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 145 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]