Q&A: Little Gold Book

The first edition of this compilation of vouchers offers first-rate discounts at over 70 restaurants in Beijing. NGOs that sell the book automatically collect 30%; when sold by local restaurants and retailers, proceeds go to Beijing Huiling Community Services. We asked the founders about the rewards of combining food, discounts and fundraising.

Tell us about the charity aspect of the Little Gold Book.
Andrew Pratley: We’ve seen charities try something similar to this, but they’re too busy managing their day-to-day operations to raise the funds themselves. So we thought: What if we did the work for them – and created a product to a really high standard?
Elaine Pratley: This year the government has tightened regulations for fundraising. We wanted to help the charities who have been affected the most, who are looking for alternate ways of fundraising without having to stray too far from their core mission.

Who is your target market?
Irena Desmond: We’re definitely targeting foreigners. Chinese people already have access to discounts on Groupon or Dianping, but foreigners who can’t read hanzi are limited in that sense.

How did you select the eateries?
ID: Michael Crain [founder of Chi Fan for Charity] introduced us to a good number of those restaurants, while some of them came to us to participate.

Which charities does the Little Gold Book benefit?
EP: Our aim is to get as many charities to sell the book as possible. Some are Beijing-based, some are national, and some have a more international scope of work. But we meet with all the people beforehand. We check to make sure they are established and sufficiently trustworthy so we’re not just giving money away. To us, the whole thing is about value-for-money for the customers and for the NGOs.

How do you feel about the sustainability of this social enterprise?
ID: I’m so excited, I’m already thinking about the next book. Next year we hope to include vouchers for other things, such as spas, golf, maybe even hotel accommodations. I’d like to raise the price slightly, but would give a higher percentage to charity so it can be more worthwhile to them for their efforts.

The Little Gold Book costs RMB 240; all vouchers are valid from Jan-Dec 2012. For more information, visit www.littlegoldbook.net.

Click here to see the January issue of the Beijinger in full.

Photos: Courtesy of Little Gold Book