LOCAL businesses were invited to spend the afternoon with a millionaire who revealed his latest charitable venture. John Elliott, who was Channel Four’s first Secret Millionaire in 2006, hosted an event recently on behalf of County Durham Community Foundation (CDCF), with which he has a fund to benefit community groups and individuals from the area.
John, vice president of CDCF, introduced Localgiving.com, a website specifically designed to support small, local charities and community groups by providing easy-to-use online marketing and donation tools.
The site helps local groups to promote themselves to local donors by creating their own webpage highlighting their work and fundraising activities. A powerful search engine lets donors find the charity they are looking for by breaking the search down by cause and area, so potential donors looking for a charity supporting the homeless in Durham will find one with just a click of the mouse!
Localgiving.com is the only website to enable those charities that are too small to register with the Charity Commission to claim Gift Aid, thus boosting donations by 25%.
Localgiving.com works in partnership with Community Foundations across the country ensuring charities on the website are checked and vetted. This process brings peace of mind to donors who can be sure their money is going to a good cause.
The resource also provides opportunities for businesses to become more involved with local good causes by providing in kind support and expertise.
John Elliott recently announced he was putting his Newton Aycliffe-based manufacturing business, EBAC, in a trust to pump profits into the local community – instead of passing on his £30m fortune to his children.
“The Community Foundation is very close to my heart and I am determined to help make a difference,” said John, who was awarded the MBE for services to small business in 1986. “I want to share details of how we can revolutionise the way businesses interact with community groups in their area, add value to their profit margins through staff development and raise the profile of their company.”
Barbara Gubbins, Chief Executive of County Durham Community Foundation, said: “The Community Foundation Network’s latest initiative, Localgiving.com, is revolutionising the way money is donated to charity.
“The ability to give to worthy local needs in an easy, reliable and trustworthy way is now at the fingertips of every business in the country.”
For more information on Localgiving.com, contact Clare Duggan, Programme Coordinator for Localgiving.com at County Durham Community Foundation, on 0191 378 6352 or at localgiving@cdcf.org.uk.
