2014 highly commended: Depaul, Not for Profit - case study

How a small homeless charity found a fundraising response to match the escalating homelessness crisis, and perhaps, a sustainable solution.

This paper discusses the development of a new fundraising stream for a small youth homelessness charity called Depaul UK.

Youth homelessness is a growing issue in the UK, with demand for Depaul UK’s services currently outstripping supply. In 2012, Depaul UK set an ambitious target to double the number of bed nights that they offer before 2016 and began to explore methods to fund this expansion. This paper describes how inventive research closed the door on many traditional not-for-profit marketing channels, and how an idea was born out of creatively thinking outside the entire charity sector.

Depaul needed a gear change, so it stopped asking for small change.

Creative inspiration was found in a cardboard box.

The British public have always associated cardboard boxes with those sleeping rough. And the British public have also ordinarily used cardboard boxes to move house with. We founded the Depaul Box Company, a business that sells cardboard boxes to home movers, with all profits helping the homeless move off the street. Our customers don’t have to spend a penny more than they would do otherwise. But when they buy our boxes to move house, they help save lives.

Over 15,000 boxes have been sold to date, and sales continue to grow.

Depaul are currently in line to meet their 2016 objective, and there are ambitious plans afoot for the Depaul Box Co in 2014 to help realise that ambition sooner. But perhaps the biggest success is yet to come – we’re positive we have a solution for homelessness in the UK that is sustainably financed.

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