5 Different Ways You Can Shop For A Charitable Cause

a group of festive shopping bags

Research shows that the average person spends £437 towards shopping during the festive period alone, but whether you're shopping for yourself or for your loved ones, you might want to aside some funds for charitable causes too. After all, these companies don't receive funding and the great work they do is only possible because of the donations they receive- and during busy years like public holiday, then can also be busier. Refuges, soup kitchens and animal shelters for example often want to make the day special for those they're caring for which means additional funds are needed. However, even if you don't think you have a ton of money to donate, there are ways you can help without much effort whatsoever. Here are some examples.

Shop from websites that give back 
There are many websites which automatically find retailers that donate a certain percentage of proceeds towards charity of your choice. When you use these websites, you need to create an account and then use the site as a portal to your retailers. Once you make a purchase, a certain part of the purchase price will go to the charity of your choice. Buying from this website does not mean you will have minimal options, rather, there is a lot for you to choose from. You can shop from http://mersgoodwill.org/ and ensure you are doing your bit. Once you get into a groove of starting the shopping searches from one of these websites, you will be able to make a huge difference to the bottom line of a cause. 

2. Shop on designated shopping days 
Many retailers have a shop for a cause event. You make purchases on the specific day and the amount of savings you make will go to the charity which is bring spotlighted. So if you save £5, the same amount is given to charity. There are numerous retailers that offer discounts to shoppers and this can make a huge difference to the charity. 

3. Look for buy one, donate one organisations 
Many designers and retailers are looking to make a difference by gifting. They promise to give something back every time you make a purchase. They have a policy where they donate when you buy. Look out for such retailers and shop from them. You are only going to pay for the items you purchase but they will donate the same item to charity and this can make a big difference. 

4. Donate your freebies
If you love couponing then you'll know it's fairly easy to get access to lots of free or very cheap products- rather than stockpile them all yourself, why not donate to charity? If you see buy one get one free deals you could donate the free one, or if you see end of line reduced products that are still good but very cheap to buy then pick them up. Anything you don't need you can swing by to a shelter or charitable organisation and drop it in.

5. Charity specific products 
There are charity specific products which are developed by a retailer with 100% of the proceeds going towards a specific charity. These products are specially manufactured and you might need to do some digging to find out about them. Look online using the retailer name or check the charity websites for the same. The products include reading lamps, clothes, notebooks, headphones and many more. Christmas cards are commonly released by charities and are a great way to send a personal message to family and friends at this time of year while helping a good cause. 

While you might not want to put an end to your shopping spree, you could actually make a difference with every product you purchase. Simply research before you head out to the market and make the right choices. Whether you buy online or visit a physical store, you can always shop for a good cause.