Our Partners

More than 4000 dental practices, along with several charitable organizations, have already joined together under our Compass of Ethical Integrity with the purpose of assuring transparent, efficient and cost effective methods of bringing necessary funds from dental scrap metal to children in need.

Some of our Donate Dental Metal Campaign Partners include:

Kulzer
SOS Children's Villages

Interview with Frank Schmid, DMD

Frank Schmid, DMD
Essen Germany
Interview with Frank Schmid, DMD

donatedentalmetal.org: Dr. Schmid, why have you and your team decided to put a dental scrap donation box in your practice?

Dr. Schmid: Well, I would say that it just made sense to donate those bits of scrap metal that would otherwise either lay in a drawer somewhere or get sold off for a few dollars at a time. It seemed like a nice way for our patients to work with us to do something good for people who really need it. Of course we did our homework because we wanted to make sure that we maximize the return raised from our donations. We soon found out that not all donation boxes yielded the same result.

donatedentalmetal.org: How are the different?

Dr. Schmid: It all starts with the charitable organization itself. Here we have some popular ones and some lesser known ones. This affected the behavior of our patients when it came to giving donations. They were more generous with organizations that they already knew and trusted.

donatedentalmetal.org: That makes sense. So people are more likely to donate when the organization is known to them?

Dr. Schmid: Exactly. But that was only one factor in making our decision. We also considered the costs involved in converting the dental scrap into funds that the charity could use, and we were sceptical about “donation burners.” Of course, transparency of the donation process, and the charity, played a big part when we were choosing which campaign to support.

donatedentalmetal.org: Burning donations? What do you mean by that?

Dr. Schmid: They are the costs that get covered by the donations that are being raised. Like the costs associated with the service of refining the gold. Some refineries don’t charge a service fee or they offer reimbursement when the metal is being donated to charity. In those cases more of the funds we raise make it to the charity instead of being “burned up” as another processing cost.

donatedentalmetal.org: I can imagine that this isn’t something many people consider. Is there anything else that donors should be thinking about?

Dr. Schmid: Sure. Outside service providers are paid by the charities to do their donation collecting for them. Sometimes they can be real donation burners! Unfortunately, donations are sometimes “lost” and never make it to the charity. It’s best to find out if you’re dealing with a reputable organization before getting started.

donatedentalmetal.org: How can you do that?

Dr. Schmid: This is where I think SOS Children's Villages went about it the right way. They were very efficient and kept an eye on all the costs involved. For example, instead of having a team of workers, they use delivery companies that only get paid when the delivery is made. This keeps the collection cost down and increases the security of the delivery.

donatedentalmetal.org: That sounds good to me. But how do you make sure that the gold deposited in the donation box really ends up in the refinery?

Dr. Schmid: Good point. When we started working with SOS Children's Villages we saw what a truly transparent donation process looks like. It starts with sealing, weighing and recording the donation box before it ever leaves our office, and then again when it gets to the refinery.

donatedentalmetal.org: But if you don’t know how much precious metal is in the box, how can you know if it all gets to the charity?

Dr. Schmid: Exactly. That’s why it’s important that each box has a code so we can identify it when it gets weighed and photographed at the refinery. We can match the weight and code on our receipt with those in the refinery photo to see that it’s indeed the same box. Then they make a video of the contents being weighed so we can really see what’s going on.

donatedentalmetal.org: That does sound like transparency! But are you really convinced that your whole donation gets to the people you want to help?

Dr. Schmid: Yes, we’re glad that we did the research before committing to fundraising for SOS Children's Villages. I think we made a good choice. Both the charity and their partner refinery, Hereus, have made their documentation easy to access. I feel confident that they’re doing a good job.

donatedentalmetal.org: Good to know! We wish you and SOS Children's Villages continued success!

 

www.zahnarzt-dr-schmid.de