Millions Raised for COVID-19 Causes on Blackbaud’s JustGiving Platform

Thousands of charities, fundraisers and donors across the UK have turned to JustGiving to launch and donate to urgent appeals for COVID-19 causes

London, U.K. (April 8, 2020) – Blackbaud (NASDAQ: BLKB), the world’s leading cloud software company powering social good, has enabled thousands of fundraisers to use their time during the national lockdown to raise millions of pounds for COVID-19 causes using a number of creative initiatives on JustGiving. More than ever charities are relying on the goodwill of the public to help them deliver vital services all over the UK. From healthcare providers including the National Healthcare Service (NHS) to causes such as food banks, JustGiving has seen a sharp rise in the number of social good organizations launching emergency appeals on the platform.

The JustGiving platform, which removed platform fees in March of 2019 and has helped people in 164 countries raise billions for causes they care about, was created to help ensure no great cause goes unfunded. The many COVID-19 campaigns that have been launched have captured the spirit of JustGiving’s mission and showed the resilience and creativity of its loyal fundraising base. 

“We have been overwhelmed by the response from the public to the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Pascale Harvie, president and GM of Blackbaud’s operations in Europe. “Thousands of fundraisers have turned to JustGiving to raise millions of dollars for a number of good causes to help tackle this crisis. Whether they’ve run marathons in their gardens, cycled the distance of the Tour de France in their living rooms or donated their commute, we have been inspired by each and every one of those who have helped during this global emergency.”

Generous donors have helped raise millions of dollars for COVID-19 causes across the world, including direct donations to charities, supporting fundraising campaigns or creating their own crowdfunding appeals. Among the thousands of appeals that have been launched on JustGiving in recent weeks are a number of significant appeals that have really caught the public’s attention.

Private Individual Appeals

Thousands of fundraisers have turned to JustGiving to help the most vulnerable in society during a time of national emergency. This has been best demonstrated by the volume of creative crowdfunding and fundraising appeals that have launched on JustGiving. Whether it’s Jake Hill-Gowing who is cycling the distance of the Tour de France in his uniquely named Le Tour de Flat raising over $5,000 for the Big Issue Foundation or James Campbell and Keith Clarke who have both run marathons in their gardens, raising over $40,000 between them for NHS Charities Together and The Intensive Care Society in separate appeals. The anonymous COVID CUTS has launched the viral #covidcuts, encouraging people to get a home haircut and donate the cost of the usual haircut to the appeal, raising over $8,000 for NHS Charities Together. Jack McDermott, AKA Pieface23, livestreamed a series of silly challenges on Twitch raising over $13,500 for NHS Charities Together.

Quizmaster Laura Jones ran ‘the one where 114,000 people all over the world took part in a virtual F.R.I.E.N.D.S. quiz’ followed by a Disney quiz the following week raising almost $135,000 for NHS Charities Together. The aptly named ‘Barrython’ ran a 12-hour livestream of workouts, also to support NHS Charities Together, raising over $45,000. Proud Cornish residents Louise Hopes and Natalie Pain are urging their fellow Cornish residents to donate £1 each to the Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust Charitable Fund to help tackle the local COVID-19 response. So far, the people of Cornwall have donated over $37,000.

Celebrity Appeals

A number of British celebrities have helped raise thousands of dollars by launching appeals with charities. Star of Homeland Damian Lewis, his wife actress Helen McRory and their friend, star of Little Britain comedian Matt Lucas, teamed up with British restaurant chain LEON to launch an appeal to help feed NHS staff. After becoming the fifth largest crowdfunding appeal on JustGiving, raising over $1.1m, Damian, Helen and Matt have continued to use their voice to move the appeal to work with University College London Hospitals Charity, ensuring the funds raised go toward vital medical work to tackle COVID-19. English football legend Gary Lineker has launched the British Red Cross Coronavirus Response appeal, kick-starting it with a phenomenal $172,000 donation, with the appeal already raising more than $242,000. Some of the U.K.’s biggest comedians have come together to raise over $103,000 for the NextUp appeal. Comedians Lee Mack and Richard Herring both donated over $12,000 each to the appeal, more than $6,000 each from Sara Pascoe and Adam Kay and large donations both anonymously and from comedians including Dawn French, Tom Rosenthal, Al Murray, Angela Barnes, Susan Calman, Robert Webb and Geoff Norcott as well as many others. 

The Saturdays singer and TV presenter Rochelle Humes and her husband JLS singer and TV presenter Marvin Humes launched their appeal for the NSPCC to enable them to continue vital work protecting vulnerable children away from the safety of school, raising almost $13,000. Geordie Shore star and winner of the UK reality show I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here! Vicky Pattison launched an appeal with Age UK, McVities, Heinz, Whitworths and others to create care packages for elderly and vulnerable members of the community raising over $6,000 so far.

Charity Appeals

Large numbers of charities have launched emergency appeals both for COVID-19 causes and non-COVID-19 causes. The largest charity appeal on JustGiving is the NHS Charities Together appeal so far raising over $2m to provide urgent grants to member NHS Charities to support the health and emotional wellbeing of those at the frontline so they can deliver the best possible care to patients during this critical time. The Children’s Society has launched an Emergency Coronavirus Appeal to help thousands of vulnerable children who are now in dangerous environments, alone, hidden from view and subject to worsening neglect. Their appeal has so far raised over $60,000. Children’s charity Transforming Lives for Good have launched their Urgent Coronavirus Appeal to provide emergency care packages to children in desperate need whose families struggle financially to feed them. Their appeal has raised almost $36,000.

SameYou has launched an emergency appeal to help provide urgent medical care to brain injury and stroke patients to recover at home to allow hospital beds to be freed up for COVID-19 patients and has so far raised over $78,000. Imperial Health Charity launched their COVID-19 Relief Fund to support the five London hospitals in the Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust raising a fantastic $336,000. In Kind Direct have launched an appeal to get essential hygiene products dispensed to their network of 3,500+ charities to help vulnerable people during the crisis, so far raising nearly $20,000. The Irish Cancer Society has held a virtual Daffodil Day Coffee Morning raising over $16,000 while the Alzheimer Society of Ireland has launched an urgent appeal raising more than $65,000. Simon Community Scotland has launched its #GIVEHOPE appeal raising over $83,000 to help people in difficult situations with nowhere to self-isolate who may already be in a vulnerable health situation across Glasgow, Edinburgh and Central Scotland.

Business Appeals

A number of businesses have launched dedicated appeals, working with their colleagues, customers and suppliers to raise thousands of dollars for COVID-19 causes. The PRS Foundation has teamed up with the Spotify COVID-19 Music Relief Project to help alleviate hardship through grants for people working in the music industry. Spotify is matching donations pound-for-pound and with over $14,000 raised on their appeal so far, the total currently stands at more than $28,000. The Sunday Times have relaunched their 2019 Christmas Appeal to raise funds for the Education Endowment Fund (EEF) helping alleviate the devastating impact being out of school will have on the most vulnerable children in society. Adding to the Christmas Appeal, the Sunday Times has now raised $900,000 for this appeal alone. Global IT company Options launched their appeal with colleagues across London, Belfast and New York to support frontline medical staff where they operate by purchasing medical supplies, home support and technological support to fight the virus. They have so far raised almost $150,000.

Leyton Orient Football Club launched the incredible Ultimate Quaran-Team FIFA Tournament, pitting football fans against each other on FIFA raising over $70,000 for English Football League clubs and mental health charity MIND. The National Videogame Museum in the UK have also launched an emergency appeal to save the museum from closure during the lockdown as they struggle with a prolonged shutdown, so far raising over $38,000. 

About Blackbaud

Blackbaud (NASDAQ: BLKB) is the world’s leading cloud software company powering social good. Serving the entire social good community—nonprofits, higher education institutions, K–12 schools, healthcare organizations, faith communities, arts and cultural organizations, foundations, companies and individual change agents—Blackbaud connects and empowers organizations to increase their impact through cloud software, services, expertise and data intelligence. The Blackbaud portfolio is tailored to the unique needs of vertical markets, with solutions for fundraising and CRM, marketing, advocacy, peer-to-peer fundraising, corporate social responsibility, school management, ticketing, grantmaking, financial management, payment processing and analytics. Serving the industry for more than three decades, Blackbaud is headquartered in Charleston, South Carolina, and has operations in the United States, Australia, Canada, Costa Rica and the United Kingdom. For more information, visit  www.blackbaud.com or follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook.

About JustGiving

JustGiving is the world’s leading online fundraising platform, enabling over 24 million people to raise more than $4.9bn (£4.2bn) for over 26,000 charities since launching in the UK in 2000. As a tech-for-good company, JustGiving develops world-class technology and innovative tools to fulfil its mission to connect people with the causes they care about. By making giving more simple, social and rewarding, JustGiving helps all causes, charities and people in need to reach more people and raise more money. In March 2019, JustGiving removed its platform fees ensuring more money goes to good causes. Aside from the payment processing fee, 100% of donations now go to the causes people donate too. JustGiving joined Blackbaud in 2017. For more information, visit www.justgiving.com or follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.

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