitable twist on something that travelers are already planning to do?

Website: www.mmmule.com
Contact: www.mmmule.com/contact-us

The outlet, located in the Canal Saint Martin district of the French capital, acts as a showcase for the efforts of those fighting back against the Mafia in Italy by stocking products made by social co-operatives using land confiscated from criminal gangs. Selling Fairtrade consumables — wine, beer, olive oil, preserves and chocolate, among others — clothing, and design, Ethicando aims to support anti-Mafia co-operatives run by young people in troubled areas of Italy, former detainees reintegrating back into society and unemployed women. The store has partnered with organizations such as Libera Terra, which takes hold of land seized from the Cosa Nostra, Goel, a co-operative based in Calabria, and Made In Jail, which aims to help reform criminals currently incarcerated. The store opened in March and is currently hosting events that will raise awareness of the damage criminal activity causes to communities in Italy.

The Ethicando store both supports a good cause and spreads the word about an issue that may not be in the popular consciousness. An idea to replicate for an unsung cause in your area?

Website: www.ethicando.com
Contact: www.ethicando.com/index.php?option=com_aicontactsafe

Spotted by: Lamia Aloui

Designed for use in the workplace, schools and charities, the Youtopia app enables users and their organizations to keep track of activities and gain rewards for completing them. Both the employee and company, student and school, volunteer and charity begin by downloading the app onto their smartphones. Either user can set up a task on the website and, once completed, the participant marks that they have achieved the task. Their organization then confirms that this is the case and points are rewarded and tallied, with badges being earned for reaching particular milestones. These points can be exchanged for gift vouchers, tickets or discounts. Organizations can use the data to see how individuals in large groups are performing, and the website also acts as a social network, enabling participants to show off their achievements. Users and organizations can interact with each other within the app, meaning that universities can team up with charities to set up projects, for example. The video below has more information on how the app works:

Gamification is now being widely used as a tool to improve people’s desire to be active, whether at home or in their local community. One to partner with?

Website: www.youtopia.com
Contact: info@youtopia.com

Spotted by: Simeon Schnappe

It’s not uncommon for consumers to buy a store of provisions in anticipation of the next emergency of course, but limited shelf lives mean that goods may be expired by the time the need arises. That’s where Yamory’s concept kicks in, with a plan that ensures nothing is ever more than six months old. Each package contains three days’ worth of supplies for one person, including items such as water, vitamins and toothpaste. Pricing ranges from JPY 5,000 for a half-year plan to JPY 26,000 for three years. The video below (in Japanese) outlines the concept in more detail:

The subscription model has already been applied to countless other product categories, but expiration-prone emergency provisions seem to be a natural fit. An idea to bring to consumers in your part of the world?

Website: www.yamory.com
Contact: info@yamory.com

The Prague eatery has made connections with the local SANANIM aftercare centre, whereby those in treatment or rehabilitation can attend ceramics and candle-making workshops as art therapy sessions. The scented candles they produce during these classes are then sold in the café shop, while any pieces of crockery are used for serving customers. Aiming to provide a place of repose for recovering addicts as well as a way to ease them into employment by selling their art, Cafe Therapy also provides a way for customers to know their money is going towards a good cause. The premises hosts a private conference room which can be booked out for public or private occasions. Although designed with recovering addicts in mind, the restaurant is open to everybody. It offers newspapers, wifi connection and a non-smoking atmosphere, as well as a children’s play area.

Cafe Therapy is both a restaurant and a social enterprise, connecting consumers directly with the addiction sufferers providing the crockery they use and gifts they can purchase. How could your business benefit from a stronger relationship with the local community?

Website: www.cafe-therapy.cz
Contact: therapy@sananim.cz

Spotted by: Cecilia Biemann

Following its debut at SXSW Interactive earlier this month, the free Cause.it mobile app is now available from the iTunes Store. Using it, volunteers, nonprofits and local businesses can connect for greater community good. Socially minded consumers begin by signing up for either a “say cause,” such as tweeting about a nonprofit on Twitter, or a “do cause,” such as participating in a real-world project, according to a Good Worldwide report. Either way, those volunteers earn points for their participation that are redeemable for discounts at local companies, which in turn gain fresh goodwill and extra business. Participating nonprofits, meanwhile, can reportedly pay USD 29 per month for the list of everyone who signs up to support their causes. The video below explains the premise in more detail:

Cause.it has already launched in Indianapolis, but a national version of the app is coming soon. Entrepreneurs and nonprofits: one to get involved in?

Website: www.cause.it/index.html
Contact: info@cause.it

Spotted by: Florent Lesauvage

Founded by mechanical design engineer Andrew Denham with the help of frame builder Brian Curtis, the startup runs from a workshop in Somerset, England, where those enrolling on the course will have access to the equipment and material they need to build a bike frame. They will be taught fillet brazing — a type of welding that links metal tubes with bronze — over four days of training sessions, for five hours a day. Students will work to specifications to build a TBA Africa bike frame, which has been designed especially for use in Africa. Once completed, the frame will be used to form a working bike which will be shipped off for use by those in need. The Bicycle Academy has teamed up with the charity Re-Cycle to facilitate distribution, with plans for the bikes’ components to be produced by World Bicycle Relief. After graduating, students can make use of the workshop for their own projects. Beginning in June, the course costs GBP 1,000 for single learners, or GBP 600 each for pairs.

The Bicycle Academy aims to offer UK bike lovers the skills to get more involved with their passion while benefitting those less fortunate. An idea to emulate in your part of the world?

Website: www.thebicycleacademy.org
Contact: hello@thebicycleacademy.org

Spotted by: Cecilia Biemann

Charitably minded consumers begin by offering some service or task on Raise5 for a flat rate of CAD 5 — teaching a 15-minute French lesson, for example, or setting up a new laptop. When they register their service, such users also select a charity or non-profit they’d like to benefit. Then, others can browse the site for services they could use. Once they find one, they can buy the service for the CAD 5 price, and the money will go to the service donor’s chosen charity or non-profit. Raise5, meanwhile, takes CAD 1 from each transaction to cover its own costs.

There’s clearly an enduring allure to the 5 dollar price point, but a charitable purpose steps up that allure another notch or two. A model to emulate in the niche or region of your choice?

Website: www.raise5.com
Contact: info@raise5.com

Taking place between January 10 and February 10 of this year, the Books for Colombia project was a joint effort between Spanish airline Iberia, social network ideas4all and pizza delivery firm Telepizza. The concept was based on the suggestion of a Telepizza employee who saw the potential of the empty-handed drivers on their way back from delivering pizzas. Aiming to put that potential to work for good, the effort invited delivery customers in Madrid to donate unwanted books for delivery to the needy in Colombia. Telepizza drivers used the empty space in their vehicles to transport the books to the local Telepizza outlet; from there, they were sent via Iberia aircraft to Colombia, where NGO BuenaNota handled distribution in 120 libraries and schools throughout the country, potentially reaching more than 98,000 children and teenagers.

The lesson to be learned? Every business-driven trip, whether to or fro, is an opportunity to do something more. How could your brand add a social benefit to the journeys it’s already making?

Website: grupo.iberia.es/portal/site/grupoiberia/menuitem.0ffaf48bc2c1f79bf75771fbf34e51ca/?ib_contentId=5424ccfabe3c4310VgnVCM20000060fe15acRCRD
Contact: grupo.iberia.es/portal/site/grupoiberia/menuitem.fc545cf614233776739ed8cdf34e51ca/;jsessionid=Xvm2PMBW017WvpvTTMcb4sKWL1hnsThyDs92vpXS0FYRYnmtYgvy!2116552026!-1533887933

Spotted by: www.airlinetrends.com

Working in teams of two — smaller than traditional travel film production crews — Timbooktwo are specialists in producing online travel videos, offering a complete service from pre to post production. Inspired by places visited on their travels, Timbooktwo wanted to give something back and make a positive difference, and so for every video they make for a tourism company, they donate their own time and money to produce one for a charity. In the same way online video can help increase sales, they hope footage of their chosen charity projects will encourage charitable donations. The video below explains Timbooktwo in more detail:

For businesses with social responsibility high on their agenda, could this model provide an innovative way to give something back?

Website: www.timbooktwo.com
Contact: www.timbooktwo.com/#!get-in-touch/vstc7=contact-us

Spotted by: Cecilia Biemann

Naked Hippie has a focus on fair trade, organic and sustainable production processes. Their range of eco tees sport simple designs with positive messages and cost USD 19 to USD 38. They hope that by investing in microloans they can help entrepreneurs in developing countries to grow their businesses, support their families and encourage economic development in the community. Naked Hippie use repaid loans to reinvest in other small businesses as well as campaign for fair trade initiatives and pesticide-free farming. They launched their eco-wristbands in September last year and currently ship throughout the US and Canada.

Naked Hippy believe they’re the only brand in the world whose success relies 100 percent on the people they help. In the shift towards more ethically-minded consumerism, could a similar model support your business?

Website: www.thenakedhippie.com
Contact: press@thenakedhippie.com

Spotted by: Cecilia Biemann

Halfsies is “a social initiative offering restaurant-goers a choice that provides a healthier meal portion, reduces food waste, and supports the fight against hunger,” in the site’s own words. Now gearing up for a pilot launch this spring in Austin, Texas, and New York City, Halfsies plans to partner with local restaurants for participation in its program. Those that do participate will then choose a set of meals on their menu to include in the program, designating them with a small symbol. Then, when a patron chooses to “go halfsies” on such an item, he or she receives a half-portion of the meal while still paying full price. Ninety percent of the proceeds are then donated to support the fight against hunger, with the remaining 10 percent used for Halfsies’ own operations. The video below explains the premise behind Halfsies in further detail:

In this era of obesity, oversized portions and unbridled food waste, there are still roughly a billion people worldwide who don’t have enough to eat, Texas-based Halfsies says. The company currently seeks sponsors, partners, donors and volunteers — time to help combat three of the world’s most persistent problems?

Website: www.gohalfsies.com
Contact: gohalfsies@gmail.com