Laura Sherwood-King
There are so many ways to support nature! There are the conventional ways you may have thought of, like setting up bug hotels, reducing your carbon footprint and running a marathon to raise funds.
Did you know that you can also help by fundraising while you shop and sell online – usually at no extra cost to you? Here are six ways to save nature as you spend.
eBay is a sustainable way to buy and sell unwanted items and sellers can choose to donate from 1 to 100% of your sales profit to the RSPB – with the added bonus that eBay will deduct the same percentage from your sellers fees.
As a buyer you can also choose to support the RSPB by making a donation at checkout when you buy.
Simply start your sales listing as normal and at the bottom of the page you will find the symbol and tick box shown below. Tick the donate a portion to charity box, choose your donation percentage from 1 to 100% and select RSPB from the menu of charity names.
Once you've made your sale, post your items to the customer as normal - there is no additional work required. eBay automatically sends the donation to the RSPB and will send you a completed donation receipt once your buyer has paid. eBay will also credit you an equal percentage deduction of your selling fees.
There are a few limitations on what items can be included such as lottery and raffle tickets – you can find full details here: eBay selling for charity
“During lockdown I spent a great deal of time sorting through items I had stored away, some of these I listed on eBay and chose to donate the proceeds to RSPB - it couldn't have been easier…” LI – RSPB supporter
Over a quarter of the UK’s under 25s are buying and selling on Depop and you can choose to support the RSPB by donating a percentage of your sales to us from your account page and as you set up each new listing. Depop - Start Selling
Shopping with Amazon can make a difference for nature each time you shop via Amazon Smile.
Amazon Smile allows buyers to donate a small percentage of their purchases to a charity of their choice at no extra cost to the shopper.
Amazon will donate 0.5% of the price of all eligible purchases direct to the RSPB.
Get started now: speedy sign up process to support the RSPB as you shop
The RSPB is also signed up with a number of the biggest online shopping platforms.There are over 4,400 retailers linked to easyfundraising who donate every time you purchase via the easyfundraising portal. They include: John Lewis, Argos, eBay, M&S, Waitrose, Holland & Barrett, House of Fraser, Screwfix and many more. So, can even support the RSPB to save nature buying insurance or your weekly food shop.
We have set up an easyfundraising account for each of the UK countries so, you can chose to support the work of your local RSPB team:
Add the link as a bookmark or get the app and set a reminder to prompt you every time you shop.
Give as you Live Online is another easy way to raise free funds for RSPB, simply by shopping online at over 4,000 stores. Click on a store you want to shop and your purchase will automatically generate free funds.
Other loyalty cards including your Marks & Spencer Sparks card also allows you to donate to the RSPB every time you shop and use the card at checkout.
Subscribe to this blog: If you enjoy reading the latest news and updates from Nature's Home Magazine Uncovered - click on 'subscribe by email' on the right.
For more on reserves, visit our Reserves A-Z and head over to our Bird A-Z for identification and behaviour information. Email: natureshome@rspb.org.uk