08/12-08   -   Press releases

Online Shoppers Set to Make £150million Xmas Charity Donations For Free

• Revolutionary software allows charitable giving at no extra cost

• Feel good factor as online shoppers give while they spend


This Christmas online shoppers can boost their favourite charities by millions of pounds without spending an extra penny – all by downloading a piece of free software.

aGoodCause.co.uk and it’s AidMaker software enables shoppers to donate a percentage of their online spend at some of the UK’s biggest retailers at no cost to themselves.

With an estimated £1.8bn* spent online on Christmas gifts in the UK last year, a potential £126m** could have gone to charity through the scheme. And, despite the credit crunch, online shopping is expected to further increase this December meaning donations of £150m could be achieved.

Among the 30+ charities already signed up to receive donations via aGoodCause.co.uk in the UK are Help the Aged, Against Breast Cancer, CAFOD, NCH and Arthritis Research UK, and the organisations’ founders are determined that they will benefit this Christmas.

Jonathan Low, co-founder of aGoodCause.co.uk, said: “At Christmas everyone spends more money but thoughts also turn to those less fortunate than us as well. By downloading our AidMaker software shoppers can spend and give at the same time. The companies make the donations but you decide where they go.

“We are urging people here in the UK to download the software to help us distribute millions of pounds to charities in the UK and make a real difference to the world.

“We know that December 10th 2007 was the biggest online shopping day ever in the UK, with £370m being spent. Based on our average
retailer donation of seven per cent this means that more than £2.5 million could have been donated to charity on that day alone – so we need shoppers to join our cause before this year’s Christmas shopping season begins."

Giving via aGoodCause.co.uk is really simple - consumers simply download the free AidMaker software from www.aGoodCause.co.uk, choose their favourite charity and then begin shopping.

Already more than 600 well known retailers including Miss Selfridge, Dell, Nike Store UK and Tesco have agreed to donate a percentage of each online transaction carried out by an AidMaker.

Shoppers are able to buy a huge range products and services, including clothes, homewares, financial and technology products, food, books and online services.

Every time you enter an online store which is registered with aGoodCause.co.uk, a percentage of your spend will be automatically donated to the nominated charity, meaning you can bring about a real positive change by doing what you do already: shop.

Fellow co-founder Mads Ellegaard said: “Everybody wins – you support your favourite charity, or a whole host of them for free; retailers benefit by increasing customer loyalty ; and the charities see their coffers boosted, potentially by millions of pounds. In this way AidMaker offers gifts for everybody and helps you immediately change the world where you decide the change is needed."