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eBay’s Big Christmas Charity Sell launches to help charities raise vital funds over the festive period, as research shows optimism in sector that supporters will donate online
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The campaign calls on the nation to declutter and sell unwanted items on the marketplace, opting to donate between 10% and 100% of the proceeds to charity with eBay matching up to £500,000
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The initiative comes as new research from Charities Aid Foundation (CAF) finds that more than half of UK charities (54%) are facing a loss of income this Christmas due to COVID-19 restrictions and one in ten say they are unlikely to survive the next six months
London, 1st December – To support charities through a festive season like no other, this Giving Tuesday, eBay launches it’s Big Christmas Charity Sell calling for the nation to sell their preloved items and donate between 10% and 100% of the proceeds to charity. eBay will give £5 for every £1 customers donate when selling on the platform,up to a total of £500,000.
The initiative comes as new research from Charities Aid Foundation (CAF) finds that more than half of UK charities (54%) are facing a loss of income this Christmas owing to almost 9 months of restrictions aimed at stopping the spread of COVID-19. One in two of those surveyed (53%) said they needed to make a shift to online fundraising in order to try and make up some of the shortfall and encouragingly, 46% of charities said they felt that their supporters would be open to donating online. The research also found that a quarter of charities fear they will have to close their doors within a year if they do not receive additional support and of those, one in 10 said they are unlikely to survive the next six months.
Despite non-essential retail being allowed to open in the newly announced tier system, major festive fundraising events and initiatives that charities rely on have had to be cancelled. eBay is therefore calling on charities to encourage their supporters to declutter and donate to charity this Christmas. Data from eBay has also revealed that the average UK home is sitting on 42 unwanted items worth an estimated £500, so Brits can clear out while doing good this December.
Catherine Mahoney, Research Manager at Charities Aid Foundation (CAF), says: “Charities are telling us that they are looking at a very difficult end to what has been a terrible year with so many relying heavily on the funds they raise at Christmas to keep supporting the causes close to our hearts. This year, so many traditional opportunities to give are just not there, be that because of closed charity shops, charity tin collections unable to take place and a massive reduction in the use of cash. It is, however, encouraging to see that many are confident that their donors are open to giving online. We hope that thanks to ideas like eBay’s Big Christmas Charity Sell, this leads to a much-needed boost for charities so that they can continue to deliver vital support to so many people across the UK and overseas.”
Ellie Clarke, Corporate Partnerships Manager at RSPCA, says: “Like many charities, this has been a hugely challenging year for us, and it’s only through the continued support of our donors that we’ve been able to continue rescuing animals most in need. We’re so pleased that eBay have brought back their Big Charity Sell initiative, which in May saw us raise more than £2,500 via the eBay for Charity platform.”
Murray Lambell, eBay UK General Manager, said: “With charities braced for a considerable reduction in fundraising this Christmas season, we want to support our eBay for Charity community and help our customers raise money for the causes they care about when they sell on eBay. If every household were to sell either a piece of clothing, book or toy this Christmas and donate 100% of the sale, we would raise over £400 million for charity.”
Last year, eBay’s buyers and sellers raised more than £27 million in unrestricted funding for charity organisations - an increase of 17% compared to 2018, and the online marketplace aims for this December’s campaign to spark ever greater fundraising efforts.
Getting involved in the Big Christmas Charity Sell is easy, customers simply need to click “Donate a portion to charity” in the listing flow, choose from over 8,000 registered charities and decide what percentage of their sale to donate. eBay will give £5 for every £1 donated to participating charities of sales completed between 1st and 20th December, up to £500,000 and capped at £25,000 per charity.
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About eBay for Charity
eBay for Charity harnesses the power of eBay’s community to raise money for charitable organisations. Through the programme charities can sell items 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. To date, eBay’s community has raised £160 million for UK charities.
For press enquiries including spokesperson opportunities, please contact:
ebayforcharity@hellolaunch.co.uk
Notes to editors:
eBay’s Big Christmas Charity Sell will run from 1st - 20th December. Nearly 350 charities have signed up so far including Oxfam, NSPCC, Shelter, Marie Curie, RSPCA, Help for Heroes and The Trussell Trust. A full list of charities will be available from Tuesday 1st December here:http://ebay.co.uk/bigcharitysell
eBay will prioritise distributing donations pledged to charities that have officially opted into the campaign. If there are funds remaining, eBay will distribute these equally amongst those charities that customers donated to via ‘Community Selling’ over the campaign duration but which did not opt in to the campaign.