Why partner with us? Madlug Members will tell you.
Read, watch and learn how businesses are helping children in care
Staff gifting
Recognising the efforts of your staff – and better yet, showing that you appreciate them, is a vital component of a happy workforce. The best thing about gifting your staff a Madlug bag is that the impact goes beyond your initial gesture of goodwill. As well as supporting our 'buy one, give one initiative', you are helping to spread the message that all children in care deserve value, worth, and dignity.
After an extremely challenging year, IKEA started to rethink how it could use its annual Christmas gift in 2020 to make a positive impact whilst also supporting social enterprises to grow.
“At IKEA, we’ve been supporting children in need for a number of years, hoping to bring a long-term positive impact on the lives of the most vulnerable young people in our communities.
“As part of our long-standing commitment to being people and planet positive, this year we wanted our co-workers’ end-of-year gift to make a meaningful and impactful difference. In social enterprise Madlug we found a perfect partner and one who shares our ambition and values, and a joint aim to provide a better everyday life for children living in care.
“Through gifting one of their bags to our own co-workers, together we will be donating a total of 12,876 bags to children in care – including to those looked after by our national charity partner Barnardo’s.”
- Hege Sæbjørnsen, IKEA country sustainability manager for the UK and Ireland
You can learn more about our partnership with IKEA in the video below.
For end-of-year gift ideas, browse our product range.
Staff Events
Got a staff event coming up? Madlug bags have proved popular with businesses looking to provide thoughtful gifts for their teams on these occasions.
Shopify supplied over 2,500 Madlugs to its support staff around the world: 600 in EMEA region, 300 in APAC region, and the rest for North America (98% in Canada).
“The bags were used as event ‘swag’ for our annual ‘Support Summit’ which for the last year and a half, has been virtual.”
“With our event swag, we do our best to ensure that our purchases make a difference in local communities as well.
“When we were first introduced to Madlug, it was a no-brainer that this would be a company we’d like to partner with.
“We shared your merchant highlight video at the beginning of our events and there wasn’t a dry eye in the house.”
Client gifting
More businesses than ever are viewing corporate gifts as an indispensable part of their business strategy – and it’s not hard to see why.
Research shows that 85 percent of businesses say that corporate gifting strengthened valuable relationships, with 25 percent issuing corporate gifts to prospective clients as a way to help them to generate new business leads.
After hearing Madlug founder, Dave speaking at the Management Leadership Network (MLN) in 2019, the network’s partner business, Pacem got in touch. In addition to purchasing bags and laptop cases for all staff members, co-branded with its logo, Pacem also gave Madlug products as corporate gifts for an event they ran.
“For us, the story of Madlug is something that we want to share, not just with our team, but with other people as well, and this enabled us to do that," said Daniel Glover, Managing Director and Co-Founder of Pacem.
“Some businesses are solely profit-driven, while others like social enterprises are not-for-profit. I think businesses like ours will aim to be in the middle. You don’t have to be a social enterprise to do good—you can make it part of your wider corporate goals.”
“I really value the meaning of Madlug and if we could spread the message that children in care deserve value, worth and dignity with our customers and the 500-odd businesses that we deal with, I’ll be very happy.”
Onboarding
Onboarding new employees is a critical part of business success, but is especially important during the current climate, where many of us will be working remotely for the foreseeable future. With fewer businesses occupying their office spaces and social distancing now the new normal, it’s also more difficult than ever.
The key thing to remember when welcoming new employees is to make them feel connected – both to other staff members and to the wider business values. Including a Madlug bag in your onboarding pack will not only make them feel like part of the team, but shows them that you are a business that cares about making a positive social impact.
GRAHAM was one of our first corporate customers, first purchasing Madlug bags in 2018. At the start, the bags were given as gifts to internal teams, but now play a big part in the company’s onboarding process.
Each time a new member of staff joins GRAHAM, they receive an onboarding pack, which includes a Black Tech Backpack, co-branded with the company logo.
Through purchasing Madlug bags for its staff and clients, GRAHAM has improved the lives of many children in care.
“Having been supporters of Madlug since 2018, we have seen first-hand how it lives up to the message behind its name, ‘Make a Difference Luggage’. The bags make an enormous difference to the lives of children in care – a group in our society who so often do not have a voice."
“When I first encountered Madlug, I was shocked to learn that the worldly possessions of children in the care system are often stored and transported in black bin bags. The Madlug bags, with a label saying ‘You are incredible’ remind every child of their value and worth.
“For GRAHAM, our partnership with Madlug is a natural fit, which aligns with our own commitments to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (namely Goal 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities and its aspirations to make the places where we all live ‘inclusive’ and ‘safe’0. These bags symbolise inclusivity and safety to children in care, and we are proud to endorse Madlug and its message.”
- Lorraine Harrison, GRAHAM I.T. Director
In need of some onboarding inspiration? Contact a member of the Madlug team.
Charitable Donations
Through the Madlug Foundation, more and more businesses are being recognised for their commitment to children in care.
With 100% of money raised through donations going to the Madlug Foundation, businesses are making a huge difference in ensuring that every child in care is treated with value, worth, and dignity.
Company donations will help us go one step further in helping those in care who need it most while working towards our goal to provide work and career opportunities for care leavers in the future.
“Kung Fu Accounting is the first ICAEW chartered, B Corp certified accountant in the world, and using our business as a force for good in the world has been baked into our business model from day one.
“We're in business so we need to make money – but having a positive impact on our community and our environment is equally important to us.”
"By choosing to donate a bag with every order or booking placed through your company, you can be a force for good, ensuring no child has to carry their life in a bin bag."
We love hearing from you. Your stories inspire us and others!
Our Mission
No child should carry their life in a bin bag. Life Goes Inside™
