Shopping website Give as you Live has launched a new business shopping and fundraising platform, enabling any UK business to raise money for the charity of their choice with no extra cost or major time investment required.
With an estimated 5.2 million businesses in the UK, the website hopes to raise millions of pounds in charitable donations, helping to boost a business’ corporate social responsibility (CSR) profile and enabling employees to become more actively involved in giving in the workplace.
Research from Give as you Live shows that the majority of companies in the UK do not have a named charity to support, with 40 percent of workers stating that their company has no official charity they’re supporting, whilst a further fifth (22 percent) are unsure if their company supports charity at all. Just under half of UK workers (44 percent) said that they feel that their company should be doing more to help charities and the local community.
Through the new platform, employees can sign up, select the registered business that they work for and choose a charity to raise money for. Employees are able to raise money for the charity that’s close to their heart, whilst contributing to a total amount raised by their fellow colleagues. Employees will also be able to see how many charities are being supported at their place of work as well as how much has been raised as a group. Every time an employee shops through the platform, a percentage of the purchase value is donated to the charity of their choice.
Greg Hallett, the company’s managing director, said, “For many businesses, it is clear that the conversation about corporate charity support hasn’t been happening, yet employees feel passionately about it. This is because many businesses don’t engage the workforce in charitable efforts, primarily due to lack of resources. It’s assumed that charitable fundraising will take a lot of time, but the digital age means that charitable initiatives needn’t put pressure on people’s time and help to increase employee commitment and morale.”
Through Give as you Live, a stationery order of £100 can raise up to £8 for a company’s chosen charity. Additionally, many travel and accommodation companies, such as thetrainline.com, hotels.com and Expedia, are available to shop through, meaning a single business trip can raise a significant amount for charity too.
