Britons want to know where their money goes

Donors see exactly the difference they make to charity thanks to new video website See The Difference

London, UK ---- Over half of UK consumers say they would give more to charity if they knew exactly where their money was being spent* and a brand new site, http://www.seethedifference.org launches today to make that happen.

New not-for-profit video site See The Difference contains a diverse range of video projects from UK charities working at home and abroad. Visitors to the site can choose a charity project that means something to them, know exactly where their money is going and for the first time, then See The Difference they make through feedback that each charity has pledged to provide on every project.

Founder of See The Difference Dominic Vallely said: ?We know that people today want to understand exactly where their money goes and see how it will be used. Whether it?s helping orphans in Malawi or bats in Barnsley you will be able to See The Difference you make every time.?

?We are bringing choice, real stories and the chance to know where your money goes. There?s a huge mix of projects, people can discover smaller charities like MapAction, who made a difference in Haiti as well as projects from the likes of Oxfam, Macmillan and The Children?s Society.?

?We want to bring charity to a new generation. In an era of global travel, video messaging and Facebook, seeing the difference you can make is a natural next step.?

This initiative has inspired the support of 25 corporate partners including Accenture, EMC, McCann Erickson, Microsoft and Reed Smith. See The Difference has partnered with Virgin Money Giving to provide the platform to manage the financial transactions, which means their donations will go quickly and securely to their chosen charitable cause.

Virgin Money Giving?s Marketing Director, James Potter comments: ?See The Difference offers charities the opportunity to engage with new and existing givers in a unique way whilst simultaneously delivering choice and transparency. Virgin Money Giving is looking forward to this exciting new journey in the world of charitable giving in partnership with See The Difference.?

If you?re having a World Cup Party, why not build a footy pitch for street kids in Mombassa or make a difference through football to disadvantaged young people in the UK or bring clean water to South African townships.

ENDS

Notes to Editors:

* Research notes:

Over 2000 UK consumers were polled in this research commissioned by See The Difference and conducted by Vision Critical. Data was collected in December 2009.
The top five things that would make people give more to Charity were:

1. Knowing exactly where my money has gone (51%)
2. Actually seeing the difference my money has made (40%)
3. Feeling like I?m helping real people and not just a brand / organisation (37%)
4. Knowing that the charity won?t use the money to cover admin costs (30%)
5. Being told who benefited (29%)


Quotes:

Marketing Manager at The Children?s Society Liliane Dwek said: ?See The Difference gives the donor a unique opportunity to see firsthand what we are doing and we are delighted to be able to use video to tell our story and engage and new generation of support.?

Amanda Bringans, Director of Fundraising, Macmillan Cancer Support said: ?Out of all the projects I hear about, this was one that really excited me as it allows Macmillan to make a direct connection with donors and to enhance our brand using contemporary technology; we are proud to have helped develop this amazing project.?

Institute of Fundraising?s CEO, Lindsay Boswell, said: ?Charities put a huge amount of energy and effort into trying to reach a younger audience. See the Difference brings charities work alive to the laptop and You Tube generation, and I think they will open up giving in a new and innovative way.?

ACEVO?s CEO, Stephen Bubb said: ?It is clear that the third sector needs to embrace technology, and look at more efficient ways of delivering their message. See The Difference is championing charities in telling their stories through innovative and enterprising methods. This will be a significant addition to the economic and social force of the third sector.?

About See The Difference
http://www.seethedifference.org

See The Difference is a not-for-profit video site where you can literally see the difference you make to specific charity projects.

With See The Difference, people can now choose a charity project that means something to them, know exactly where their money goes and then See The Difference they make through feedback that each charity has pledged to provide on every project.

Launched in June 2010 with support from over 150 UK charities large and small See The Difference was created in response to the demand from UK donors to know exactly where their money goes and to See The Difference it makes. Research of over 2,000 UK consumers in December 2009 found that 51% of people would give more to charity if they knew exactly where their money goes.

See The Difference aims to help charities engage more deeply with the 23 million strong ?Facebook generation?. It has pioneered low cost video film-making and uses social media and a cutting edge ?cloud? based platform to engage audiences and share their favourite video stories.

See The Difference is supported by 25 corporate partners including Accenture, Audio Network, EMC, Microsoft, McCann Erickson, Reed Smith, TwoFour and Virgin Money Giving and is a registered charity in England and Wales (1127980).


Contact:

Josephine Corbett / Rosie Dodd
0207 269 7250 / 0207 269 7112
seethedifference@fd.com