Join us

GDC members are organisations that sell beneficial products to last mile customers: customers who are underserved by the mainstream private sector, because they are low-income or live in remote areas, or both.

In a 2020 survey of our members:

70% said the GDC has helped to build a last mile distribution community
60% said the GDC has added value to their business or increased their impact
78% said the GDC has raised the profile of the last mile distribution sector

Interested in becoming a GDC member?

If you can answer ‘yes’ to the following questions, please complete the form below and we will be in touch with more information as soon as possible.

1. Do you sell household products through physical sales touchpoints, e.g., sales agents and/or retailers, contributing to one or more of the SDGs?
E.g. solar lights, improved cookstoves, water filters, nutrition products, agri inputs/machinery and appliances.

2. Do you target under-served customers, who are low income and/or remote?
We define low income as earning up to $8.44 per person per day, according to the World Bank’s definition of ‘Base of the Pyramid’.

3. Are you primarily focused on last mile distribution?

The GDC is not for companies that are focused on manufacturing or selling to businesses, communities, NGOs or government agencies.

Become a member

Member benefits

The opportunity to engage with, exchange ideas with, and learn from other members and sector experts – for example at in-person events and through virtual member workshops. Coming up in April 2024 is the GDC Member Learning and Collaboration Event.
Increased visibility and opportunities to connect with global influencers and decision-makers – for example receiving sponsorship to attend international events like the Sustainable Energy for All Forum and the GOGLA Solar Off-Grid Forum and Expo
Access to information, resources and opportunities from across the sector – for example via our regular e-newsletters, curated specifically with LMDs’ needs in mind and our COVID-19 resources hub
The chance to bid for funding and technical assistance – for example through one of our Innovation Challenges
The opportunity to have a say in how the GDC supports members and represents the sector – for example by contributing to GDC publications (such as the Last Mile Distribution: State of the sector report), and the annual GDC member survey.

But don’t just take our word for it! Here are some testimonials and reflections from GDC members and partners:

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“What we often lack as last-mile distributors is access to diverse product information, best practices in sales agent training and customer education, funding opportunities, and opportunities to create linkages with similar organisations both in-country and globally, to amplify and accelerate scale-up. The GDC is the first such attempt to provide these invaluable opportunities”.
Tania Laden, Livelyhoods (GDC member, Kenya)

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94% of members who attended our first learning & collaboration event in Uganda (July 2019) said they were likely to implement changes to their business practices as a result of the event, while 79% felt the event had provided them with new business partnership opportunities. One attendee fed back that the event was “to the point and relevant unlike many generic conferences. It was practical and useful.”

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“The GDC is a game-changer in our space”.
Will Blyth, D-Prize.

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“The data [produced by the GDC] is astoundingly useful. The GDC managed to not only provide new data around financing flows to last mile distributors but also holds a mirror to all investors to ask: Is this the right type of capital to deploy to support LMD to scale? Are our terms and check sizes flexible to support LMDs? How can we challenge business as usual to actually scale LMD in reaching shared financial and impact objectives? As Acumen thinks about how it can best change the way the world tackles poverty, particularly in energy access, we’ll leverage the data in the State of the sector report to see how we challenge our own assumptions and do our work more effectively and impactfully."
Leslie Labruto, Head of Global Energy, Acumen

Our code of conduct

The GDC Code of Conduct is designed to ensure all members abide by consumer protection principles. The principles are the same as those developed by our partner GOGLA.

Transparency – members share clear, timely and sufficient information with consumers about products, services, payment plans and personal data privacy practices.
Responsible sales and pricing – members take care to ensure customers can afford to pay for products without becoming overburdened, and consider customer characteristics when deciding prices and payment structures.
Good customer service – members instruct customers on proper use and care of products, ensure technical and after-sales service support is available, resolve customer issues in a reasonable time period, and provide reasonable warranties on products.
Good product quality – members ensure products are appropriate, safe, good quality and perform as advertised, and take reasonable measures to ensure product longevity.
Data privacy – members ensure customers consent to collection, use, retention and sharing of personal information, ensure customer data is confidential, and comply with relevant laws and regulations governing customer data privacy.
Fair and respectful treatment – members promote inclusive practices and do not discriminate, ensure fair and respectful treatment of customers and seek customer views and feedback.

Interested in becoming a GDC member?

Member benefits

Our code of conduct

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