Survey reveals £130 million opportunity for charities
Howard Lake | 8 September 2008 | News
A new YouGov survey of the UK general public has revealed an opportunity for charities to increase fundraising income by £130 million through recycling. This massive increase could go a long way to offset the drop in private donations expected over the next 12 months following the credit crunch.
The survey, commissioned by the Each One Counts campaign, has revealed Britons will donate £655 million less to charities next year as a result of the credit crisis; 7% less than the £9.5 billion individuals donated last year.
Each One Counts is calling on charities and consumers to recycle more unwanted mobile phones and used inkjet cartridges to plug this shortfall, as many of these items have a cash value. Crucial fundraising could be achieved at no cost to charities or their supporters; the www.eachonecounts.co.uk website provides a cost-free recycling service for unwanted mobile phones and used inkjet cartridges, and a donation is made to a selected charity for each item that can be recycled successfully.
Amy Horn, Collections Manager at Each One Counts says, “Although many charities already run recycling programmes, not all charities get involved in this free process. With our Each One Counts campaign recycling schemes are no longer limited to larger charities; now any charity can get involved.”
The survey found that nearly 50% of the public were not aware that they could recycle to benefit a charity and that 80% of those who said they were not recycling would do so if a charity was to benefit.
Although 53% of people plan to cut eating out in restaurants as a result of the credit crunch, the findings also revealed that slightly more people intend to cut charitable giving than cut spending on gambling and health clubs, giving a troubling insight for charities into consumers’ priorities when faced with the downturn in the economy.
Amy Horn goes on to explain, “Charities are facing a difficult fundraising environment, and methods that cost supporters and the charity nothing in cash terms deserve greater attention to help make up the shortfall. Using the www.eachonecounts.co.uk website as the central hub of the recycling process makes it easy for almost everyone to get involved. They can check if an item is recyclable, order freepost recycling bags, and add Gift Aid. This puts Each One Counts at the cutting edge of recycling schemes”.
Jane Brewin, Chief Executive of Tommy’s, the baby charity, says, “Tommy’s receives very little government funding so any donations we receive from individuals make an enormous contribution to our valuable research into miscarriage, stillbirth and premature birth. Through the Each One Counts scheme, people can still help raise money for Tommy’s without needing to face any additional costs, which is crucial during a period of economic uncertainty.”
Using market research and Government statistics, Each One Counts estimates that charities could potentially raise £114 million through improved recycling of mobiles and cartridges. This is based on collecting around 27 million extra recyclable used inkjet cartridges per year and 29 million unwanted mobile phones. Each One Counts predicts as much as £16 million Gift Aid could be added, giving a total value to charities of £130 million – or around 20% of the predicted shortfall.
“We are now looking for new charity partners to work with us to develop this tremendous fundraising opportunity. Any charity interested in maximising their income potential from recycling should contact us as soon as possible, whether they have an existing recycling scheme or not,” Amy Horn concludes.
For more information and information on how to join the scheme, please visit
www.eachonecounts.co.uk
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.