# Donate by action, not money, urges The DoNation

- Link: https://fundraising.co.uk/2011/05/12/donate-action-not-money-urges-donation/
- Published: 2011-05-12T10:17:49+01:00
- Author: Howard Lake

**Giving money is not the only way to show your support for a friend who is running
a marathon or another event in aid of a charity. Online environmental organisation
The DoNation now encourages people to show their support not by making a financial
donation but by committing to take environmental action.**

Their site takes the model of online sponsorship that is now well established in
the UK with sites like JustGiving, Bmycharity, VirginMoneyGiving, and the new BT
MyDonate. But it adapts it by using the social and viral nature of sponsorship to
reach and motivate the widespread public to make simple steps towards more sustainable
lives.

It suggests a range of core green actions that people can take to reduce their carbon
emissions. These range from eating less meat, cycling to work, or washing your clothes
at 30°C, to installing solar panels.
Hermione Taylor, founder of The DoNation, said:“
The DoNation is about making things happen by socialising green issues and supporting
friends with meaningful action. CO2 is our currency, rather than cash, so people
raising sponsorship can set targets and their friends can see what tangible contribution
their supporting action is having, both individually and collectively. But our overall
aim is broader than just carbon, as the actions offered address wider sustainability,
not just carbon dioxide.”

## Advertisement

[The DoNation](http://www.thedonation.org.uk</) provides motivation and encourages
permanent change of habits, and the social nature of the site is designed to add
gentle peer pressure, encouraging users to keep their commitments.

Taylor’s aim is for The DoNation to become the principle environmental sponsorship
tool, providing users with an engaging voice through which they can motivate friends
and family to adopt proactive solutions to climate change.

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