UK: A facebook for charities

PRESS RELEASE – The old adage says ?charity begins at home?? but now it begins online at MyCharityPage.com. This eagerly awaited website – which helps charities and fundraisers network with each other and their potential supporters and shop online for their nominated good cause at no personal cost – is launching in January 08.

The charity world?s answer to MySpace or Facebook, MyCharityPage.com encourages users to build a profile page explaining their fundraising activities (perhaps they?re participating in the London Marathon 2008 or doing a bungee jump to help local children?). Each user has their own URL ? e.g. www.mycharitypage.com/bethsmarathon – so friends and supporters can visit their web page directly and make donations.

MyCharityPage.com doesn?t take commission from its users and claims 22% gift aid tax back on behalf of the nominated charity, where it can. So, for every £100 donated by a UK tax paying individual, the charity receives a £28.21 refund from HMRC.

Good online shopping
Furthermore, users can shop online through MyCharityPage.com – with a choice of high street and niche retailers including John Lewis, Dixons, Currys, The Body Shop, Marks and Spencer, etc. When buying goods or services, the user can earn commission towards their fundraising, which is then paid into the bank account of their chosen charity.

So, whenever a user shops on MyCharityPage.com, money can be raised for charity effortlessly. Once a user has logged into the website, they can click through affiliate links and see what commission they?ll earn. For example, if MyCharityPage.com offers 5% commission at Argos.co.uk and the user spends £100, they will have raised £5 for their chosen charity: a sum that will be displayed on their profile page and count towards their fundraising total.

Web 2.0
As with Facebook and MySpace, users can also write blogs, upload photos and videos, contribute to forum discussions, add friends to their network, send private messages and create and join groups.

Adam Foyster, founder, says: ?There?s a real buzz around the launch of MyCharityPage.com. Unlike rival sites, it accepts online donations, supports shopping for charity and also has a comprehensive social networking function. We believe it?s the only UK website of its kind that doesn?t charge commission on donations, so the charity receives the full amount every time. The site also presents a real opportunity for charities to interact directly with thousands of new fundraisers.?

To date, more than 300 charities have registered their interest in MyCharityPage.com and this number is growing daily, with a further 100 charities expected to come on board by the official launch in early January. Pre launch, fundraisers and charities can register via the holding page at www.mycharitypage.com.