- eBay launches 12-month charity partnership with The Prince’s Trust to fuel the UK’s young talent and aspiring entrepreneurs
- October 9th marks eBay’s first ever Give Day, where a 5p donation will be made directly to The Prince’s Trust for every purchase made on ebay.co.uk
- Young entrepreneurs from The Prince’s Trust Tomorrow’s Store will be onboarded onto ebay with £5 donated from eBay to the Trust on every participating purchase
- Exclusive celebrity auctions will also be going live on the marketplace with 100% proceeds going to the charity
To jump start its partnership with leading youth charity, The Prince’s Trust, eBay UK will be going live on Tuesday 9th October with a 24-hour site wide Give Day to help 18-30 year olds in need of support, resources and funding, turn their business ideas into reality.
For 24 hours, 5p will be donated to The Prince’s Trust for every item purchased on eBay.co.uk, and 10p for every transaction with two or more items.
The first ever Give Day is an initiative of the online marketplace’s charity programme, eBay for Charity, and will kick off a 12-month long campaign to raise funds for The Trust’s Enterprise programme. The scheme supports young entrepreneurs across the UK with training, mentoring, funding and resources, helping them with everything from learning business basics to writing a business plan.
Rob Hattrell, Vice President of eBay UK said: “We are delighted to partner with The Prince’s Trust to help young entrepreneurs gain access to vital tools and funding to kick start their own businesses. The next generation are the future of our economy, and with over 200,000 small businesses already trading on eBay – we want to grow this number by focusing on empowering 18-30 year olds in need of help and support, to start and run businesses in the way they want to.”
Tara Leathers, Deputy CEO and Director of Income and Innovation at The Prince’s Trust, said: “eBay UK shares our passion for supporting young entrepreneurs and we’re excited that this partnership and the first ever Give Day will enable us to help even more young people to get their business ideas off the ground.
“There are thousands of young people across the UK who have what it takes to run their own business. With access to the right support they can make their dreams a reality, and thanks to the support of businesses like eBay The Trust is able to provide the practical and financial help they need to succeed.”
Many of The Prince’s Trust’s celebrity Ambassadors including Phillip Schofield and Emma Willis have also pledged their support for the campaign. As of the 9th October, exclusive meet and greet celebrity events and experiences will be auctioned off on eBay.co.uk with 100% of proceeds going to The Trust’s Enterprise programme.
In a bid to help grow the existing businesses The Prince’s Trust supports through its Tomorrow’s Store, eBay for Charity has onboarded select businesses to eBay.co.uk as part of the scheme. Entrepreneur Serena Francis is one of The Trust’s successful business owners and will sell a new scented candle endorsed by Gok Wan as part of the initiative. The candle will only be available to purchase on eBay.co.uk, with 100% of proceeds going back to help other young entrepreneurs like Serena. For every item bought from the young entrepreneurs from October through December, eBay for Charity will donate £5 directly to The Prince’s Trust.
To find out more about the partnership you can visit ebay.co.uk/princestrust.
NOTES TO EDITORS
eBay for Charity
eBay for Charity harnesses the power of eBay’s 175 million community members to raise money for charitable organizations. Through the programme charities can sell items or experiences to boost their fundraising, sellers can donate a percentage of their proceeds to a charity of their choice, while buyers can add a donation to their purchase during checkout. In 2017 eBay for Charity UK raised £27 million and to date it has raised £110 million for UK charities.
About The Prince’s Trust
Youth charity The Prince’s Trust helps young people to develop the confidence and skills they need to realise their ambitions, so that they can live, learn and earn. Founded by The Prince of Wales in 1976, the charity supports 11 to 30 year-olds who are unemployed, struggling at school and at risk of exclusion.
Many of the young people helped by The Trust are in or leaving care, facing issues such as homelessness, mental health problems, or have been in trouble with the law. The programmes offered by the charity give vulnerable young people the practical and financial support needed to stabilise their lives, helping develop self-esteem and skills for work. Three in four young people supported by The Prince’s Trust move into work, education or training.
The Trust has helped over 900,000 young people to date and supports over 100 more each day.
Further information about The Prince’s Trust is available at princes-trust.org.uk or on 0800 842 842.