A unique approach
The company supports hundreds of charities through their five-year sponsorship of the Virgin London Marathon. The biggest annual fundraising event in the world.
They also spotted a way to make online fundraising even better and in turn help hundreds of charities in the UK. In October 2009 they launched a not-for-profit fundraising website called Virgin Money Giving that helps all fundraisers raise more money for good causes, no matter what event they’re taking part in.
What do they support?
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The Virgin London Marathon |
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Thousands of runners take part in this event every year, including many Virgin Money and other Virgin staff. They run in aid of great causes, raising generous funds online. |
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Virgin Money Giving |
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This online tool is free for fundraisers and donors to use. Charges for charities are low and they can reclaim Gift Aid which is passed on in full.
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START |
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This is an exciting programme organised by the Prince’s Charities promoting sustainable living for the future. Virgin Money is developing ways to help inspire people to make small changes in the way they live today in order to make a big difference in the long run. |
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Local Charities |
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At a local level, Virgin Money helps many charities in the areas where they are based. This includes Green Light Trust, an environmental charity that helps people, communities and organisations create sustainable activities and protect our planet, Waverley Care who is Scotland’s leading charity supporting people with HIV and Hepatitis C, and the Norwich City Community Sports Foundation, a Foundation that helps over 50,000 people every year achieve their goals through sport, supporting some of the most disadvantaged, disabled and talented people across Norfolk. |
Work with Virgin Unite
Jo Barnett, Executive Director, Virgin Money Giving, said:
“Virgin Unite has been an active and enthusiastic supporter of our Marathon sponsorship and committed a lot of time and effort to maximise the amount of money raised across the group from the Virgin London Marathon. The team at Unite have also been ardent supporters of Virgin Money Giving since day one and our joint charity relationships and initiatives have been mutually beneficial for our businesses and those of our charity partners."
Impact?
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The Virgin London Marathon |
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The race has an amazing track record of supporting good causes – 817,890 runners have raised over £500 million since 1981. This is what inspired Virgin Money to get involved and see if they could help raise even more. Their aim is to help runners raise more than £250 million for good causes over five years.
In 2011 the Virgin London Marathon raised £51.8 million, setting a fifth consecutive world record for charity fundraising at a single annual event. |
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Volunteering |
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Every employee at the company gets a day off to get involved with work in their community. In 2010, staff donated over 11 weeks of their time (1,092 hours) to charities of their choice. Many staff took part in volunteering opportunities that allowed them to use their skills. They helped charities develop their business plans, create engaging websites and develop PR strategies. Some also supported young people by mentoring them. |
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Virgin Money Giving |
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Virgin London Marathon charity donations made through the Virgin Money Giving website increased by two-thirds to nearly £14 million in 2011. More than 350,000 people made Virgin London Marathon donations through Virgin Money Giving, compared with 214,405 in 2010. This means more money went to charity compared to other fundraising websites, so everyone is better off! |
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Local Charities |
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Among other charities, Virgin Money has helped Green Light Trust with critical funding, and marketing expertise to help re-launch the charity’s website, greenlighttrust.org. They’ve also funded the Norwich City Community Sports Foundation to help young children to participate in a Mini Kickers Community Programme that focuses on fun football games, skills tests and mini matches. |
Here’s what they are saying:
Sir Richard Branson, Virgin Group Founder and Chairperson, said:
“Virgin Money Giving is a great example of business working in partnership with the third sector to create new ways of doing things where everyone is better off.”
“As a not-for-profit business, charities can be confident that Virgin Money Giving’s fees are as low as we can possibly make them so they receive the maximum amount possible from every donation. Through Virgin Money Giving, for every £100 million raised, more than £5 million extra will find its way to the intended causes.”
To learn more about Virgin Money’s initiatives, please visit:
For more info on Virgin Money, please email:
Warren.Sparkes@virginmoney.com