Raise BOSS Ben funds by having fun
The BOSS Benevolent Fund has come up with an extraordinarily clever way of raising funds for this very worthwhile Industry cause. If you like to shop, and like to support the charity, then you can do both in one fell swoop.
The Fund has the joined a scheme called 'Give as you Live', which allows you to shop online with thousands of your favourite stores who then donate a percentage of whatever you spend - all at no cost to you.
Give as you Live supports many of the UK's 200,000 registered charities. There are 2,400 participating online stores and Give as you Live technology has now raised over £3.5m for good causes in the UK - with the potential to raise billions more. This could raise thousands of pounds for the Fund, without anyone having to climb mountains, cycle the Great Wall of China or sit in a bath of baked beans, much as some of you like to.
It is just so easy to do and you don't have to switch from your normal shopping sites. What the Trustees think will really drive this forward is if each company appoints a 'Champion' within their organisation, who signs up and then actively encourages all of their colleagues to do the same. That person would probably be one who loves shopping online anyway and already buys from places like Tesco, Sainsbury's, Boots, The Trainline, John Lewis , Argos, Debenhams and hundreds more. They are all taking part and will gift a percentage to the BossBen Fund. There is no catch and it will cost the purchaser absolutely nothing!
There are two ways to use Give as you Live - the first is by installing the Give as you Live bar, which sits on a user's internet browser and automatically collects cost-free donations when shopping direct at participating online retailers. The second is through the Give as you Live website, which takes products from thousands of online retailers to allow shoppers to search, compare, and find the best deal on millions of products, all in one place. If you are like me, you will think about doing this and then do nothing about it, so sign up and start helping a good cause, just by doing your usual shopping online and at no extra cost to you. The money raised will, as always, go to those in the Office Products Industry who have, for whatever reason, fallen on really hard times and need our support.
To find out more about Give as you Live, please visit www.giveasyoulive.com