Gift Your Gear from Rohan clothing
Do you give to charity? And what do you give? I personally don’t give much cash. I sponsor friends when they do some impressive sports achievements and I recently sent in a £5 text to support Greg James for Sport Relief. But I do give a lot of clothes. I gave three bags full of clothes to my school recently and 20 bras to my local bra shop who sends them off to Africa! I donate food to food banks and took part in the foodbank advent project last November to give 25 items.
Outdoor clothing brand, Rohan have recently released research that takes a deeper look into how, when and more importantly, why we give to charity. Britons prefer to give personal belongings to charity (43%), over donating money (19%), volunteering for a community (7%), setting up a direct debit (4%), donating blood (3%), or even signing a petition (2%). The research was conducted by Rohan, in support of the Gift Your Gear campaign, an independent initiative that encourages outdoor enthusiasts to donate outdoor gear they no longer want, or need, extending its usage.
My personal experience
This is interesting how this agrees with my personal experience. I have volunteered for the community in the past. I did ALOT of work for the local football team when my eldest was in the team. Two years of many hours worth of admin, selling tea and coffee, sourcing football kits, for not much thanks. I have tried to donate blood, I even went as far as talking to a blood donation doctor. Alas my low platelets mean my blood isn’t good enough to donate. I have never set up a direct debit to give money to charity.
Dr Frank Shaw, Foresight Director at the Centre for Future Studies, compares the research and looks into how the nature of giving has evolved, to predict how this will impact the future of giving.
We are a Nation of Givers
The research found that we’re a nation of givers, with over half (64%) having donated to charity within the last month, opposed to just 7% of the population having never donated to charity before. That said, Britons have become a lot more conscious of who they are donating to, with over four in 10 people (42%) having avoided a public fundraiser by crossing the road, or pretending to be on the phone.
When it comes to personal ‘things’ and giving them away to those in need, over half (55%) typically donate second hand items to charity 1-4 times a year, but some struggle with the idea of giving clothing away, especially if they are somewhat sentimental (46%). The top three items of clothing cited as hardest to part with, includes clothing with fond memories; outfits worn to a special event, or a garment that was given as a gift.
If our excess clothes have have little value on eBay then I will bag them up and give to charity.
Dr Frank Shaw comments “Over the past few years, we’ve seen a significant change from a linear economy (make, use, dispose), evolving into a circular economy, where resources are kept in use, as long as possible to extract maximum value from them. The circular economy replaces the ‘end of life’ concept, shifting towards renewable energy and of course, the elimination of waste. The Gift Your Gear initiative demonstrates just one effective aspect of the circular economy, increasing the role of circulating items that would otherwise be thrown away”.
As a nation, we’re becoming more and more conscious of how we can make a difference to those in need, with a third of people in the UK (33%) donating personal items because they want to help their local community. Dr Frank Shaw continues: “In the last few years we’ve seen a resurgence in community fundraising, a positive trend for both charities and their beneficiaries which will continue to grow. Eight out of 10 Britons agree that charities play a vital role in their local community[2], and initiatives like Gift Your Gear is an example of how people can give back to their local communities, in a tangible, measureable and sustainable way.”
More about Rohan’s support of Gift Your Gear
About Gift Your Gear
Gift Your Gear is an award-winning nationwide initiative that provides outdoor clothing and equipment to UK community organisations, youth groups and charities working with young people in the outdoors. giftyourgear.com
Where can you donate? At all 57 Rohan stores nationwide, visit www.rohan.co.uk/shopfinder to find your nearest branch.
When can you donate? The next donation period takes place from 1st March – 31st March 2018
What can you donate? Any usable outdoor clothing, regardless of the brand. Anything from waterproof jackets to walking trousers or fleeces will be accepted.
Can gear be donated without making a purchase? Yes, all donations are appreciated. Rohan will be offering a 15% discount off any full price purchase made in store at the same time as a qualifying Gift Your Gear donation. Please note the discount is per transaction and not based on the number of items donated.
What happens to the donated gear? All outdoor clothing and equipment donated to Gift Your Gear that is reusable and fit for purpose is offered to an approved Gift Your Gear community organisation, youth group or charity working with young people in the outdoors. You can rest assured the donations will be reused for their original purpose and not traded or sent to a landfill. Gift Your Gear makes a difference. To date, Gift Your Gear has re-purposed over 90,000 items, supporting over 1,000 community organisations, youth groups and charities working with young and disadvantaged people in the outdoors.
[2] Charity Today 2017
This is a collaborative post.
