Information Pack

What is TheGivingMachine? A registered UK Charity helping other UK registered schools and charities benefit from a source of free cash donations. There are currently over 6,500 schools and charities raising funds from over 80,000 Givers using our website. To date we have generated over one million donations!

Can anyone join?Yes, providing you are a UK registered school, charity, CASC (Community Aided Sports Club) or social enterprise.

Why should we join?Retailers pay £millions each year in referral commissions which we convert into cash donations. There is no limit on the amount of money you can raise, this is determined by the number of your supporters who join as Givers then shop online via www.TheGivingMachine.co.uk.

How does it work?Once you have registered your organisation on our website, you need to encourage your supporters to join as Givers - a simple process of entering their name, e-mail address and postcode. Your Givers then shop online via: www.TheGivingMachine.co.uk and each time they make a purchase they will also generate a free cash donation to your organisation.

As an example £100 spent at Amazon, John Lewis, Viking Direct and many others could easily generate over £3 in donations at no extra cost to the shopper.

How can the donations be free?The retailers taking part offer a referral commission on every purchase. Each retailer determines the size of the commission and it can vary between approximately 1% and 10%.

The amounts per retailer are displayed next to their names / logos on our website.

TheGivingMachine receives the commission and converts 75% of it into a free cash donation, then as a not for profit charity uses the remaining 25% to help contribute towards our operating costs.

Which Retailers are taking part?Most of your favourite online stores are participating and we have provided you with a sheet of some of our most popular shops. Our stores include Amazon, John Lewis, M&S, Sainsbury, Next, eBay, Argos, Debenhams, Play.com and Virgin Atlantic.

How do we encourage our supportersto become Givers?TheGivingMachine enables you to set up your own customised page on our website and a suite of materials to help you promote your cause to your supporters. We provide you with free colourful promotional materials including personalised posters and flyers, e-mail templates, seasonal hints and tips, web banners and DIY materials to create your own materials.

You are only asking your supporters to buy what they would have bought anyway but via TheGivingMachine so they generate donations at no extra cost to them.

We have also recently launched our Shop&Give reminder tool, that sits on your browser so that your supporters are actively reminded when they can generate a free donation for your cause.

Welcome from TheGivingMachine. Thank you for downloading this information pack. Within this pack we will answer many of the questions we are often asked and provide additional information you may need about TheGivingMachine.

It really is as easy as it sounds to raise free cash donations via TheGivingMachine. We would love to welcome you into our giving community. If you have any further questions please contact any member of the team at info@thegivingmachine.co.uk

With warm regards

Natalie FulkTheGivingMachine Ops Team

A selection of our fantastic retailers

Generating support for your cause

Spread the word! Once you have joined TheGivingMachine you will want to start generating support from others to help your cause.

We provide you with a selection of promotional materials that you can download, print out and use which can be personalised with your logo. Just go to your beneficiary page and look under Promotional Materials.

Testimonials

TheGivingMachine is an awesome way to raise funds for your favourite charity or school. I’ve been a a Giver for over two years and in that time, have raised a couple of hundred pounds, just from shopping online! As a result, when we formed the Nathan Timothy Foundation, one of the first things we did was sign up to TheGivingMachine and start recruiting Givers.

You have to modify your online shopping behaviour, only slightly mind you, and remember to always log in to your Giver account, or use the browser Toolbar extension, either way, it is one of the best ways to encourage your supporters to help you without having to ask them directly for donations.

With the recent addition of the Campaign function, we’ve elected to focus all our TheGivingMachine activity to raise funds to support our BullyBeat songwriting project.

John QuinnDirector of Engagement

Nathan Timothy Foundation

The girls at TheGivingMachine were very kind and helpful and they constantly searched for ways to help us which proved a great motivating factor in our quest to boost our fledgling organization.

With their help and the promotional material provided we publicised this fundraising opportunity with TheGivingMachine on our website and in our newsletters and before long we were soon able to build up a number of donors who began to raise money for the Foundation without any additional cost to themselves and in no time at all, we were receiving regular payments from TheGivingMachine. Being registered with TheGivingMachine has become an integral part of our fundraising activities with donors raising money for the Foundation just one extra click of a mouse when buying online.

Dave Hulme

The Alex Hulme FoundationAlex Hulme

Testimonials

East Herts YMCA initially joined TheGivingMachine with trepidation!

Was it really true that income could be generated, via internet shopping, to support our services to vulnerable young people – and at no additional cost to the giver? Where was the catch?!

Those fears have completely receded and over the years we have been able to generate in excess of £1,100.

This money is ‘unrestricted’… and what’s even better is that it keeps coming.

As an expanding charity we can decide how best to spend the money whether it be, for example, to fund residents activities, our pool team or even our strategic development.

With TheGivingMachine’s latest developments we are now able to set specific fund raising ‘Challenges’ and encourage even greater support.

If as a charity or school you’re not registered as a beneficiary I would recommend that you take action now!

Robert PurcellChief Executive

East Herts YMCA

At first I wondered how it all worked I mean, the store must charge you more because they are going to give money to TheGivingMachine... WRONG!

TheGivingMachine get commission which google or other search engines would receive. Then instead of taking that money and giving it to shareholders they give it to my daughters school. For me a no-brainer!

I have saved TheGivingMachine’s icon to my ipad and iphone and when I shop its quick and easy.

It took minutes to open an account to shop and even my mother in law has joined!

On my home PC I have the toolbar saved so its always there to remind me. I make sure I web search stores via TheGivingMachine to get the best deals for me.

When I am ready to buy I ensure I shop through TheGivingMachine and St Joseph’s school get the money.

So far they have received just over £3,000!

ShievonGiver

St Joseph’s RC School, Herts

We joined TheGivingMachine when it first started in 2007.

We initially let our parents know but did not try to promote the scheme. Over the first 5 years we raised approximately £600 which was fantastic.

However, we started to use the posters and flyers and have managed to raise £600 in the past 18 months. We didn’t do much, just mentioned TheGivingMachine at PTFA events, handed out some cards, displayed posters, got the school to sign up as a Giver and used the sign-up sheet.

Normally, we would have to work lots of back breaking hours to raise £600, so these free cash donations have been a blessing.

Claire

TGM Rep at the Bishop’s Stortford High School

TheGivingMachine Ltd

14a Grange Park, Bishop’s Stortford, Herts CM23 2HX

Charity no 1159320 (England & Wales)

company limited by guarantee (No 09017447, England)

info@thegivingmachine.co.uk