Clear out your clutter…

It’s here! It’s here! The ever-elusive sun!

It’s around this time that I start packing up my winter clothes and putting them away for another year. It’s only when I’ve pulled everything out of my wardrobe, that I realise most of it I haven’t worn in, quite literally, forever.  Every year I collect together all of my clear-out bits and pieces, bag them up with the best of intentions….and then forget about them.  Inevitably they end up in the bin months later. But this year things are going to change.

We are supporting Cancer Research UK and their Spring Clean Your Wardrobe campaign. 

In fact, you don’t need to stop at your wardrobe. Cancer Research UK will accept any good quality items that they can sell, including accessories, home-ware, books, CDs, DVDs and mobile phones.

The Cancer Research UK website is designed to make donating as easy as possible via a range of ways. You can donate money, sign up to a charity event for sponsorship or you can simply browse through their online store knowing that the money you spend is going straight back into the charity.

If you work in an office, you can even arrange online to set up a donation station so that your colleagues can bring in all their unwanted bits and pieces. Then you can either send your donations in or the Cancer Research UK team will come along and collect it.

The website is all about choice and ease of use and that’s exactly what a charity needs to provide to maximise donations. They also have a fantastic area where you can download all the bits you might need for your do-gooding including posters, email templates and much more.

When I spoke to the team at Cancer Research UK, they told me ‘Shop to beat cancer has a great range of quality gifts and a second hand clothing range full of spectacular vintage finds. Not only is online shopping easy, but it is totally secure, which means we can provide a safe method for people to pay while supporting our life saving work.’

I’m delighted to announce Cancer Research UK as our March Business of the Month for their tireless work to make donating simple via their clean, easy to use and super efficient website.

And if, like me, you haven’t started your spring cleaning yet, you might as well do it now for a good cause. And if you’ve got any old stock lying around from your own online shop, I’m sure they’d appreciate that too!

Donate your odds and ends here

Like a duck to water…

I love anything that’s slightly wacky and out of the ordinary and this month’s Business of the Month is just that.  What would you think if you were taking a stroll by the Thames and you suddenly saw 250,000 plastic ducks floating towards you?  For most people this would be a surprising sight but for local residents and supporters of The Great British Duck Race, this is an annual event (although I’m told that this year the ducks are getting a rest).

 The Great British Duck Race raises money for charity by asking supporters to sponsor rubber ducks and set them free along a stretch of the Thames, where they float off towards the winning line, as quickly as the current will carry them.  The event has been running for just 3 years but so far over 700 charities have benefited from the scheme.  There’s a prize for the first duck across the line and every duck that is sponsored is entered into a monthly virtual race to win cash prizes.

 Using Sage Pay, The Great British Duck Race allows people to sponsor their ducks online and make a donation to charity quickly and easily, which is exactly how it should be.

 Mike Scott, organiser of the Great British Duck Race, said: “The Duck Race is a fantastic opportunity to have some fun, raise some serious money for a range of good causes.  By running the charity online, it’s really accessible.  More people are able to donate and we don’t have to deal with any payments ourselves and can get on with fundraising ideas.”

 I love the innovative idea of this business that makes donating to charity a fun and social activity and turns into a great family day out.   These guys have even set a world record.  And that’s no mean feat!

 So I’d like to congratulate The Great British Duck Race on being Sage Pay’s August Business of the Month!  Keep up the good work, guys!

 And if you would like to read more on how charities can make use of online payments, you can read more in the next issue of moving money magazine.  Sign up here to receive a free copy hot off the press!