I’m tired of pretending this doesn’t bother me.
When I sell a regular duck, nobody complains. Nobody asks why I’m not donating the money. Nobody demands that I give it away for free.
But the minute I say I’m donating part of the purchase price to a good cause, suddenly I’m called a scammer, a thief, an opportunist, a whore. These aren't random incidents. This happens DAILY.
I sold around 200 Dolly Forever ducks before announcing that 10% of the purchase price would go to Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library. People loved them. Then I added the donation, and suddenly it was, “Why only 10%?” “Why not 50%?” “Why not 100%?”
Seriously, how does adding a donation make me worse than donating nothing?
With my Quack for a Cause ducks, after the donation and the actual cost of selling the duck, I might make three to five cents. Sometimes I have to pitch in out of my own pocket. I do it anyway because it’s important to me.
Over the years, Quack for a Cause has donated thousands of dollars to multiple charities. I’m proud of that. I’m proud that this little business has been able to help organizations doing important work.
And that's just it. Cruising Quackers isn’t a hobby. It’s my livelihood. And I’m still choosing to take money right off the purchase price and give it to causes that matter to me. I still have to make the products, package them, advertise them, run the website, and keep the business going - all while keeping a roof over my head.
I’m not asking for applause. I’d just really like to stop being attacked for not doing “enough” when I’m trying to do something good.