Background

Who Gives a Crap started when its founders learned that 2.4 billion people don’t have access to a toilet (now two billion – yay for progress!). That’s roughly 40 per cent of the global population and means that around 289,000 children under five die every year from diarrhoeal diseases caused by poor water and sanitation. That’s almost 800 children per day, or one child every two minutes. 

Who Gives a Crap has grown from an IndieGoGo crowdfunding event involving co-founder Simon sitting on a lavatory for 50 hours (see more on SOFII here) into an online shop where customers/supporters can buy a range of products from loo paper (naturally) to gift vouchers and cleaning products. With each purchase, 50 per cent of the profit goes toward building toilets and improving sanitation in the developing world. All their products are eco-friendly.

Summary / objectives

I started ordering my loo rolls from Who Gives a Crap (WGAC) in 2019 and when the lockdown came into play in March 2020, I was feeling pretty smug. Having been introduced to WGAC through a friend referral, I was impressed by the amazing email journey that they put me on. I wish I had thought of it.

Creator / originator

Who Gives a Crap

Special characteristics

The first two communications could potentially have been really boring, but WGAC made them really fun. When I got my receipt, it came with a silly love poem that also asked me to share the news of my purchase, with the transactional stuff kept at the bottom of the page. I love that the whole brand is fun. They’ve looked at how bland and samey the toilet roll market is and decided to come in with something really different. 

Even when they sent their shipping status, they kept it fun and upbeat, with a link to a silly way to remember long numbers like the ones used to track orders.

WGAC also have a subscription model, which is handy to avoid needing to stockpile! Like most fundraisers, they want to turn one-off supporters into regular givers/purchasers. When they think you’re ready to receive more loo roll, they send a reminder with a GIF (animated image) of a panda doing forward rolls. Who doesn’t love an animal GIF? Most cleverly, underneath that they replicate the previous order, meaning you can checkout straight away if you want to place the same order.

My favourite of all the communications is when you then place the order. Again, there’s the GIF theme but above all they take time to acknowledge the second order/donation. They also talk about the impact I’m having: the forests I’m helping to save and the toilets I’m helping to build. In a PS, they provide a link to their website where you can learn more about what WGAC does. 

After I hadn’t placed an order for a while, they sent me a reminder with the same sense of humour and informative content. They also said they missed me. In a separate, plain text, email, which I thought was interesting and a bit different, I got a message ‘from my toilet’! And if you’re not ready for an order, they also offer you the chance to set a reminder, putting the customer/supporter in charge of the relationship. 

Merits

The fun and offbeat nature of WGAC’s brand runs across everything they do. They manage to pack a lot of information into funny, short, and simple messages. The language is clear and understandable and there are jokes on all the product packaging. WGAC made me feel part of a movement for change just by buying toilet paper. 

Results

None available, but they definitely delivered an epic and unforgettable supporter experience. Job done! 

Influence / impact

For more detail on why Lianne loved her supporter experience with Who Gives a Crap, watch her seven minute presentation from I Wish I’d Thought of That: the supporter experience edition, here: