D-Day: Donate, Don’t Dump
Welcome to D-Day, including those who have found us after being inspired by Mary Portas’ idea on the BBC programme Mary, Queen Of Charity Shops. Here you will be able to find out more information about charity shops, and how you can follow Mary’s lead to really make a difference instore. Find out more about charity shops by clicking here.
- What do we want?
- What is D-Day?
- How does D-Day work?
- Why is D-Day a good idea?
- Environmental benefits of reuse
- How can I set up my own D-Day?
- D-Day for charities
- D-Day for businesses
- D-Day for individuals
- D-Day for the public sector
What do we want?
We aim to improve the quality and quantity of donations to charity shops, and for giving in this way to become a more regular occurrence.
What is D-Day?
In military terms, ‘D-Day’ is the day on which an operation begins, with D simply standing for ‘day’. For us, the meaning has far happier connotations: it is the Day for Donations.
How does D-Day work?
On a designated day, a business will host a donations drive. Staff will be encouraged to bring in to work one good quality item they no longer want or need, which will be given to a waiting charity representative. These goods can then be sold through charity shops to raise money for charities. In the current economic climate, some shops have found they are running out of stock as people are more likely to buy than to give; this is an easy and fun way of getting more donations into stores, where they can be sold for maximum profit.
Why should people only bring in one thing?
There are three reasons why this is a good idea:
- It is easier for someone to carry only one piece of clothing, record or book into work than to carry a bag full. This means people are more likely to do it.
- People can choose the one best thing to give away. Donations are often of better quality if they are picked out in this way.
- A lot of people bringing in one good quality item means a lot of donations. Of course, people can bring in more donations if they want to!
Why is D-Day a good idea?
Everybody wins. Businesses and their staff are able to help charities to raise money; people are able to feel good while de-cluttering their lives; charities gain both stock and the chance to take their message to a new audience. Reuse is even good for the environment!
Environmental benefits of reuse
Charity shops are helping the environment in several different ways:
- Shopping in and donating to charity shops means customers have a low carbon footprint: no further energy or resources are required to create these goods
- Reusing goods such as textiles and books prevents them from being sent to landfill: instead, they can be sold on to raise money for charitable causes
- UK charity shops’ reuse activity alone helps reduce CO2 emissions by about 2.5 million tonnes p.a. (based on a saving of 33kg CO2e per Kg of clothing compared to disposal)
- Textiles that cannot be sold are recycled: charity shops re-use and recycle over 250,000 tonnes of textiles each year
How can I set up my own D-Day?
Click on one of the links below to guide you through the process, for: