Yes, that’s right you can raise funds for Merriott Bowls club while spending a penny or a pound, and you don’t even need to spend a penny more often than you would normally!

So how can we raise funds without spending more?  The answer lies in the concept of commission payments which have been around for years, right back to when you bought your insurance from a man (woman) in an office in the high street. In those days they earned 20-25% commission from the insurance company.

Nowadays most large companies pay a smaller commission to people and websites that pass business to them.  If you see a mention of a product in an internet article, and you click on the link to buy the product, the owner of the internet article earns a small commission.

Here’s the really important bit. YOU DO NOT PAY MORE THAN IF YOU SHOPPED NORMALLY. The commission is allowed for in normal pricing, NOT added to the price.

For Merriott Bowls Club you can shop at your normal retailers via EasyFundRaising, and nominate to have the commission given to Merriott Bowls Club. 

So how much can you raise?  Merriott members have raised £827 (and counting) using EasyFundRaising. In just over 2 years Merriott one of our members has raised £192 without spending a penny more than they normally would. Two examples of sources that raise larger amounts are:

1. Household, car and travel insurance.  You can access Moneysupermarket.com, GoCompare and other comparison sites through EasyFundRaising. The quotes given will be EXACTLY THE SAME as if you went direct to these sites. However, if you go through EasyFundRaising and buy insurance the club will benefit. For example members have raised £19 for each car insurance, £17 for annual travel insurance,  £16 for Home Insurance. If you go back to the comparison site and buy a new policy each year, you can raise a donation even though the cost may be the same or less than if they just renewed with the first company (renewals do not generate donations).

2. Another big earner is holidays. For example one member raised £80 by booking their holiday through EasyFundRaising. They could have booked with TUI, Thomas Cook, Virgin Atlantic, Trainline, Brittany Ferries, Stena, or many others.

There are over 8,000 retailers you can access to raise funds through EasyFundRaising, including  John Lewis,  Amazon,  Tesco,  Currys,  Asda,  Iceland,  eBay, Apple, Wayfair, Wickes, Argos, Sainsbury, Morrisons, Waitrose, M&S, eFlorist, Moonpig, NEXT, asos, Bodyshop, GAP and many many more

Sometimes the donations are small (especially through Amazon), but even donations of 10p add up.

So why not do your normal weekly shop through EasyFundRaising, pay exactly the same as you do at the moment to the same supermarket, and raise some funds for the club?  Or might the new freezer come from AO.com or Currys via EasyFundRaising?

How does it work?

First you need to go to easyfundraising.org.uk and set up a login. You do not have to pay, or leave card details.

As part of the registration process you select your nominated cause. Search for and select Merriott Bowls Club.

Now all you have to do is go to easyfundraising.org.uk when you want to buy something, see if the retailer is listed, and if so click on their entry to be taken to their site.

YOU MUST GO THROUGH EASYFUNDRAISING EVERY TIME YOU ACCESS THE RETAILER. If you go to a retailer to check prices and come back out, when you go back to order you MUST GO THROUGH easyfundraising.org.uk again.

When you place an order, as long as you went through easyfundraising.org.uk the retailer will credit easyfundraising who will credit Merriott Bowls Club.

Frequently asked questions

Q. Do I pay EasyFundRaising?

A. No, all orders and financial transactions are between you and the retailer. The retailer pays EasyFundRaising.

Q. Do EasyFundRaising know what I’m buying?

A. No, all they receive is the category i.e. ‘Car Insurance’

Q. Can I use my normal account with the shop/retailer, use my loyalty card, use Clubcard points, use vouchers etc.?

A. Yes, Easyfundraising simply takes you to the normal site, where you can login as normal, and use all the normal facilities.

Q. What if I forget to go through EasyFundRaising?

A. Then the club will not receive a commission. It can not be applied retrospectively. However, you can download a ‘Browser Extension’ which will recognise if you try and go straight to a retailer and will offer to divert you via EasyFundRaising. See easyfundraising.org.uk/donation-reminder

Q. Are all the donations the same?

A. No, they vary widely. Some may be a fixed amount, e.g. £1.00 or £10.00. Others are a percentage, possibly with a maximum.  For larger orders (holidays, insurance etc.) the percentage offers provide a bigger donation. Don’t be put off if your first order only raises pennies, a later one may more than compensate!

Q. Can it go wrong?

A. Yes, with millions of orders going through the system some may go astray. There is an option to raise a query if you think you are due a donation but it hasn’t appeared. To be honest our member with the highest contribution has never queried a donation – life’s too short!

This page contains personal views of the author. Refer to Easyfundraising for precise and contractual terms and conditions