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 On
all levels, the early 1990's were a period of fundamental
political and social transition in South Africa. On one
level, existing conservation agencies recognized the need
for change to enable previously disadvantaged groups to
contribute to conservation goals in a meaningful and mutually
beneficial way. On another, research undertaken by Nedbank
indicated that although the perception of the local banking
industry was good, with regard to service levels and reliability,
there was little differentiation in terms of product.
Consumers expressed a need for something more - a caring,
more personal bank that - while maintaining good service
and competitive rates - offered them something else.
Mutual
benefit marketing: WHO benefits and HOW?
It was within this milieu that Nedbank and WWF-SA co-founded
The Green Trust in 1990. The trust is funded solely by
Nedbank through clients' use of the bank's Green Affinity
products, at little or no cost to clients. The more clients
use their accounts, the more money is donated by Nedbank
to The Green Trust, This resulted in a mutual benefit
marketing success story that introduced sustainable funding
for conservation long before the 21st century "triple
bottom line" became a corporate buzzword.
The
key to any successful mutual marketing strategy is simple:
Who benefits and how? The sustainability of the partnership
lies in the fact that all parties must achieve their objectives.
- From
Nedbank's perspective, the identified objective
was to differentiate itself from its competitors
in a manner that remained true to the Nedbank
vision, namely, a prosperous and inspirational
future for all, with the view to growing and retaining
its customer base.
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- From
WWF-SA's perspective, the need for ongoing funding
for conservation in line with its international
mission statement; namely the conservation of
nature and ecological resources in a manner sustainable
to the benefit of all life on earth.
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- And
of course, from the Nedbank client perspective,
the desire for a bank that, while offering competitive
rates and service, provided them with a means
of contributing to broader society in a meaningful
way
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 The
Green Trust - a shared vision
Although it has a strong relationship with Nedbank, The
Green Trust retains full autonomy as an associate trust
of WWF-SA. Projects go through an independent review process
and are approved by a Board of Directors. The fundamental
aim of the Trust is the conservation of South Africa's unique
bio-diversity, in a manner that provides tangible benefits
for all her communities.
"We
have a vision of a clean, healthy, green future. We are
proud to join our efforts with those who share our vision
and our concern. But most of all, we are proud we can
help our children and our children's children grow up
with the awareness that everything on this beautiful planet
has as much right to be here as we do."
The Green Trust Credo.
A
measure of success
The introduction of Nedbank Green Affinity products was
met with astounding enthusiasm from consumers. To date,
through the exclusive support of Nedbank and Nedbank Green
Affinity clients, over R50 million has been raised and
given to the funding of over 125 projects.
The
Green Trust exemplifies successful partnerships, from
the partnership between WWF-SA and Nedbank, to the myriad
of partner NGO's and conservation agencies who implement
our projects. The Green Trust's success is testimony to
its ability to engage with a wide variety of stakeholders
and partners from grassroots communities through to government
and corporate entities in a constructive and innovative
way.
To
contribute to The Green Trust, open a Nedbank
Green account today!
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