Seventh Generation, which sells non-toxic household products and other supplies, recently halted a successful online promotion in which it donated free, environmentally-friendly tampons and sanitary pads to homeless shelters throughout the world.
The company sent a package of organic cotton tampons or chlorine-free pads to a shelter if a visitor to the website clicked on a heart and dragged it into a picture of a shelter. The campaign was so successful that Seventh Generation put it on hold this past week.
Publicity Hound Ina Steiner, editor of AuctionBytes.com, told me about the promotion.
“It’s a great marketing strategy,” she said. “Now I know about a product and company I had never heard of before, and it was something I never would have clicked on without the charity aspect. I thought you would find it interesting.”
I found equally fascinating the dozens of responses people have submitted to the company, which is compiling a list of euphemisms for menstruation. (Don’t bother reader the list if you’re easily offended.) I don’t know how much publicity the euphemisms have gotten in women’s magazines. But if I were an editor. I’d do something with this. A Top 10 list, maybe?
Those Top 10 lists, by the way, are called briefs, and they’re one of nine types of briefs, fillers and quizzes the media love. Briefs are one of the best ways to get into big national magazines.
Hi Joan, I saw your piece on Campaign gives tampons to homeless shelters.
I have been working on a project. My End Goal: To raise awareness of the need for feminine supplies for women who are homeless or on a low income. Tampons, Pads, Incontinence products etc.
Food banks, womens shelters, domestic violence organizations etc have a difficult time keeping any supplies on hand for women in need as it is a rarely donated item. It is not due to there being no need, but the lack of awareness of the need.
There is a unique program in London, Ontario called Tampon Tuesdays. It is a program where somewhere in the city of London, each Tuesday, there is a place where women can network, share business contacts etc. Appetizers are provided by the hosting Restaurant. The money they make in drink sales covers the cost of the food and is good advertising for the business.
Each attendee is asked to bring a feminine supply product. Pads, Tampons etc. These items are then donated to a local Food bank and are available to the food bank recipients. Since the program started in 2009, over 4000 boxes of product have been donated.
Even those on a budget themselves can donate with items from the local dollar store.
I want to do something similar in the United States. Starting small in Nevada County, I would like to create a Pilot Program that can be duplicated across California and then the United States.
There are also many other resources available at low cost. LunaPads is a washable, renewable product that can be used for a period and or bladder issues, dish charge etc. Rewashable and renewable resources should be the goal of the future. Less waste is better for the environment.
In combination with a onetime donation or purchase of a Laundry Pod, it would ensure many years of having hygiene products available and ready whenever needed. The Laundry Pod is a table top electricity free washing machine. If there isn’t ready access to laundry facilities, or money to do laundry on a regular basis, this can be a huge asset.
Scensible Source Company has a product created by Ann Germanow. It is a safe and hygienic way to dispose of one time use products in a safe and healthy way. This would be good for women who are Hep C or HIV positive etc, who need a way to safely dispose of used product.
I see this as a group effort. Bringing all the resources together and helping the women in our local communities, regain their dignity, one woman at a time.
Any advise or direction to head would be appreciated. THANKS!
Lorraine Stowe
Sierra Roots Community Resource Facilitator
530 802 0910
LStowe277@gmail.com
Lorraine, this sounds like a perfect project for crowdfunding. I wrote about this at https://publicityhound.com/blog/crowdfunding-success-stories-will-your-dream-come-true-be-next and I you can learn more about the video replay from the webinar I hosted on the same topic at https://publicityhound.com/shop/crowdfunding-how-to-use-other-peoples-money-for-your-book-or-project