LocalGiving.com
Localgiving.com, the UK’s first online giving website dedicated to helping small charities and local community organisations raise support and awareness online.
Founded by dotcom entrepreneur Marcelle Speller in 2008, Localgiving.com provides a unique opportunity for small charitable organisations to create an online presence through which members of the public can easily locate and fund small community projects in their local areas.
One Scottish not-for-profit organisation to sign up to LocalGiving.com is the North West Carers’ Centre based in the Muirhouse area of Edinburgh. It offers services to people who care for a family member incapacitated by an illness, disability, mental health issue or substance dependency.
The centre is using LocalGiving.com to raise funds for its Wi Rascals Young Carers’ Group. The Princess Royal Trust for Carers estimates that there are 16,700 young carers in Scotland. Many young carers can feel isolated because they have little or no time to spend with friends, and their education can often be affected as they try to juggle their schoolwork and responsibilities at home.
Wi Rascals was set up to help young people with the demands of being a carer. It offers a range of social and recreational activities to boost confidence and self esteem of its members, while offering advice and support.
Marcia McGuiness, the centre’s carer support coordinator, said: “We know that the wellbeing, mental and physical health of our young carers improves with the right support. We can see their confidence grow as the spend time with their peers outside their normal caring roles.
“Our young carers live in an area of high deprivation where there are very limited facilities and services available to them. Wi Rascals is the only local young carers’ project. Since it was set up, it’s encouraged more young people and their families to come forward and get the help and support that they need.”
Funding raised through LocalGiving.com will also help the North West Carers’ Centre to employ an activities worker for one year to deliver a programme of events for unpaid carers.
The centre’s support service coordinator, Teresa Woodman, said: “We’re continually looking for funding to continue and add to the services we offer to carers living in the northwest of Edinburgh. We decided to use LocalGiving.com to raise awareness of the centre and make it easy for people to support our work with donations.”
For an annual membership fee of just £60, Scottish organisations that have been vetted by the Scottish Community Foundation can register on Localgiving.com The site offers an online donation service with automated Gift Aid processing.
Any small registered charities or constituted community groups in Scotland that would like to appear on LocalGiving.com should contact Jane Martin, Localgiving.com Coordinator at the Scottish Community Foundation on 0131 524 0301 or email localgiving.com@scottishcf.org for more information.