How routine shopping could support the arts T
hat feeling of frustation that comes with handing over hard-earned cash for a boring but necessary purchase is all too familiar. Marketing and Development Manager, Sara Lock, has found a solution that is proving rather addictive:
I’d heard of www.easyfundraising.org.uk some time ago - a shopping site where you could buy things from a variety of online stores and raise money for charity. I didn’t quite trust it. When I clicked the link to my favourite online store would it take me there? Would my purchase be lost without trace? Surely it would cost more? When our Fund Development Coordinator set up Salisbury Arts Centre as a registered cause I thought I should at least look into it a bit further to show my support. When I signed myself up I had no idea how much it would change the way I think about shopping. Suddenly shopping for car insurance was actually quite exciting!
As it turned out it was actually really easy to use. You can search for your favourite stores online, the links really do take you direct to those sites and sure enough everytime I made a purchase via Easyfundraising links Salisbury Arts Centre earned a bit more money and it didn’t cost me a penny more. In fact it saved me money! Browsing through the Top Donations list I discovered that several insurance companies were offering £40 donations when you bought via Easyfundraising. At the time, I needed car insurance so out of interest I filled in my details for an online quote. Not only did it come out £100 cheaper than my previous deal but it earned £40 for Salisbury Arts Centre. I got quite a buzz from the knowledge that my car insurance purchase could now be paying for a community workshop to inspire and develop the skills of young people. So I started researching what else I could buy! Several train tickets and shops later I had earned £70 and was telling all my friends how they too could be earning money for their favourite charities.