( OH WOW )
YOOBI
From pants to pencil cases , another impressive ethical Aussie business to hit stands in the last 12 months , is a stationery supplies brand called Yoobi .
Yoobi is based on a bright yet simple idea : colourful , vibrant supplies for the school , home or office that give back to directly support children in need .
Says Co-Founder Lance Kalish ( pictured right in above photo ), ‘ Yoobi means “ One for you . One for me ” because for every Yoobi item purchased , another Yoobi item is donated to a child or classroom in need within Australia . It ’ s that simple .’
Together with his business partner , Ido Leffler , Kalish decided to shake up the stationery aisle after realising , once their children started school , that stationery designs hadn ’ t changed much since they were kids .
After visiting dozens of public schools they discovered something they didn ’ t expect : teachers are paying for school supplies out of their own pockets , to supplement under resourced classrooms and support kids from disadvantaged families who lacked access to basic school supplies . In fact , a recent study revealed that over 96 per cent of Aussie teachers are spending an average of $ 500 out of their own pockets on supplies for their classrooms and students .
Lance and Ido decided their next venture would be to develop a line of awesome stationery supplies that engaged kids and adults , while supporting an incredible cause . And so , Yoobi was born .
The duo first kicked off the brand in the US , where they lived at the time , and their efforts soon attracted the attention of megastars Usher and Pharrell Williams , who soon came on board as brand ambassadors .
Following this success , Yoobi launched in Australia in December 2015 , bringing its signature range of feelgood stationery to Officeworks stores around the nation .
“ To date , in the USA Yoobi has provided school supplies to more than two million children .”
Knowing that one in ten Australian kids grow up in a financially disadvantaged family , Yoobi formed a partnership with The Smith Family to help children in need succeed in school . Through this partnership , for every Yoobi item purchased at Officeworks , a Yoobi item is donated to a child in need through The Smith Family .
After just one year of operation in Australia , Yoobi has impacted the lives of over 24,000 local kids by providing them all the supplies they needed for the school year – that ’ s a donation of over 330,000 total Yoobi items !
‘ We have donated to schools in over 50 cities across Australia and we ’ ve been lucky enough to visit several of those schools to hand out the supplies personally , while meeting some awesome students and inspiring teachers ,’ says Lance . ‘ It really is amazing to experience the joy and excitement that the donated Yoobi supplies can bring to the kids . Knowing that they have the tools to learn and be creative is very gratifying .’
‘ Our goal is to impact the lives of 100,000
Aussie kids in 2017 , and then to eventually provide supplies to every Australian child in need , so that they have the basic tools they need to be successful at school ,’ Kalish says .
‘ We ’ ve been shocked when speaking to Australian teachers and principals , to discover that some of their students can ’ t complete their homework because they , literally , don ’ t own a pencil . It ’ s a problem that we want to do away with all together , and we can , with the help of Australian shoppers who are looking for cool , colourful stationery .’
‘ Sometimes , when consumers have so much choice , they need another reason to buy ,’ adds Kalish . ‘ Knowing that their dollars will also be used to help others is a powerful sales driver – especially when the goods are reasonably priced to begin with . In fact , in a recent survey , we discovered over 95 per cent of Yoobi customers in Australia are motivated by the cause .’
Kalish also believes their one-for-one model makes it very clear exactly what consumers are giving when they buy . ‘ It ’ s a very simple premise ,’ he explains . ‘ Buy a Yoobi stationery item for yourself , and we will give a Yoobi school item to a child in need . It ’ s simple , transparent and measurable , and consumers love that .’
In 2017 , Yoobi is also excited to be launching ‘ Yoobi for Business ’, making it easy for corporates to perk up their desks and give back at the same time .
8 OH ! MAGAZINE ( JANUARY 2017 )