22 June 2022

To celebrate Small Charity Week 2022, Marketing, Communications & Research Officer, Shannon Phillips, shares some creative and budget-friendly ways that you can support your favourite charity through a financial crisis.

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SMALL CHARITY WEEK

Monday 20 to Friday 24 June 2022 is officially Small Charity Week, an awareness campaign that celebrates the incredible work and contributions made by small, yet mighty, charities. According to UK research, 90% of charities were negatively impacted by the pandemic, with the majority reporting a loss of income and a third experiencing a shortage of volunteers. With a looming financial crisis, small charities need your support more than ever.

We know we aren’t alone in our suffering. As we navigate a ‘cost of living crisis’, more and more households are having to choose whether to ‘heat or eat’, with shocking numbers of families now living below the poverty line. Those with chronic illness, disability, and mental health conditions are likely to be hit especially hard. For many, finding the spare cash to donate to charity is no longer an option, but the good news is that there are many budget-friendly and creative ways you can still support your favourite charity.

7 CREATIVE WAYS TO SUPPORT A CHARITY

1. SHOPPING ONLINE? GENERATE FREE DONATIONS!

What if we told you that you could donate to charity simply through doing your usual online shop? EasyFundraising.org.uk has partnered with over 6,000 retailers and services, who will automatically donate to your nominated charity (at no extra cost to you) when you shop via the EasyFundraising.org.uk website. You can turn just about any online shop into a donation, including your broadband package, utilities, clothes purchases or regular grocery shop. For example, Sainsbury's will donate an impressive 10% of your first online order. Learn more about how you can support your charity with EasyFundraising here.

2. START YOUR OWN FUNDRAISER

You don’t need to run a marathon to raise money for a good cause (but by all means, be our guest!). You’d be surprised how a simple community raffle, bake sale, coffee morning or sponsored walk can generate donations. Consider starting a your own via Go Fund Me, a website which makes it super easy and safe for people to donate online to your cause. Simply start your appeal and nominate our charity.

3. ASK FOR A MEANINGFUL GIFT

Birthday, Christmas or other special event coming up? Instead of ending up with yet another novelty mug or the latest “tell all” autobiography from a supposed ‘celebrity’, consider asking loved ones to donate to our charity on your behalf instead. If you’re on social media, a great way to do this is to create a birthday fundraiser to share with your friends and followers – click here for more information on how to set one up via Facebook.

4. TIME FOR A SPRING CLEAN?

Have you been meaning to get around to having a good clear out for a while now? Perhaps half your wardrobe no longer fits (we’ve been there too), or you realise you’ve accumulated 54 of those novelty mugs. Why not declutter your home and mind and sell your unwanted items? A bootsale or yardsale can be a fun and rewarding day that the whole family can join in with.

Apps such as Vinted and Depop are great for selling second-hand clothes. Facebook marketplace and eBay are also fantastic options, and give local buyers the chance to pick up from your house. If you’re feeling generous, you could donate your earnings to our charity.

Did you know: Websites like Ziffit and Music Magpie will pay you for your unwanted books, DVDs, CDs and games? Simply scan the barcodes and send them off in the post!

5. FLEX YOUR SKILLS

Do you have a knack for knitting? Are you a star baker? Do you enjoy leading meditation sessions? Sell your skills and hold a special charity sale, donating your profits (or portion of your profits) to our charity?

P.S. Charity sales are a great way to raise awareness for your business too!

6. GIVE SOMETHING UP

Have you been meaning to cut down on your chocolate, alcohol, or Netflix consumption? Why not incentivise that goal by donating the money you would have spent on these items to charity? Want to get more active? Ditch the car for short distances and donate the saved petrol money. Could you go without your favourite tv programmes, audiobooks or music for a month? Pause your subscription and turn that month’s saving into a donation.

If you don’t want to give up something tangible, why not give up a bad habit? Create a swear or moan jar in your household or office for a week and have a laugh at the same time! If the family is being slack with the household chores, why not have a 10p forfeit for each time they leave the dirty dishes?

7. CONVERT YOUR CASHBACK

Did you know, some websites and apps actually give you money back on your purchases? Similarly to EasyFundraising mentioned above, all you need to do is shop online at your usual retailer via a cashback service, and you’ll automatically receive a small percentage of the money spent back into your account.

Reputable cashback sites include Top Cashback and Quidco. Another (perhaps easier) option is to use a cashback card such as Zilch. When you pay the full balance on your Zilch app, you'll be rewarded with 2% cashback! That’s £2 for every full tank of petrol back into your account!

ADDITIONAL WAYS YOU CAN HELP BREATHWORKS

For those of you who don’t know, Breathworks operates as a charity, providing funding for bursaries, scholarships and community projects to meet our vision of making mindfulness accessible to everyone – despite their circumstance. Currently 1/3 of our places on courses and trainings are given at concession rates for those who are in financial hardship. At least 1 in 3 people live with pain, illness, or stress; our mission is to reach more people and communities who can benefit from mindfulness, and you can help us!

8. GIFT AID

If you’re a UK taxpayer, did you know you can make your gift go further with Gift Aid? All you need to do is tick the Gift Aid button and Breathworks will get an additional 25% on top of your donation. For example, Gift Aid will convert a donation of £10.00 to £12.50 at no additional cost to you.

9. SPREAD THE WORD

One of the most valuable things you can do for a charity is spreading the word and raising awareness for the work that they do, and the abundance of resources they offer. 

• Are you on social media? Share our posts at the click of a button – it takes seconds but helps us be seen by others.
  
  
• Belong to a community or support group who may be interested in what we have to offer? Share our resources and events in your forums, Facebook groups and in-person meet-ups. Invite people to join our free Community of Practice or virtually bring them along to one of our weekly Space to Breathe meditations with Vidyamala (Tuesdays 7-7.30pm on Zoom and YouTube).
  
  
• Subscribed to our weekly e-newsletter? Next time you open our Breathworks Bulletin, why not brighten a friend’s inbox and forward on the mail. You could even invite them to subscribe here.

We’re passionate about making mindfulness more accessible via the healthcare service. Share the power of mindfulness with your healthcare professionals – whether that’s your GP, physiotherapist or counsellor. Offer them our contact details so they can explore how Breathworks can work with them to support patients managing ongoing pain, illness and stress. 0161 834 1110 | [email protected]

10. LITTLE AND OFTEN

If you’d like to support Breathworks financially in a way that feels manageable and sustainable, consider giving ‘little and often’ with a regular donation of £3 a month (or whatever you can afford). Think of it as buying us a monthly coffee, or a small subscription for our wide range of free events and resources such as the Community of Practice.

11. VOLUNTEER

Charities don’t just benefit from financial support – we rely on the skills, time, and support from our community too. If you have some time to spare (even a couple of hours a week), then get in touch. Not only will you benefit from the warm glow of giving back, but you’ll be working with the friendliest team (if we do say so ourselves), building your confidence, and gaining valuable work experience.

"Thanks for offering me volunteer time at the office, letting me go at my own pace and on occasions when needed allowing me to stop and try again another week. I have much more energy and focus since volunteering. I reduced anxiety with travelling and crowds and regained so much of my “lost” work confidence".

 If you’re interested in volunteering with Breathworks, either remotely or at our Manchester office, please contact us.

12. GIVE A MEANINGFUL GIFT

Stuck for what to get a loved one? Why not give the gift of mindfulness? Treat your special person to a place on one of our transformational online courses, workshops or retreats – you could even team up with a group of friends or family members to give a joint gift. (You can still take the credit for the genius idea!) Click here to browse our upcoming events.

Did you know: Every booking on a Breathworks event helps somebody else to receive a bursary place? As a not-for-profit, the money Breathworks generate goes directly towards our goal of making mindfulness accessible to all, regardless of their financial circumstances.

 

13. CONSIDER PURCHASING THE ‘SUPPORTER RATE’ WHEN BOOKING YOUR NEXT EVENT

We give people the option to purchase a ticket for our events at a ‘supporter rate’. With this additional contribution, you not only fund your own place on the event, but directly contribute towards funding a bursary place for someone less fortunate.  If you want to share the gift of mindfulness, consider purchasing at the ‘supporter rate’ on your next event with us.

14. NOMINATE US IN YOUR COMMUNITY

Many workplaces, schools, community groups and supermarkets allow members to vote for their annual charity. Go ahead and put The Breathworks Foundation forward – you never know, they might just pick us!

You can read more about our charity and mission here.