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Charity shopping site shows benefits of online shopping

Wednesday, May 4, 2011 - 11:24 by Paul Tissington

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UK retail rewards site EasyFundraising has announced that it has made more than £2.2 million for various charities over the past six years, with plans to increase this total by at least 50 per cent in 2011.

Unlike similar sites, the purpose of EasyFundraising is not to earn cash for the customers but instead convert the rewards from major retailers into donations to charitable causes.

People who visit the site can use it to carry out safe shopping online with various major UK retailers including John Lewis and eBay, donating around five per cent of their final spend to whichever group they feel is most deserving at the checkout.

EasyFundraising managing director, Gary Thompson, said that the schemes operated by the site were very easy to use, with consumers confident that they would be able to enjoy safe shopping online because they are using trusted portals operated by some of the biggest retailers in the UK.

Various charities can sign up to use the service, with smaller local initiatives operated by schools and other organisations sitting alongside international aid foundations. The best part of the site is that consumers do not have to pay a penny for the privilege of giving away some cash to worthy schemes and they can still enjoy the great bargains that are available at many e-commerce sites.

Heritage preservation and restoration projects like the Bluebell Railway in Sheffield are just some of the different charities which have been able to drum up cash from the users of the site.

As well as operating a rewards-based charity donations system, the site also has a fundraising search service which is gradually building up users and helping to increase the total pot of donated cash just by harnessing the everyday actions of consumers.