This Black Friday (26th November) will see many of us heading out to join the crowds, or searching the online sales, looking to snag a great deal before Christmas. It’s the biggest shopping event of the year, with thousands of discounts on offer. Experts predict over £4 billion will be spent during the Black Friday sales. That’s a lot of money. Did you know that your spending during Black Friday can help charities too?
If you’re taking part in the Black Friday sales
and want to support charities, we’ve got you covered. Whether you’re a local
business, or just shopping for a bargain, here are 5 ways you can support the
causes you care about during Black Friday!
1. Use Amazon Smile or Easy Fundraising
If you’re taking part in the Black Friday sales online, you can use Amazon Smile to help your chosen charity receive donations! Amazon Smile is a website operated by Amazon. Shopping through Amazon Smile gives you the same experience as Amazon's website, but 0.5% of your purchase goes to charity. All you have to do is visit smile.amazon.co.uk, select your chosen charity and begin shopping!
Shopping through Easy Fundraising allows
you to shop as normal at over 4,000 retailers. By starting your shopping
journey at easyfundraising.org.uk, or using
their app, their retailer partners will make a small donation to your chosen
charity after you finish shopping to say thank you. Easy Fundraising predicts
that if everyone in the UK used Easy Fundraising, £84.6 million could be raised
for charities.
2. Buy nothing new day
If you're wanting to avoid the Black Friday sales altogether, you could take part in Buy Nothing New Day, held on the same day. The day encourages consumers to shop more sustainably and use their spending power to have a more positive impact on both people and planet. You could shop at your local charity shop, purchasing a pre-loved item, and help your local cause receive vital donations. Our personal favourite second hand stores are the Emmaus shops in Leeds and Bradford – you’re sure to find something amazing there!
3. Donate
Choose to donate to charities this Black Friday as a way of supporting a local cause. An alternative to buying presents in the Black Friday sales is to buy gifts for people in need instead. Many charities will tell you exactly what your donations can buy. For example, at Simon on the Streets, a £15 donation can buy phone credit for one of our clients, so we can stay in touch with them throughout their journey to break the cycle of homelessness.
4. Support Giving Tuesday
Next Tuesday is giving Tuesday, an international day of generosity and giving, right before the festive season! The aim of Giving Tuesday is to support your favourite charity or cause by raising money or donating directly to them. You could volunteer, campaign, donate or fundraise! In 2020, a whopping £20.2 million in donations was given on Giving Tuesday, an incredible amount that made a huge difference to charities.
5. Partner with a Charity
Are you a business looking to give something back during the Black Friday sales? Partnering with a charity is the perfect way to give back and help your sales. And it’s great PR too! In 2020, Hush, a women’s lifestyle brand, partnered with the national homeless charity Crisis and donated 20% of their online sales during Black Friday to the charity. It was a huge win for both the business and the charity.
We hope this post has shown you how grabbing
a deal at the Black Friday sales can also result in a donation for your chosen
charity. Whether your using Amazon Smile and Easy Fundraising or taking
advantage of Giving Tuesday or Buy Nothing New day to support charities,
there’s a way for everyone to support local causes this Black Friday.
To support Simon on the Streets this Black
Friday, search for us on Amazon Smile and Easy Fundraising or make a donation directly.