Darlington FD donates marketing spend to charity
Saint and Forster Funeral Directors Ltd has diverted some of the money it had set aside for marketing to the Salvation Army.
Director of Saint and Forster Keith Munt decided to donate some of the money originally designated for promotion after seeing an appeal for donations to the Salvation Army.
Munt discussed his idea with the director of Darlington marketing and promotions company Just Think, Shirley Kneeshaw, who offered to assist by producing a wall planner for Saint and Forster free of charge.
Consequently, a donation of £300 will be made by the funeral director to help those who are supported by the Salvation Army.
“I was working out how much we would spend on advertising and promotions during the year ahead when I saw an appeal from the Salvation Army. It said how a contribution of just £50 could help bring tangible help to a child or an adult in need,” Keith said.
“I thought that here I was worrying about how much to spend on a wall planner to give mainly to friends and family, and a few business associates, when the money it would cost would do so much good if it was used to help people with real problems in their lives.
“When I told Shirley that I had decided to dispense with the wall planner in order to make the charity donation, she immediately pledged to help us produce a smaller and less expensive design, free of charge. It was a terrific gesture. With the help of Just Think we have produced an attractive ‘Pre-Raphaelite’ style wall planner which is based on the arts and crafts movement and reflects our ethos of making a high quality of service available to everyone, while also allowing us to help a very worthwhile charity.”
Shirley Kneeshaw commented: “I was moved by Keith’s decision to forego part of his promotion campaign for Saint and Forster in order to make a charity donation and had no hesitation in offering our services free of charge to help out.
“Sometimes we can all be so focused on our business needs that we forget how much a small gesture here or there can help people who are much less fortunate than ourselves. Keith was reminded of the suffering of others by the Salvation Army appeal and decided to do something positive. By working together, we at Just Think feel that we’ve helped Saint and Forster to continue to realise the benefits that a wall planner can bring to the awareness of the company, albeit in a more modest way than might have been created, while also helping an extremely important and worthwhile charity appeal. It’s a win-win situation all round.”
Image: (L-R) Keith Munt; Jenny Uzzell; Luke Ithurralde, of Just Think; and Malcolm Singleton.
