Christmas is a time when many people choose to support the RNLI by buying cards and gifts from the charity – but what makes these purchases different?

You might be familiar with the RNLI's mail order catalogue, but did you know that the charity also runs stalls at fundraising events, and shops at its stations and museums, as well as a sales website?

From every one of the millions of items sold by the RNLI each year, every penny of profit is ploughed back into the RNLI and spent where it is needed most. Added to that, the 7M or so RNLI Christmas cards exchanged each year result in increased public awareness of the charity – internationally!

This complex business is masterminded by the charity’s daughter company RNLI Sales Ltd. Based at the RNLI Headquarters site in Poole, Dorset, it now trades under the name RNLIshop.

An enduring ethos

RNLIshop is headed by Clare McDermott, an experienced senior retail manager from the commercial sector. She joined the RNLI in 2009 seeing the potential for increasing charitable income by changing the range of products sold and rebranding and improving the retail outlets.

Clare enthuses: ‘I have been lucky enough to visit many of our shops and meet the volunteers who run them and without whom we just could not operate.

'Together, we plan to make RNLIshop even more profitable because every penny and cent goes towards the work of saving lives at sea. 2009 was our best year ever with shops and branches alone achieving a turnover of £1.3M. We are hoping that we will do even better in 2010.’

For many people, buying something from RNLIshop is the first time they come into contact with the institution so it’s important to have a recognisable brand that will appeal. Clare and her team want to create a shopping experience where every purchase reinforces the customers’ relationship with the wider charity. They aim to give staff, volunteers and customers alike the sense that they are playing a part in the mission to save lives at sea. The challenge is to represent the values of the wider RNLI in everything RNLIshop does.

Claire explains: 'There is a distinctive ethos behind the way RNLIshop people behave, whether they are managing a stall, answering a customer’s phone call or choosing a new line of products – “lifesaving shopping” is at the heart. The added twist is that we're unique among even lifesaving charities in also bringing an authentic coastal community experience to our customers.'

The coastal community

The emergence of RNLI retailing was initially through cake stalls run by volunteers hoping to raise money for their local lifeboat stations. Commemorative RNLI products appeared from around 1920, quickly followed by souvenirs and Christmas cards. Now, the RNLI’s 132 shops attract almost 1M visitors annually.

Hundreds of volunteers and a small number of staff serve in RNLI station and museum shops, at Headquarters and in approximately 700 fundraising branches; and every lifeboat cap, T-shirt and pencil that is sold counts.

Brian Cursley can vouch for that. He volunteers at Lyme Regis RNLIshop and has been Souvenir Secretary since he moved to the area 3 years ago. He explains: 'Prior to helping out here, I was a volunteer at a hospice in Staffordshire for 25 years. When I moved to Dorset, I thought that that, and my professional retail experience, might be helpful to the RNLI – so I offered my services.

‘Our shop is on the famous stone Cobb [harbour wall]. We're open all year and have 43 volunteers working a variety of hours and shifts. I enjoy helping out: I serve 2 days behind the counter and the rest of the week either filling shelves, ordering stock or unpacking boxes.

‘Our customers range from families who've come to Lyme Regis for their bucket and spade holiday to our core supporters who'll pop in regularly.'

From trestle table to internet

Brian's shop operates reduced hours in Winter and many shops only open for the Summer or for Christmas trading. A few do a roaring trade all year. Temporary RNLI shops at large events like the London International Boat Show add significantly to funds on the day but also enhance mail order and online income by creating new regular customers.

The first RNLI mail-order catalogue was produced in around 1969 and was called the Watermark gift catalogue until 2005. Today, its modern counterpart is received by over 100,000 customers – but online shopping is growing the fastest. Around 25% of all orders are placed in this way, helping to reduce administration costs for the charity.

Tiny local stalls continue to be important, however. At small events, volunteers are the face of the institution as they meet members of the public who might not otherwise venture into an RNLI shop or station.

If you'd like to sample their merchandise for yourself, see the RNLI events calendar in your copy of Compass, find your nearest RNLI shop at rnli.org.uk/nearestshop, sign up for RNLIshop emails at rnlishop.org.uk, or phone for the latest catalogue on 0870 600 1824 if not included in this magazine. See the advert opposite for some seasonal offers.