A steady stream of unrestricted funds is a boon to any creative group, no matter how small or large the amount. 

Encourage your members, supporters, family and friends to buy things via the easyfundraising website and help your group as they shop online.

Easyfundraising has partnerships with over 8,500 well known retailers, including Amazon, John Lewis, Marks & Spencer, Tesco, Boots and many more. They each donate part of what is spent on their website to a cause of the shoppers’ choosing. The Quilters Guild of the British Isles uses easyfundraising and to date has raised almost £7,000 this way! Visit www.easyfundraising.org.uk/creative to create a page for your group.

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We speak to Becky Coleman at easyfundraising to find out how quick and easy it is to set up a page - and how it could benefit your group

What does signing up to easyfundraising involve - and does it cost anything for groups?

"One of the best things about easyfundraising is that signing up is completely free. There aren’t any sign-up fees, monthly costs or hidden charges. Simply visit the easyfundraising website at www.easyfundraising.org.uk/creative and register your group.

We’ll create an easyfundraising page for your group and help you let everyone know, so they can choose you as the cause they want to support. easyfundraising is completely free for your organisation and supporters to use, and your supporters won’t pay a penny more on their shopping either."

Do you have to be a particular sort of group to sign up? (e.g. a charity)

"No, it’s open to all voluntary groups, community organisations, CICs, and social enterprises of all shapes and sizes. You don’t have to be a charity (although if you are a charity, that’s fine too!)."

What kinds of shops are signed up to the scheme, and how does it work?

"Thousands of popular retailers are part of the easyfundraising scheme, including many well-known names like Amazon, eBay, John Lewis, Tesco, Trainline and many more. When your supporters shop through the easyfundraising platform, a percentage of their purchase value is donated to your group, at no extra cost to them."

Does it matter how much people spend when they shop online? Is there a minimum threshold before the group receives a contribution?

"There’s no minimum spend required for donations to be made. Every qualifying purchase earns a contribution, no matter how big or small. And it all helps! It’s unrestricted funding too which means your group can spend the funds on anything you want or need!"

After a group has signed up, what tips do you have to help them spread the word and encourage their friends/family to use it?

"Once your group is signed up, getting the word out to your network is key. Here are some top tips:

• Share your easyfundraising link with everyone in your network: members, supporters, family, friends etc (we’ll help you do this with pre-written wording for your newsletters, emails you can send out social media posts and even posters and flyers).
• Remind supporters to use the platform for everyday shopping as well as bigger purchases like insurance, travel, and home essentials.
• Set goals and celebrate milestones to keep motivation high."

Can you give a sense of how much a group could raise over the course of a year?

"The amount raised depends on how many of your supporters shop via easyfundraising and how often, but it soon mounts up! A small group can easily generate a few hundred pounds a year. It’s all about encouraging consistent use! And another top tip is to remember to use easyfundraising if you need to buy things for your group – you’ll be surprised how much you buy online to run your group and those purchases can now be donations for your group!"

Does being part of easyfundraising involve any monitoring or upkeep? Or, once it's been set up, does it just run itself?

"Yes, once set up, the system largely runs itself, making it a passive fundraising tool. However, regularly reminding supporters, tracking progress, and celebrating achievements will keep the momentum going and ensure you raise as much as possible. Every three months, we’ll send you the donations your supporters have raised to spend on whatever you need."

Visit www.easyfundraising.org.uk/creative to create a page for your group.