How to Turn Black Friday & Cyber Monday Shopping into An Act of Giving

#GivingTuesday is just weeks away, but before that, Black Friday and Cyber Monday holiday shopping will take place first.  In 2013, consumers spent $1.20 billion online on Black Friday and $2.29 billion on Cyber Monday, with 2014 online shopping sales expected to grow by 15 to 28 percent.  

Why does this matter to you?  If you’re going to take advantage of Thanksgiving weekend deals and shop online, turn that shopping into an act of giving. How? By using Shopping2Give.com. We recently spoke with Shopping2Give’s Founder, David Kestenbaum to learn more about this philantrhopic way to shop. Here is what we learned:

Q: What is Shopping2Give?

David:  Shopping2Give.com is a shopping portal where a percentage of consumer purchases will be donated to the charity of their choice.  Most of the popular online retailers are on the site and we are adding new ones daily.  It is a cost free and easy way to give to your favorite charity.  The average online shopper by 2015 will purchase close to $2,000 annually.  That would be around $50 going to their charity.  With 200 million US online shoppers, think about the difference we all can make without doing anything we aren’t already doing.

Q: How did you get the idea for starting Shopping2Give?

David: I have been involved with my kids’ various school fundraising campaigns and loved the idea of making a difference in easy, everyday ways.  We all have budgets and constraints that limit our charitable contributions.  Shopping2Give is a great way to painlessly help worthy causes we care about.  Retailers are looking for sales and we are helping them steer sales their way. They are happy to give a percentage to capture these sales.  It is up to us to avail ourselves of this opportunity.  Think about how much good you can do if even just 2 or 3 percent of your online purchases went to your favorite charity.  There is over $200 billion of online shopping being done a year and these numbers are growing fast.

Q: How does Shopping2Give work?

David: First you need to register on shopping2give.com.  It literally takes a minute.  Once you register, you can choose your charity simply by using our charity navigator tool.  If your charity isn’t listed, just let us know and we will add them.  Right now you will need to first sign in to our site and then go to your retailer of choice.  We are excited to be working on a tool that will allow you to go straight to the retailer without signing in, but that is a month or so away.  Once you sign in you will see your total donations on the homepage and you can always click on your account to see more detailed information.

Q: How can charities get involved?

David: The great thing about Shopping2Give is that it costs the charity and supporter absolutely zero.  Charities can get involved by contacting us directly at liz@shopping2give.com .  We will take them step by step through the easy process of getting started.  We will provide them with marketing material and a direct link for their supporters to sign up and make that specific charity their designated one.  It is so easy it is ridiculous!  I cannot comprehend why any charity would even hesitate to get started.

Q: How can companies get involved?

David: We work with retailers like Macy’s, Bergners, WalMart, Sam’s Club, Banana Republic, with new retailers from a variety of shopping categories (i.e. office supplies, clothing, electronics) joining all the time, and we also like to offer special deals from them.  This is a great way for retailers to incorporate social responsibility goals with sales. If your company is interested in participating, contact us at liz@shopping2give.com.