Small Business News: How Small Businesses Made An Impact in 2020 By Donating To Charities in Need
Happy New Year! OK 2021 hasn’t exactly started as we all wished it would. Like 2020 everyone, including the charities and small businesses that we work with, are faced with many challenges. But challenging times are also the catalyst for positive change, and there is no doubt that 2020 was the year when kindness, empathy and giving back became a priority for all, including small businesses.
In 2020, small businesses pledged and donated an incredible and unparalleled £895,432 to UK registered charities via our fundraising platform. As a start-up ourselves, which launched just three years ago, this was remarkable. Proving what we have always believed - simply by integrating charitable giving into their workflow, small businesses can make a big difference to charities.
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In 2020 Small Businesses Put Purpose Alongside Profit:
As the pandemic took hold in March 2020, and despite facing economic challenges SMEs pivoted and adapted, many prioritising giving back, putting purpose at the heart of what they do. In 2020 we saw a huge shift in businesses wanting to donate to charities through their sales, with more small businesses donating to charities through our fundraising platform than ever before. As the UK went in and out of lockdowns, our community grew and by the end of a tumultuous year, a record 1,032 more businesses had joined Work for Good, donating to a broad range of good causes including food banks, domestic abuse charities, NHS Hospitals and environmental charities.
Donations from small businesses weren’t just one-offs. These altruistic businesses, most of which are sole traders, are genuinely committed to the causes they support, often using their platforms to continually raise awareness as well as money for the issues they care about. Despite the crisis hitting our economy, the majority of small businesses were still donating regularly with the average donation per business increasing from £445 in 2019 to £631 in 2020.
As we continue to experience the impact of the pandemic on our society and economy, putting purpose alongside profit is likely to be the gold standard for a successful small business. Recent research by organisations including The Zeno Group and the UK’s High Streets Task Force illustrates a growing public appetite for businesses with a conscience. And as we face a likely recession, most people would rather spend their precious pounds with businesses that are giving back.
As the UK went in and out of lockdowns, our community grew and by the end of a tumultuous year, a record 1,032 more businesses had joined Work for Good.
Work for Good - A Simple Fundraising Solution:
2020 definitely highlighted how important small businesses are to our society but it also made it clear how crucial charities are. And although donations to charity are good for business. Most importantly these donations are invaluable to the charities that receive them. But charities were also hit hard by the pandemic and fundraising was decimated due to restrictions and the cancellation of major events like the London Marathon. However, as donations to charities increased from small businesses via our fundraising platform, more charities also joined us. In 2020 we welcomed another 308 charities to Work For Good. Now 822 charities including Refuge, WWF-UK, FareShare and Friends of the Earth, as well as multiple, local charities are using our platform as a simple and tenable fundraising tool.
The Future of Small Business Donations in 2021:
Although we have started 2021 in rocky circumstances as we saw in 2020, when times are tough a lot of good also happens. In fact, we've had double the funds donated and pledged in the first fortnight of 2021 than we did in the same period last year.
This ‘trend’ for donating to charity through business sales is going to keep growing. As we look ahead we are excited to see our community of purposeful and ethical small businesses grow and the positive impact this will make to charities in need during 2021. Business for good is here to stay.
Work for Good is a fundraising platform which takes care of the Commercial Participation Agreement which is required when small businesses want to donate to charity through their sales. The platform allows businesses to pledge donations within minutes, publicise their giving and raise vital funds for charity.
