As the Do We / Don’t We Brexit debate continues, GoRaise’s COO Ellen Howard (pictured left, with CEO Gary Thompson) shares her views.

Imagine – if you haven’t already – the worst case scenario for fundraisers following a successful
Brexit: Britain’s charity sector loses £200m European funding per year and individual charities can no longer bid for any of the EU’s multi-billion development support… How would they all survive?

While hardy Brexiters describe a future with less red tape and reduced VAT liability, should such a humungous shortfall come to fruition the voluntary sector will undeniably be put under immense strain.

Says Ellen Howard, COO at GoRaise:

“We could worry about how Brexit will affect startups and funding in general, but we’re more concerned about what it means for charities as they really will need all the help they can get. Our mission is to support them in the tough times ahead.”

“If we were to look for potential positives of leaving the EU then perhaps UK retailers will see increased custom from overseas, due to a low value sterling. But then if prices go up this might not be the case. GoRaise shouldn’t be radically affected in the short term as we’re a startup with a small, but growing staff, so we’re still building our infrastructure and systems and can flex accordingly. Ultimately, however, everyone at GoRaise hopes that the current situation resolves itself soon. An unstable economy makes the public financially cautious and stalls businesses from making donations, which are crucial to the ongoing good work of so many charities that help so many people.”

“We hope that now more than ever, the public will realise that by shopping through GoRaise they can make a real difference to any scheme, cause or charity of their choice, at no extra cost to the them. The retailer will donate a percentage of their online transaction to their favourite cause or charity and the system is set up so that people can continue to fundraise on a regular basis.”