Why should your charity be selling charity cards?
With the current economic climate and government cutbacks really affecting charities, the way in which they generate revenue must evolve.
There has been a recent shift in fundraising behaviour where supporters (and consumers as a whole) prefer to give to charity through their consumer spend. Simply put, they want their donations to go unnoticed from their wallet to the charity. They were going to purchase the product in any case, so if a charity can benefit too, it’s a win-win situation. With this in mind, smart charities are starting to shift their fundraising messages.
Simply put, rather than just asking charities to give more, charities need to find ways where their supporters can switch their consumer spend from their existing suppliers to the charities.
Greeting Cards are a perfect low cost, low barrier to entry product to begin with. With greeting cards, there is no brand loyalty. People are simply not concerned whether they go into Clintons, Hallmark, Moonpig or their local Tesco to purchase their cards; they simply need to buy a card and pick a relevant one from those on display. This is perfect for charities, as changing such a small purchasing behaviour can make a huge difference for UK charities.
On average a person sends 31 greeting cards a year. The UK greeting card industry is worth more than tea and coffee put together. This gives you an idea of how huge this market is and the potential for your charity to take a slice of this market.
It was in a Mintel report that showed us one in five people try and buy charity cards whenever they can. The is huge! If some of these were charity cards, there is a possibility to raise money for charity from a previously untapped source. After all, the card market is worth £1.30 billion annually!
