Igive2 launches new online shopping reward site for charities
Howard Lake | 2 March 2004 | News
Igive2 is a new online shopping site that uses its own software tool to ensure that charity supporters always generate a commission for their charity when they shop at participating online outlets.
Every online purchase made via igive2 will generate a donation to the shopper’s nominated charity, at no extra cost to the shopper. The donation will vary from 1% – 20% of the purchase price, depending on the
individual retailer. Merchants already partnering with igive2 include Debenhams, Boots, WH Smith, Woolworths, Laura Ashley, John Lewis, Comet, Argos, Thomas Cook and Tesco.
Neil Durrant, co-founder of igive2 explained: “igive2 turns everyday online
shopping into donations for charities, schools and good causes by generating
funds from supporters against purchases they would have made anyway.” The company, like other online charity shopping malls, shares the commission it receives from merchants with the shopper’s charity.
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Igive2 claims that it differs from other UK shopping reward sites because it “provides full support for Gift Aid registered charities.”
The site will accept any good cause providing it is UK-based, legal and “working for the public good”.
In the past other charity shopping malls have found it difficult to generate significant or on-going revenues because they have relied too much on the charities continuing to promote the scheme. Putting a button on the charity’s Web site is not enough.
Durrant says that igive2 is addressing this in a number of ways. It is working proactively on behalf of member charities and organisations to ensure they yield ongoing donations by sending all igive2 supporters a weekly newsletter highlighting special offers and sales from retailers.
The site also offers “full marketing support through its marketing toolbox” which
includes sample flyers and adverts for member organisations to include in their offline communications to existing supporters.
Igive2 also offers to assist its member organisations with press release activity, sample e-mail and Web site links, and it will also provide online marketing tips.
Where igive2 differs from the other charity shopping malls is in its ability to ensure that donors don’t forget to generate the commission for their charity when they shop at participating merchants. Of course, once you get used to shopping at Amazon.co.uk, for example, you tend to forget to access it through your charity’s affiliate links, and therefore the affiliate loses out on commission. To help ensure the charitable organisations receive every possible donation, igive2 offers all supporters a unique piece of software, Rebate Catcher, which works with their Web browser. If supporters forget to login to igive2 before shopping online at a
participating retailer then the software recognises this and will automatically write the necessary tracking code to ensure their transaction qualifies for the appropriate donation.
Charities and voluntary organisations need to register with igive2 before they can start earning income and promoting the service to their supporters.
About Howard Lake
Howard Lake is consultant editor of UK Fundraising. He founded the site in 1994 and successfully sold it in 2022. As director of Giving X Ltd he is exploring growing giving on a massive scale.
He is the founder of Fundraising Camp and co-founder of GoodJobs.