Barcelona-based on-demand delivery start-up Glovo has announced the launch of “Glovo Access”, a new global logistics service for the third sector including NGOs, charitable foundations and social enterprises.
Initially established in March in the wake of the COVID-19 crisis, Glovo has delivered over 155,000 orders of essential supplies — including food, pharmaceuticals, electronic devices and sanitary products — to individuals associated with more than 30 NGOs, including, among others, Make-A-Wish International, Save The Children and Fundación Altius.
The company has also raised more than €550,000 in funding for these projects through contributions from the likes of the PepsiCo Foundation, insurance giants Zurich and DKV, as well as German hypermarket chain Kaufland.
Glovo has raised a further €45,000 directly from users through its in-app donations campaign, contributing to digitalise the fundraising process for the likes of Ronald McDonald’s Foundation and the Federation of Spanish Food Banks.
Given the impact, Glovo now wants to make its platform available to NGOs and social enterprises in all of the 19 countries in which it operates worldwide.
With a presence in more than 650 cities in Europe, Africa, Central and Latin America, the company sees the potential to help these organisations digitalise their operations and become a key logistics partner when it comes to distributing essential goods.
Through the launch of its dedicated new website, NGOs and social enterprises will be able to request Glovo’s logistical services to deliver everyday essential supplies, access the company’s network of partners to identify potential donors of food products and meals and connect with the user database to fundraise for their projects directly.
Sébastien Pellion, Head of Social Impact at Glovo, said: “We’re really excited about the potential of Glovo Access and the opening up of our platform to NGOs across the world. We noticed during the beginning of the COVID-19 crisis, especially here in Spain, which was one of the countries hardest-hit, that local organisations such as food banks, social centres and other charities were struggling to maintain their operations due to the lockdown.
“Given our license to operate as an “essential service”, we saw an opportunity to help these charities maintain their activities, which are crucially important to the most vulnerable members of our society.”
Oscar Pierre, CEO and co-founder of Glovo, said: “COVID-19 has been a wake-up call for us all and the question we asked ourselves was: how can we help? Our technology and our platform allowed us to step in and make sure the NGOs and charities in Spain could continue to operate, despite being largely made up of volunteers, and that they could keep delivering essential goods to those that need it the most.
“There’s still so much uncertainty in the world today and Glovo, with its global presence, is perfectly placed to continue to support NGOs worldwide, not just during a pandemic.”
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