Starbucks is raising awareness of its initiative, the Create Jobs for USA Fund, launched in fall 2011, by introducing a line of products, the Indivisible collection, aimed to help generate more money for the battle against unemployment in the USA. The project focuses on providing financial support to Opportunity Finance Network (OFN), which helps create and retain jobs across the country. With every purchase of a product from the new collection, which includes a mug, a tumbler, a blend and a brewed coffee,—the company will donate some money to OFN (the amount will depend on the product).
Photo: Starbucks Indivisible Collection, www.createjobsforusa.org
The line of Indivisible products, which can be purchased at select Starbucks locations as well as at www.StarbucksStore.com from June 12 through July 9, allows consumers to feel they are part of the nation and benefit the whole country do better by just sipping their favorite coffee. All the products in the collection are either manufactured or roasted in the US, which definitely adds to the patriotic vibe. Apart from being a true Starbucks product (the quality of drinkware and taste of coffee are on the proper level), each item helps contribute to the cause.
The coffee products line includes the Indivisible Blend 1lb Bag Whole Bean Coffee, which costs $14.95 and provides $5 donation, and the Indivisible Blend Brewed Coffee, which brings 5 cent donation per cup. As to the drinkware, the 12 ounce white Indivisible Ceramic Mug, made of raw materials from Tennessee, Ohio, Florida and Georgia, costs $9.95 and generates $2 donation for the Fund, and the 16 ounce Indivisible Acrylic Art Tumbler, produced from 35 percent recycled material and priced $11.95, generates $2 donation. As part of this offering, Starbucks is also selling the critically-acclaimed book We Can All Do Better by former U.S. Senator Bill Bradley, financial and investment adviser—the book is to inspire Americans people and encourage them to get behind the job creation process. The book normally costs $24.99, but Starbucks sells it for $19.99 (for each purchase, publisher Perseus Books Group will donate $5 to OFN for the Create Jobs for USA Fund).
Not only people, but companies and organizations as well are donating to the Create Jobs for USA Fund. According to Starbucks’ press release, Citi Community Development and the Citi Foundation are making a $1 million donation to the Create Jobs for USA Fund. To generate more donations to the Fund, Citi is also adding the Create Jobs for USA Fund as a featured charitable fund on the Citi ThankYou Rewards page, where members of Citi’s loyalty program can redeem their ThankYou Points to make a donation to the program. So far, the Starbucks Fund has raised over $11.5 million, which are distributed as loans to businesses.