Support from High Street Shops and Retail Stores

Stores often support community projects through giving cash, services or

goods, allowing collections in store, encouraging staff support.
If you cannot find information ask at your local store. The manager is often the
best first contact. Use the web links and directions to find full details on their
websites.

Who are they?

Many high street shops and retail stores support the voluntary sector. How
they do this varies.

Who can apply?

This varies. Some stores have organised and structured application
procedures however most are less formal. Most like to fund things of local
interest. If in doubt ask at your local store. Some support chosen national
charities. Information on their policy is usually found on websites under
corporate/company information or community pages.

What do they fund?

Many stores don't have published donation policies. Mostly they cover a wide
range of good causes, or attempt to deal with each appeal on its own merits.
There may be informal ways they can help or small pots of money to support
the community that they hold that are not widely advertised.

How do you apply?

Personal contact can help. Find out about the store and what they offer either
through looking at their website or by phone. Applications are usually made in
writing. Use a personal letter. Find out who you need to write to by name.

How much?
Stores vary considerably in the amount they will give. Some provide core
funding of hundreds of thousands of pounds to national high profile charities
and so avoid helping locally. Others only give small donations to projects in
the communities they where they have a presence. It is useful to know their
giving patterns so you avoid asking for an inappropriate amount. If it is not
clear ask.

Pros: Cons:
Little bureaucracy May depend on personal contacts
Can often respond quite quickly Usually small amounts
Minimal monitoring required Some causes more popular than others,
e.g. children's toy appeals do better than
work with offenders
Why do stores give to voluntary and community
organisations?

Giving is just part of what they now term ‘Corporate Responsibility’. This also
covers their impact on the environment and on the communities where they
operate, their terms and conditions for suppliers and the working conditions
for their workers.

The give for a variety of reasons:

• philanthropy
• to generate goodwill in the communities where they have a
presence
• to develop a particular image for the company – association
with helping schools or hospitals, funding sport and activity,
sponsoring opera or theatre
• to help market their services – computers for schools tokens,
low price or free software for charities, 2p for sport when you
buy a chocolate bar
• to support their staff and develop their relationship with them
– time off for charity activity, encouraging their collections for
charity
• to take advantage of tax concessions – payroll giving,
matching employee donations
• to pass on unsold goods or recycle - supermarkets donating
perishable foods to those working with the poor or homeless,
passing replaced office equipment to charities

Many stores are becoming pro-active in their support for good causes - setting
their priorities well in advance and pro-actively choosing the causes they will
support, rather than simply responding to requests.

How do stores give?

As you see stores do not just give money, they give support in a variety of
other ways. They also support their employees and their community interests.

Apart from organised funding, companies may offer help such as:
• Donations
• Regular giving from staff salary
• Gifts in kind - Do-it-Yourself stores may give materials for
repairing a community centre.
• Support for volunteers – community clean up events, painting
the village hall
• Staff involvement - paid time for staff to give to voluntary
work/projects
 • Secondment of skilled staff offering skills and company
expertise – accountancy, lawyers time, fundraising
• Sponsorship of local events
• Providing premises for collections
• Giving surplus stock

Why stores may not give?

Corporate image is very important. Companies do not like to court

controversy. They like to be associated with causes that are simple to
understand and universally popular. Sport for children is more likely to be
supported than drug rehabilitation. They will probably avoid giving to animal
rights organisations or for political ends. It is worth considering where you fit in
the popularity stakes before you start. Unpopular causes may be better
placed when applying to trusts and foundations.

Key:
• % Members of the UK percent club giving 1% of UK pre tax
profit for community activity
• I International interest
• C In store collections, in-store advertising, customer support
schemes
• S Sponsorship, Arts, Sport, Events, etc
• N Supporting and/or sponsoring a national charity(ies)
• P Supporting staff participation, community interests and/or
matching donations, payroll giving
• T Discounts on purchases for supported charities and
community groups
• L Supporting local charities in the communities they operate –
ask at local branch, outlet, factory, etc.
• D Donations for community groups
• F Foundation or trust requiring formal application
• V Provide expertise, paid volunteers from staff, or secondment
• K Gifts in kind, prizes for raffles
• A Awards and prizes, sponsorship or funding through partner
voluntary organisations

Supermarkets

Aldi
No information available. Try asking in store.

Asda
http://asdacares.gpalm.co.uk/community/community_load.html
Interests: safety, health, community
C,N,P,L,D,F

Booths
http://www.booths-supermarkets.co.uk/sponsorship_requests.html
Interests: not stated
L

Budgens – now a franchise network

No information available. Try asking in store.

Co-operative
http://asdacares.gpalm.co.uk/community/community_load.html
Interests: anti-social behaviour, crime, education, health, community
C,P,T,L,D,K

Cost Cutter - franchise network

No information available. Try asking in store.

Farmfoods
No information on website. Try asking in store.
Interests: community, donations as vouchers
C,D,K

Iceland – now part of Marks & Spencer Group (see below)

http://www.iceland.co.uk

John Lewis Partnership – Waitrose

http://www.johnlewispartnership.co.uk/TemplatePage.aspx?
PageType=SCT&PageID=8
Interests: youth, learning, environment, music, community
N,P,L,D

Lidl
No information available. Try asking in store.

Marks & Spencer

http://www2.marksandspencer.com/thecompany/ourcommitmenttosociety/co
mmunity/index.shtml
Interests: emergency aid, community self help
S,N,P,L,K

Morrisons - Safeway
http://www.morrisons.co.uk/CSRREPORT2.pdf
Interests: emergency aid, community
I,C,N,P,L,D

Netto
No information available. Try asking in store.
Or write to: Netto Foodstores Ltd, Elmsall Way, South Elmsall, Nr Pontefract,
West Yorkshire WF9 2XX

Sainsburys
http://www.j-sainsbury.co.uk/cr/index.asp?pageid=13
Interests: food, family, health, sport, children, schools, partnership with Comic
Relief
N,L,D,K,A

Somerfield – Kwik Save

http://csr2005.somerfield.plc.uk/community.asp
Interests: health, partners with Comic Relief, BBC Children in Need
I,N,P

Tesco
http://www.tescocorporate.com/page.aspx?
pointerid=A0E1C75E640440C3B3B3E6F4E945C786
Interests: children
%,C,N,P,F

High Street Shops and Retail Stores

Argos
http://www.argos.co.uk/static/StaticDisplay/includeName/AboutArgos.jsp.htm
Interests: hospices, children at risk, community in partnership, no donations or
gifts in kind
N,L

B&Q
http://www.diy.com/diy/jsp/bq/templates/content_lookup.jsp?
content=/aboutbandq/2004/social_responsibility/store_neighbourhoods.jsp&m
enu=aboutbandq
Interests: own schemes, Better Neighbour Grant Scheme, 'You Can Do It'
Awards, waste donation scheme
L,D,K,A

Body Shop
http://www.thebodyshopinternational.com/web/tbsgl/values.jsp
Interests: international, human rights, environment, also through Body Shop
Foundation
I,N,P,L,V

Boots
http://www.boots-plc.com//communityinvestment/information/info.asp?
Level1ID=17
Interests: health, community and through Boots Charitable Trust
N,L,D,F

Clarks
http://www.clarks.co.uk/
Interests: Aids/HIV through Soul of Africa
I

Comet
http://www.kesaelectricals.com/content.aspx?
cont=true&m=8&mi=134&title=Corporate+Social+Responsibility
Interests: employment, training through Envie, medical research
N,S,A

Debenhams
Try asking in store.
Interests: national partner
N

Dixons Group – Dixons, PC World, Currys, The Link

http://dsgportal01.dixons.co.uk/wps/portal/!
ut/p/.cmd/cs/.ce/7_0_A/.s/7_0_ID/_s.7_0_A/7_0_ID
Interests: community, education through DSG international Foundation
N,D,F,K

Dorothy Perkins
http://www.dorothyperkins.co.uk/promostores/dp/2006/
Interests: breast cancer, national partner
N

Gap
http://www.gapinc.com/public/SocialResponsibility/sr_community.shtml
Interests: community, children, youth through Gap Foundation
P,L,D,F,K

HMV
Try asking in store.
Interests: national partners.
N

H Samuel
http://www.hsamuel.co.uk/webstore/static/about/charity.do
Interests: carers, national partner
N

Jessops
http://www.jessops.com/corporate/clic.cfm
Interests: children’s cancer care through CLIC
N

McDonalds
http://www.rmhc.org/content/rmhc/index/programs.html
UK
http://www.rmhc.org/app_controller_rmhc.rmhcchapter_intl.rmhcchapter_intl.h
tml
Interests: children, health & wellbeing through Ronald McDonald House
Charities
I,N,L
Next
http://www.next.co.uk/pdfs/CSRR.pdf
Interests: health, youth, fashion
L,N,V,K

Richer Sounds
http://www.persula.org/
Interests: all funding through Persula Foundation, research using own
expertise
F,V

Superdrug
http://www.aswatson.com/eng/corp_community_europe.htm#superdrug
Interests: national partner, health
I,N

Thomas Cook
http://www.thomascook.com/corporate/press.asp?page=businesspolicy
Interests: national partner, ethical travel
N

Thorntons
Try asking in store.
Interests: national partner
N

Virgin
No information available. Try asking in store.

WH Smith
http://www.whsmithplc.com/grp/WHSPLC-CR6.htm
Interests: education, human potential though WH Smith Trust
P,L,F

Key:
• % Members of the UK percent club giving 1% of UK pre tax
profit for community activity
• I International interest
• C In store collections, in-store advertising, customer support
schemes
• S Sponsorship, Arts, Sport, Events, etc
• N Supporting and/or sponsoring a national charity(ies)
• P Supporting staff participation, community interests and/or
matching donations, payroll giving
• T Discounts on purchases for supported charities and
community groups
• L Supporting local charities in the communities they operate –
ask at local branch, outlet, factory, etc.
• D Donations for community groups
 • F Foundation or trust requiring formal application
• V Provide expertise, paid volunteers from staff, or secondment
• K Gifts in kind, prizes for raffles
• A Awards and prizes, sponsorship or funding through partner
voluntary organisations

Information supplied by www.fit4funding.org.uk from The Charities Information

Bureau. Further help and information about funding is available on the
www.fit4funding.org.uk website.