The charity announced it has secured match funding through the Big Give Christmas Challenge, meaning all donations made between now and 9th December will be doubled.
The UK’s largest public fundraising campaign, the Big Give Christmas Challenge launched last week aiming to surpass last year’s £44.7m record total. Backed by £25.6m in match funds from philanthropists, companies and foundations, the week-long event will boost the fundraising power of 1,589 charities.
Among them is Sal’s Shoes – the charity providing footwear to families facing hardship. The match funding opportunity comes at a critical time: in the past 12 months, Sal’s Shoes has distributed more than 500,00 pairs, including 90,000 school shoes.
A survey commissioned by the charity found 81% of families receiving footwear said they would otherwise have had to cut back on food to afford shoes for their children.
Speaking to Social Care Today, CJ Bowery, founder of Sal’s Shoes, said: ‘This is an amazing opportunity for a small charity making a big impact to raise much needed funds in the current funding climate.’
In similar vein, James Reed, chair of the trustees of Big Give, added: ‘Match funding is a simple idea, but a brilliant one, and we know our donors love the fact that their money ends up going twice as far…It’s your chance to double the impact you make.’
Last year, the Christmas Challenge became the UK’s biggest public fundraising event, overtaking Children in Need and Comic Relief. Since 2007, Big Give has raised almost £370m for more than 20,000 charity projects.
‘The Big Give Christmas Challenge is the perfect way to amplify your generosity,’ Gareth Malone, honorary patron of London Youth Choirs, said. ‘Doubling donations is a fantastic inventive to give.’
The initiative launched on 2nd December and is due to end at midday on 9th December 2025.
Image: Kawê Rodrigues/UnSplash
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