A Dick Smith Million Dollar ‘Snap’ for Charity

Millionaire philanthropist and business entrepreneur Dick Smith will donate $1 million to charity in 2014 and the supporters of his Australian-made company Dick Smith Foods will decide where the money goes.

All they have to do is take a snap of one of his products.

Smith and his wife Pip have handed over the intellectual property for Dick Smith Foods to a new Foundation, The Dick Smith Foods Foundation which has been set up as a Private Ancillary Fund (PAF).

In the 12 months between January 1 and December 31, 2014, the Foundation says $1 million will be given away based on the public votes it receives.

Smith’s quirky plan for his customers to decide where the funds will go includes asking them to take a photograph of any Dick Smith Foods product.

Photos can be emailed charity@dicksmithfoods.com.au together with a nomination for the charity they wish to support.

So far the Dick Smith website says some 74 Australian charities have been approved to be part of the donation scheme.

Charities can apply to be added to the list. Charities that are already eligible for donations can be found HERE.

The charities that are eligible must be DGR Item 1 and the approved charities  are generally those that help social causes, especially Australian families in distress, young people and the elderly/infirmed.

The Foundation says that most of the well-known charities come under this category.

“At the end of June 2014, $500,000 will be given away to 37 charities and then in December the remaining $500,000 will be given away. This will be divided up over the year to 4 x $50,000 donations, 10 x $20,000 donations, and 60 x $10,000. This means that 74 charities will benefit,” according to the Foundation.

“This is indeed a breakthrough in giving. Never has the situation existed where the supporters of a company can actually have influence on where the money will go,” Dick Smith said.

“One voting point will be given for each product that is in your pantry, so if you show three Dick Smith Foods products you get three points.

“As well, bonus points are available if you send us a photograph of you holding up Dick Smith Foods products to a group of your neighbours – one point for each neighbour present in the photo you send.

“Dick Smith Foods products are not only keeping jobs in Australia and helping our farmers, but all profits go to charity.

“At the present time, Coles, Woolworths and IGA stock our products even though they are hard to find – we constantly receive emails where people say, ”Dick, your product isn’t in my local Coles supermarket” but when we check, it’s there alright but possibly down on the floor shelf or up on the top shelf and hard to see.

“We could get a better shelf position in the supermarkets if we can get better sales, so please tell your friends to buy our products and to vote so their favourite charity can be assisted.”

Volunteers at Dick Smith Foods will calculate the votes and in July 2014 the company says it will publish the 37 charities who will receive $500,000 and the same again in December 2014 who will receive the remaining $500,000.