RTG: Receiving Through Giving

Introducing Stephen Clarke, founder behind the RTG Group. After spending years working in Advertising, Stephen and his wife Svetlana decided to retire and move to Arizona. It didn’t take long for them to realize that retirement wasn’t for them. They desperately wanted to find a purpose; they needed to find something important enough that would motivate their actions.It wasn’t until Stephen got some sage advice from his late Mother, that he found his calling. She told him to solve homelessness. Now, this is no small feat, so he buckled down and decided that day to make a difference. Stephen understood that the world was changing, and that we’ve got to help it and to change with it.

“The original idea was to build a sustainable homeless shelter in the coming years, and put my Mother’s name on it.”

The more Stephen and Svetlana worked on their concept, the more it grew, and before they knew it, they had a self made company on their hands. Focussing not just on homeless shelters but also on finding ways to feed the homeless in North America.

What exactly does RTG Group do? Stephen understood that the key to making this dream a reality was through engagement. The best way to get people involved in something is to give them something in return. He created a business model to activate that idea. The goal is to impact the world through collaboration while being completely transparent with consumers.

Having been described as a positively disruptive company, their programs are achieved in a simple, but effective, 5-step model:

1. RTG works with their charity partners to feed the homeless.
2. Here’s where you come in: You will buy food directly from RTG’s manufacturing company.
3. The food gets shipped to one of those charity partners in your name and you receive a tax receipt.
4. By sending food, you get discount codes with various Canadian vendors i.e Cineplex.
5. 50% of the profits RTG makes get put back into other causes. This allows RTG space to partner up with outside charity groups.

Image Courtesy of RTG Group

And that’s just the beginning. Stephen has partnered with the John Howard Society to create a correctional program with the goal of rehabilitation. The program is called Second Chances, it aims to help reintegrate people back into society by providing skills and access to jobs they otherwise may not receive.

Think Stephen’s done? Not even close. Ever heard of a little company called Google? Yeah, RTG Group is working with them as well.

And that’s not all; Stephen is also working with Wells Fargo to help rebrand their charity campaigns. He understands that companies need to identify with their charitable donations in order to create meaningful relationships. Audiences need to be aware of what the company is doing in order for them to get involved, or to even care.  

According to Stephen, getting people involved in the project is key – like we said earlier, it’s all about engagement. It’s important that people feel good about what they’re doing and, in turn, feel like they’re getting something back once they’ve done it. For example, RTG is helping to launch an influencer online challenge to feed 1 million North Americans. Stephen met with social media influencers that will encourage people to get involved with the challenge. Those that raise the most money will win a cruise-trip with the influencer. The launch party will take place at our very own Commerce Court location in the coming weeks. Reach out to RTG Group to find out more.

30 million meals a month by the end of this year – this is our goal. We want everyone to win – those hungry, those participating and our influencers.

And while that’s a big goal they’ve got ahead of them, it’s a necessary one. As humans on this planet, helping each other should be our responsibility, like Stephen says, “As the world changes, you’ve got to change with it.”

RTG Group impacts the world through collaboration. Get in tough to find out more.