Go shopping in downtown Guelph on Saturday May 11th and 10% of your purchase will be donated to a worthy cause. Some of our finest downtown retailers and eateries will be taking part in this fundraiser, and customers can choose to give their contribution from a list of 9 local charities (see below).
The idea of a ‘cause marketing’ event was first pitched to the Downtown Guelph Business Association (DGBA) by local businesswoman and store owner Sarah Harrison in May 2012 after a visit to the Retail Success Summit in Michigan. Sarah says “this community-focused event has proven successful in towns across North America and is very appealing to me as a business owner. Charities benefit from the funds raised and we see new customers in our store”.
Downtown Gives Back was trialled in September 2012. So successful was this first attempt that the event will take place twice in 2013, first on Saturday May 11th and then again on Saturday September 14th.
Speaking of the 2012 event, Peter Thurley of The Children’s Foundation of Guelph and Wellington said “Downtown Gives Back allowed us to provide more than 500 breakfast meals for kids in our community. It means so much that Guelph’s downtown is able to make such a significant difference in the lives of hungry children. We’re excited to see how many kids businesses and shoppers will be able to support this year.” Marty Williams of the DGBA adds “it’s an exceptionally positive scenario in which customer, business and charity all benefit.”