insideKENT Magazine Issue 25 - April 2014 | Page 145
CHARITY
GIVE AS YOU LIVE
A leading example of pioneering technology,
Give as you Live enables you to raise money for
any UK charity, just by shopping online. What's
more, the great thing about shopping through
Give as you Live is that it doesn’t cost you any
extra, as the retailer makes the donation. Over
3,000 leading retailers have signed up to the
scheme, including luxury brands like Gucci and
FolliFollie as well as high street favourites like
John Lewis and Ann Summers.
Fitting seamlessly into the modern lifestyle, all
you need to do is sign up online, pick your
favourite charity or cause – Give as you Live
supports over 200,000 – and install the browser
extension. Once this is done, you’re good to go!
It really is as easy as that. So whether it’s a luxury
holiday, a cinema trip or some new shoes, Give
as you Live automatically redirects money from
the retailer to your chosen charity, making your
shopping truly guilt-free.
Polly Gowers, founder and CEO
of Give as you Live
Last year, Give as you Live upgraded their website
with state-of-the-art price comparison technology,
so now shoppers can get the best deal by
comparing millions of products and thousands
of brands.
Give as you Live is the brainchild of Polly Gowers,
OBE. Hailing from the Cotswolds, Polly is a
passionate advocate for the UK’s charity sector
and is keen to see its fundraising techniques
adapt to the day-to-day lives of busy people.
That’s why Give as you Live is free to any UK
charity, acting as a vital revenue stream for many.
Already, Give as you Live has raised over £4.2
million pounds for charities and other causes –
money that they otherwise would not have
received.
What’s next for Give as you Live? Plans for 2014
include the launch of a full-service mobile app
as well as a retailer awards scheme, recognising
the brands whose shoppers give the most to
charity through their online shopping.
The bar has been set high: in 2013, Give as you
Live was named Business of the Year and Social
Enterprise of the Year by business magazine
Smarta, whilst Polly Gowers was recognised by
Computer Weekly as one of the most influential
women in UK IT. In 2012, Polly was also awarded
an OBE for services to philanthropy.
www.giveasyoulive.com
FREE, TAILORED TALKS AVAILABLE FROM CANCER CHARITY
Macmillan Cancer Support is encouraging groups in Kent to invite the
charity to their meetings to hear more about the vital work it does in their
communities. It has a fantastic team of volunteers, all skilled and inspiring
speakers, who go out to all manner of associations, schools, church groups,
rotary clubs, WI meetings, etc, to spread the word and answer questions.
The talks, which are free, are tailored to the needs and interests of each
individual group, covering anything from the history of the charity, the
founder’s story, cancer statistics and myths, local services and information,
but all interspersed with personal anecdotes and heart-warming stories.
Joy Sanders, a former teacher, has been one of Kent’s speakers since
2007, volunteering to work with Macmillan after her husband died from
bowel cancer.
Not surprisingly, the talks are hugely successful and very popular, with
people re-booking year after year. Since becoming involved, Joy has lost
count of the number of people who say: ‘I thought it was just the nurses
– I had no idea there was so much more.’ Which is why, she says, it is
imperative to get the Macmillan message across. “My aim is to spread the
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word about who we are and what we do to support people on a cancer
journey. Sometimes, someone will comment quietly and tentatively to me
beforehand that they hope the talk will not be a ‘depressing one’. I hope
they never are. They are intended to be informative and inspiring.”
Macmillan is keen to stress that there is no fee or donation for the talk, nor
is there any fundraising obligation. For more information about the speaker
programme, please contact Liz O'Hanlon, Kent Fundraising Manager
(North/East Kent and Medway) on tel: 07850 208759 or email:
[email protected]