Making a Difference Locally passes £20 million raised for local causes
Howard Lake | 7 July 2026 | News
Making a Difference Locally, the registered charity of Co-op Wholesale, has raised £20 million for local charities, community groups and good causes across the UK since it launched in 2008.
The charity, familiar to shoppers in Nisa and other Co-op Wholesale partner stores, raises funds through sales of Co-op own-brand products, with a percentage of each purchase going into a virtual fund for retailers to donate. In-store collection tins and clothing banks add to the total. Stores then donate their funds to a charity or good cause of their choice within a 10-mile radius, keeping the money in the local community.
Over more than 18 years the charity has made over 25,000 donations, supporting more than 11,000 community groups, projects and small charities. Causes funded range across mental wellbeing, LGBTQ+ inclusion, sport and social activities, food poverty, and health and social care.
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Retail fundraising at local scale
The milestone is a reminder that point-of-sale fundraising through independent retailers can accumulate substantial sums, £20 million in this case, from a mechanism built into everyday shopping rather than from direct asks.
Anthony Furnell, Head of Retail Operations for NP Group, one of the retail partners, gave an example of the funding at work:
“Through projects like the Number 1 Coffee Shop friendship group, we’ve seen isolated individuals, including those navigating an early-onset dementia diagnosis, find a vital lifeline and a community that feels like family.”
Kate Carroll, Social Value Lead at Co-op Wholesale, said:
“In the current climate, the importance of supporting small charities and community causes is greater than ever. We remain committed to working with our partners to continue making a positive impact and building towards our next fundraising milestone.”
Given that the majority of UK charities are small, a local donation from a nearby store can represent significant unrestricted income for the organisations that receive it.
More information about the charity, and how local causes benefit, is available from Nisa and you can read past coverage of Making a Difference Locally here.
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.