Grassroots launch their new charity donation platform thanks to Giant’s digital grant

In the midst of the first lockdown of 2020, we at Giant knew we needed to do something to support the many charities hit by the pandemic. With demand increasing for charity services, and their ability to fundraise restricted by social distancing guidelines, charities were, and continue to be, some of the hardest hit by the crisis.

Having worked with charities and ethical brands for the past 10 years, the Giant team all agreed that we couldn’t just stand back and watch when the pandemic hit the sector. As a digital agency specialising in charity websites and donation platforms, we knew immediately that the best way to help would be to offer our digital expertise for free, to those who needed it most.

In March 2020 we launched a £20,000 grant, to be shared between four worthy causes, to help bring much needed fundraising activities or service provision online.

Last month saw the launch of the first of these initiatives – a timely donation platform for Grassroots, the award-winning suicide prevention charity, whose work keeps thousands of people safe from suicide each year.

Grassroots provides communities, organisations and individuals across the UK with the skills and confidence they need to save lives. Their approach is simple: get people talking openly and effectively about suicide. Formed in 2006, Grassroots have helped keep thousands of people safe from suicide and we are proud to be able to support their vital work.

Michael Jarvis, development manager at Grassroots, explained their reasons for applying for the grant and the impact the project has already had for them.

“We knew that better use of technology would make us more resilient, productive and versatile, but as a small team we lacked the technical expertise required. This grant was an opportunity to add a substantial and valuable tool to the charity without compromising our core work, and we are extremely grateful to Giant Digital for all their support. The platform has already helped increase donations and streamline processes - we couldn’t be more pleased”.

We are thrilled to have been able to support Grassroots with a bespoke donation platform, and are certain that it will not only support their fundraising activities, but also enable them to place even greater focus on their vital suicide prevention work at this critical time”.

The new donation platform, developed free-of-charge by Giant Digital, will enable Grassroots to receive one-off and regular donations with no associated platform costs, and uses the latest payment technology. It also offers the ability to automate gift aid, reporting and administrative activities that will help save precious charity time and resources.