Decembers' Sales Fundraising Stars + a BIG THANK YOU ⭐
Our last Sales Fundraising Star blog for 2022 and time for us to say thank you to thousands of UK SMEs who have been fundraising through their sales this year.
From Etsy makers to accountants, confectioners to consultants - there are so many fundraising stars out there. A huge thank you to every one of you.
These businesses, or rather the people who run them or work for them, are doing something which is amazing. Because even during very challenging times, they continue to want to give to charities.
This brings us to December's four Sales Fundraising Stars.
Please read on to learn what drives a hardware store, a hair brand, a hypnobirthing teacher and an Etsy print shop, to raise thousands of pounds for charities they care about 💙
⭐ The Plank Hardware Team
Furnishing Futures is a fantastic charity that's combating furniture poverty by transforming social housing into healing homes, for women and children escaping situations of domestic violence. Its new NE London HQ is a stone's throw away from ours, and so the work it's doing feels especially important to our team"
-Tom Revill & Annie Aveyard, Co-founders of Plank Hardware
From small beginnings on Etsy in 2019 interiors brand Plank Hardware has quickly grown and their commitment to being socially and ethically responsible is clear. In November, the team led by Tom Revill and Annie Aveyard, used a Black Friday promotion to raise an incredible £10,000 for the charity Furnishing Futures.
The money raised will help the charity and founder Emily Wheeler to help survivors of domestic abuse and those experiencing furniture poverty by providing them with furnishing so they can have a comfortable home.
In total, Plank Hardware has raised over £29,000 for charity through their sales and has also fundraised for the homeless charity Crisis.
⭐ Zoe Donkin of The Hypnobirthing Place
I have donated a percentage of profits to Women and Children First for years and will continue to do so... I’m delighted to be able to contribute in some way; it’s one of the reasons I love teaching!"
Zoe Donkin is a hypnobirthing teacher whose work focuses on helping women have a positive experience during birth.
When she started The Hypnobirthing Place, she wanted to help people beyond those who attend her classes. She researched charities supporting women to have safer births in developing countries and found the charity Women and Children First. Their work supports community groups and frontline health workers in poor rural communities in Africa and South Asia. The charity has helped women, children and young people and has helped to save many lives.
Since she started her one-woman business Zoe has donated 10% of her course profits to charity and in total has raised over £7000 for charities supporting safe births.
Huge congratulations to Zoe!
⭐ Emma Kelly of Gingerful
My grandmother has been unwell and through various Covid-19 lockdowns, she relied upon the Samaritans for their listening service. She lives alone and used the listening service to keep connected and have someone to speak to if she felt low. It was important to me to give back to the Samaritans when they’ve helped her so much. "
-Emma Kelly - Founder of Gingerful
Emma Kelly's aim for Gingerful was to run a purposeful business as sustainably as possible. She started Gingerful in 2020 to offer redheads specialist haircare. Part of her mission was to use the business to raise money to help protect the planet.
In 2022 she started to fundraise for charity, donating 1% of every sale of her hair products to WWF-UK. Additionally, inspired by her Grandmother, during Black Friday weekend, Emma decided to contribute 20% of all Gingerful haircare sales to the mental health charity the Samaritans.
In total, Emma and customers of Gingerful have raised over £2000 in six months for charities in need! Just brilliant.
⭐Victoria Gray of The Happy Little Print Shop
I decided to start sales fundraising because I felt I needed to make a difference (however small) during particularly challenging times, socially and environmentally. But as time has gone on, what I have learnt is that small businesses really do make a big difference! "
-Victoria Gray Owner of The Happy Little Print Shop
Victoria Gray is the owner of the joyful Etsy store, The Happy Little Print Shop, which sells colourful prints designed to make people smile and they have captured people's imaginations. As well as running her own business and fundraising for charity, she is also a Healthcare Assistant for the NHS!
Through the sales of her prints, Victoria has raised over £2500 for charity and supported 28 different causes from climate change to domestic abuse. Some of the charities she has raised funds for include The Hygiene Bank, Refuge, Crisis, Care4Calais and Centrepoint.
During the last few 6 months, she has been using her gorgeous prints to raise funds for Heart Research UK - a charity that is very important to her.
The impact Victoria has through The Happy Little Print Shop is incredible.
