Live updates: Fighting against coronavirus at Crowdfunder

Here at Crowdfunder, we want to tell the stories of the people and businesses who are working through the coronavirus crisis on our platform.

So many businesses are struggling with a snap downturn in custom which could see them go bust. In this time of crisis, we’re here with 100% free fundraising for your business along with support from Enterprise Nation. You can find Pay It Forward in the Cabinet Office’s Business Support list here.

Find out more about Pay It Forward here.

Here are the live stories right now!

• Our CEO, Rob Love, gives his insight on the rules of reopening
• An update from Crowdfunder’s Creative Director, Simon Deverell, on economic recovery.
• Crowdfunder’s CEO, Rob Love, gives his insight on the power of the crowd.
• Listed by the Cabinet Office as part of the response to the crisis

Read on to find out more…

Update 6 July
10:00am

A weekly update from our CEO

The Rules of Reopening

As independence days go, this one nestled somewhere between the US and the Will Smith versions. We were promised drinking at 6am on Saturday morning and feared social distance flouting as revellers partied on into the early hours. Aside from a few isolated examples, neither turned into reality. Instead, this last weekend – the first where most shops, pubs, bars and restaurants opened – demonstrated the limitations of centralised rule making. The onus is now on businesses to balance their economic needs with necessary health rules. They are the rule enforcers in the new normal.

Striking a balance will be tricky but, like everything in this pandemic, underneath every challenge lies an opportunity. Get it right, and customers will return, recognising a safe, caring yet enjoyable experience. Go too stringent, and there will be a sterilisation of the customer’s experience. For example, how far should a pub go when showing sound-off football? Mid volume or press the mute button? If a team scores a last-minute winner and a punter shouts out in excitement (or – Arsenal fan – anger), should the landlord chuck them out? And what of restaurants? Capacity is limited and the onus is on the front desk to take names and addresses of customers – what if they refuse? What if they only give half the details asked for?

These questions show how rules become more open to interpretation the nearer they get to the people they’re there to govern. It is not a new phenomenon.  There are entire studies devoted to the science of rulemaking, including this one from public policy experts Celine Colombo and Sven Steinmo who ask why people follow rules even when it’s not in their interest to do so. This is a very pressing question for business owners who, in the face of Covid-19 rules, are actually losing money by following them, and for customers who, in search of a pint or a screen, may actually be better off staying home. The study concludes that we follow rules when we’re closely monitored by external forces – the police, a restaurant owner, a pub landlord – or, if this monitoring is absent because, say, there are too many people to keep tabs on or the ‘monitor’ is unwilling (e.g. a barman who doesn’t fancy telling his customers off) then we only follow rules if they align with our common sense and values.

For our reopening businesses, this leaves two options when it comes to maintaining the rules protecting our public health:

1. Become the monitor and strictly regulate adherence to the rules
2. Implement the rules in a way that aligns with common sense

Businesses should opt for the latter. This means clearly communicating why certain rules have been introduced and passing them through a ‘common sense’ filter. It requires flexibility and adaptability – constantly reiterating how customers interact with rules and being prepared to make adjustments as we go. The 4^th July opening was just the start. Over time, we will strike the right balance between a quality experience that means a customer comes back and the safety of centrally imposed rules. It is a constant iteration. How our businesses operate in a week’s time, let alone in the months ahead, could look very different from the weekend just gone.

Update 29 June
4:25pm

An update from our Creative Director

U shaped? V shaped? We’ll need a full alphabet to chart a post-Covid economic recovery.

“What shape will the recovery be?” Stumble upon any (virtual) gathering of economists and this question is guaranteed to be on the agenda. The answer to this pretty complex question is usually a disarmingly simple letter that represents the trajectory of decline and growth on a graph. Could it resemble a V? Will it be U shaped? Worse still, could it be an L?

I don’t have an economics degree but as someone who has worked with many small businesses over the last few months, supporting them to retain and build custom by pre-selling goods through our ‘Pay It Forward’ platform, I have my own answer to the shape-of-recovery question: a whole alphabet is required. Sadly, there will be no neat, single letter. This is a sectoral recovery. This means that for every sector – from leisure and hospitality through to construction – there will be different patterns of recovery. Each will have a different letter.

This is important to remember as we edge closer to 4th July. We’re about to see restrictions lifted and lockdown eased, meaning many businesses can return to normality. Or rather, half normality. And this is where the problem lies. Necessary measures such as mask-wearing, social distancing and hand washing will remain in place and make reopening businesses from a standing start even more challenging. Think about that tiny Italian restaurant that must ensure a metre’s distance between each table and create space around a tiny sink in a downstairs toilet to enable all visitors to wash their hands before and after dining. Or the local hardware store that, pre-Covid, was packed on a Saturday morning ahead of a weekend’s DIY but now must limit customers to two at a time. Revenue will be down; profitability will be hampered. 

Loyal customers ultimately support local businesses by putting their pounds into them. For the sake of our high street and communities, this must continue over the coming months. Yet choosing local in and of itself will not be enough for some sectors. For example, to turn a profit in any circumstances, the average restaurant must operate at 75% capacity on average – this will be impossible in the new normal. Even the Government’s own figures have shown us that there will be a 25-40% drop in revenues for hospitality settings. Businesses in these sectors need more than just visitors, they need innovation.

This is where crowdfunding comes into play. It has never been about shaking a bucket or raising money for raising money’s sake. Crowdfunding is about rewarding innovation and this has to be a mainstay of small businesses, even after 4th July. This could mean some small businesses maintaining their online presence on Crowdfunder, built during lockdown, like pubs such as The Rose and Crown who pivoted their offer to allow patrons the chance to pre-buy bar tabs, or even inventing a new product line to raise the funds needed to make old offerings Covid-secure. This is the case with family company, Sabai Warrior Fitness, whose Crowdfunder saw its transformation from exceptional gym to exceptional gym that also sells t-shirts, hoodies and equipment. The money they’ve raised will make the current facility social-distance friendly.  

These are just two of the many examples that demonstrate the need for businesses to adapt and the power of innovation to do so. Along with resilience and a one metre (plus) tape measure, innovation will be the small business owner’s most powerful weapon as we begin to clean up the economic mess caused by Covid. Deployed effectively, it may make the difference between those fateful letters we use to describe what recovery looks like. Given the ingenuity I’ve already seen, and the willingness of the crowd to support it, I’m predicting a V…

Update 22 June
9:30am

A weekly update from our CEO

The Power of the Crowd

Take any significant change in modern history and you can trace its roots back to a crowd united by an idea.  The kernel of the civil rights movement, the beginnings of the Arab spring and the quest for women’s suffrage stemmed from this. Together, a crowd and an idea equal change. Separate them and a crowd without an idea becomes noise and an idea without a crowd becomes academic.

Now, more than ever, we’re seeing crowds and ideas combine to make change happen. COVID-19 has been a catalyst. Its most significant contribution to our futures is the way in which it has united and empowered people. We have never had more belief in ourselves as a collective and the time from status quo to challenge to change has never been shorter.

Marcus Rashford exemplified this earlier last week. He used his convening power to unite a crowd around the idea that in a time of unprecedented crisis, we should keep our children fed over the summer. His crowd included the British public, the Labour Party, school unions, charities and thousands of other groups around the country who believed in his idea. Pressure was piled. U-turns made. And Marcus effected positive change.

Crowd-convenors don’t need to be famous footballers. The shock of a global pandemic has stirred many into action and made new heroes of our key workers. Many movements have sprung up and delivered change in record-time. We’ve seen government U-turns on hospital fees for invaluable migrant NHS workers and a whole new supply chain of PPE set-up by doctors and nurses, all funded by the crowd. Technology like Crowdfunder places all the tools needed to bring a crowd together into the hands of anyone with a compelling idea.

Covid-19 has also given us time. As furloughing took hold and daily commutes disappeared, time was returned to us overnight on an unprecedented scale. On a basic level, this meant more time to join up and support movements, but perhaps more fundamentally, it afforded us the space and time to really appreciate what matters in our lives and engage deeply with new ideas. By knowing what matters to us we have been able to ask ourselves big questions, including on the inequality in our society and the privileges that we have often ignored. Engaging on this deeper level has meant deeper engagement with movements, including Black Lives Matter.

Importantly, this deeper engagement moves the crowd’s interaction with ideas beyond a Facebook like or an e-signature on a petition. By really taking the time to understand the world around us and grappling with new ideas, we have skin in the game. This transforms supporters from willing bystanders to active agents of change.

As lockdowns ease and we begin to return our time to other things, it’s important we keep engaging with ideas and even more important that we turn the good ones into reality. The time for the crowd is now.

Update: 16 June
10:30am

Stay Safe (Innovate) Shop Local

Press officers of local authorities have been busy in the last week. As lockdown restrictions ease further and some shops begin to reopen with social distancing measures, council leaders have taken to the airwaves to triumphantly call for people to ‘stay safe and shop local.’

They’re right to be positive. The benefits of shopping local – for customers and community – have been well documented over recent years, with one study showing that for every £1 spent locally, 63p goes into the local community, compared to just 40p of every £1 spent with large business. Yet despite the case being overwhelmingly positive, calls to stay local have often gone unheeded and we’ve seen an increase in spending among global retail giants in the years leading up to Covid-19. One only has to look at queues forming outside of McDonalds restaurants as they reopened and the subsequent sea of nugget-based Instagram shots to see that changing habits is hard.

We now have an opportunity. Most people made a change during lockdown, with 3 out of 5 choosing to shop locally, meaning we’re in an unprecedented situation where that break with the status quo has been forced at scale. It’s more than a temporary measure too: just 9% of people want to return to the old normal. On top of this, there’s a safety consideration. COVID-19 has followed flight paths and transit routes around the world. People are understandably concerned about letting the outside in and there is now something almost akin to a legal and moral obligation to shop within the confines of a local community.

This is only part of the solution. Small businesses can’t simply rely on the attitudes of their customer base changing. They must change too. We know that many small businesses offer higher quality goods and superior customer service than their conglomerate counterparts, but they must add another string to their bow in the form of innovation.

Innovation will be the most important attribute for any business to flourish moving forward. At Crowdfunder, we’ve seen great examples of this during lockdown itself through our Pay it Forward scheme which enables local businesses to sell goods, communicate and engage with their customers despite their doors being closed. This includes Manchester Union Brewery who raised nearly £30,000 in ten days to pivot their business from keg only to beer in a can, chocolate shop Lavolio  [here] and Craving Coffee [here] both asked people to Pay it Forward for small gifts for the NHS and music venue Omeara, has expanded their offering to cocktail masterclasses, supper clubs, and even a clothing range.

Embracing innovation is a responsibility for all businesses. They must think about what they can offer in a post-COVID world and work quickly to turn that offer into a reality. Doing so is the key to building a sustainable, safer future. As consumers, let’s cherish our part in this mission too. We must remember that the choice of where we put our pound is one of the most important powers we wield so, next week, avoid the processed burger queues, hit the local high street and make the silver-linings of this challenging time a permanent fixture.

Update: 2 June
10:00am

“They think it’s all over… but innovation saves the day.”

Football is coming (to our) home. How we’ve missed it. Lockdown has given us a greater sense of what matters: family, friends, hugs, legal beach visits and, yes, kicking a ball around a field. It is the national game. One of the few things other than a global pandemic that can bring a nation to a standstill and force grown adults to burst into spontaneous applause, or tears. But football will change fundamentally in the new socially distanced normal. Crowds gone and stadiums empty, we need innovations to save the day.

Happily, they are forthcoming. An advantage of restarting our sports season a little later than other countries (beaten by the Germans, again) is the insight it gives into what is happening elsewhere to address the eeriness of empty stadiums. While there may be cultural question marks over the role of, say, robots replacing spectators, there is certainly something to be said about getting the faces of real fans into our grounds. The recent Borussia Mönchengladbach and Bayer Leverkusen match used cardboard pictures of fans to fill the seats at Borussia-Park and, closer to home, Cheltenham FC have launched a Crowdfunder that enables fans to pay £25 and see their face on foamex in club’s famous Paddock stand. They’re one of 30 lower league football clubs engaging their ‘crowd’ to raise funds during hard times.

This isn’t just about diversifying income streams or giving the club’s social media team something to talk about before the game. Fans matter. They make a difference and there are plenty of studies that show the impact of a crowd on an athlete or sport’s teams performance. Much of this focuses on the noise fans make and that’s why clubs and leagues have explored how they can bring crowd sounds into the stadium. Thanks to innovations from TV companies, we know that we’ll only be a press of the red button away from the loud cheers on our TV when the Premier League returns (we look forward to seeing whether the more offensive chants make the cut.) The sound of the crowd is one thing but seeing them is vital to the psyche of the footballer too. Type the phrase “looking up at the crowd” into Google and you’ll discover a plethora of sportsperson’s biographies that refer to that vital moment when a player steps out and sees allies in the stands.

The crowd can do much more beyond influencing the outcome of a game. They can do good. Football fans across every league have a proud history of crowdfunding for good causes – this could be seen on any visit to a match last season, for example with the ubiquitous ‘Fans Supporting Foodbanks’ (FSB) initiative. Innovation has saved the day here by forging a connection between fans and charity outside of the matchday experience. Crowdfunders such as ‘Football Fans v Coronavirus’ have smashed their targets and raised vital funds for FSB, and we’ve seen some novel ideas too. Take this Sunday 7^th June for example, where the most iconic moment in English footballing history – England’s dramatic 1966 World Cup Final win over West Germany – will be broadcast in full on Channel 4.

Thanks to an innovative broadcasting platform, viewers will be able to watch the entire match alongside England’s hat-trick hero Sir Geoff Hurst who will give his unique insight into the game as it happens. It will air concurrently with a Crowdfunder enabling fans to support the National Emergencies Trust’s Coronavirus Appeal, providing vital funds to grassroots charities and groups all over the UK who are supporting the urgent needs of their communities.

Thanks to innovation, stadiums may be without fans, but football won’t be. And this is a great thing: for players, for communities and for our country.

Update: 26 May
10:30am

A weekly update from our CEO

Breaking trust? You’ve chosen the wrong crowd.

Forget the dollar, ignore the gold reserves and put away your cryptocurrency. The ultimate safety net of the economy and the bedrock of trade has been the same commodity from the first exchange of goods on the Danube River to today’s Covid-induced economic crisis.

Trust.

It is not distributed equally. It’s hard to come by. Those who have it are able to multiply it exponentially. Those who don’t have to work hard to accumulate it. But it can also be spent recklessly with grave knock-on effects. When it comes to the government, haemorrhaging trust in one area can trigger a run on in it elsewhere.

A recent study showed there is a strong relationship between trust in government and the willingness of its citizens to comply with public health measures. The same also rings true when it comes to a country’s financials. Trust in government is inextricably linked to the economy and it will make the difference between effective recovery and a sluggish return.

In the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic, the government became the most trusted institution in Britain for the first time in twenty years, allowing them to ride through some bumps in the road with their economic stimulus – including delays to the business support loans. Without trust, outcomes would have been much different, particularly for small businesses. ‘Closed for now’ would’ve been replaced by ‘CLOSED’ signs, as businesses cut their losses and decided they couldn’t bank on the government eventually delivering on their promises. In the US, where trust in their government is the lowest in the world, many small businesses closed down when loans failed to materialise.

Trust runs throughout the entirety of a country. We’ve seen it up close and in plentiful supply through the goodwill of the crowdfunders who have supported Britain’s small businesses through Pay It Forward, a scheme that enables them to pre-pay for goods and services with local businesses.

Whether it’s purchasing a meal for six months’ time or a pie and a pint at their local football club next season, the crowd haven’t just given their money, they’ve given their trust. They’re saying to businesses “We believe in you and we know we’ll get our goods eventually.” Such acts have saved countless small businesses. Yet it is a fragile thing. When trust is lost at the top of government, it risks trickling down throughout the crowd and this has consequences. It’s no surprise that as trust in government wobbles, so too do lockdown measures or the effectiveness of economic stimulus – last week we saw data suggesting 43% of small businesses do not expect to repay their government-issued loans.

Broken trust also leaves an impression. Like those businesses who have been seen to do the wrong thing during this crisis – including in the mass giving space – breaches will not be forgotten. The crowd will remember, and the crowd will vote, support or shop with their feet (albeit sometime in the future.)

Breaking trust may well cause damage here and now – and leave lasting consequences for business, for government and the economy.

Update: 12 May
5:54pm

To recover quickly, small businesses need to do things differently.

The Government has added another dose of uncertainty into the mix. Although for some Wednesday will mark the reopening of their business, the responsibility comes with a huge number of complexities. Companies must ensure they are COVID secure. Business will not be as usual.

While the hospitality industry awaits lockdown ease, it must adapt. The idea of a snapback recovery is false: any return to normal will be staged and come in waves. No one can predict what this new normal will look like, but what we can say with some certainty is that revenue targets for the likes of pubs, restaurants, cafes and music venues will not be met through the means originally forecast. Social distancing will inhibit the ability to pack venues. To recover quickly, businesses will need to do things differently.

It’s not all doom and gloom. In fact in some ways, it’s the opposite. The demand for small business services is still there, and sentiment towards supporting small businesses over the likes of Amazon is growing. People feel strongly about supporting their local businesses, who often play a big role within the community.

We have spoken with and supported thousands of small businesses fighting to survive this period. Above everything, most want to keep trading, but don’t necessarily have the means or know how to go online. In fact, despite consumer social media use going up, the number of small businesses active on these channels has gone down.

Small businesses will keep trading if they are enabled to pivot their offer and transition goods and services online. We believe a first step towards that is through Pay it Forward. Firstly, Pay it Forward enables small businesses to pre-sell goods and services redeemable once lockdown is eased. As a second step, the scheme provides the coaching and infrastructure to enable businesses to adapt their offering and drive up sales online. At every stage businesses stay connected with their customers. Fierce Beer in Scotland raised over £150,000 through the scheme by selling merchandise and ramping up beer sales online.

Update 29 April
1:00pm

Small businesses can Bounce Back without taking on debt 

The new “Bounce Back” scheme announced by chancellor Rishi Sunak will enable micro and small businesses to apply for loans worth 25% of turnover up to £50,000. The minimum loan is £2,000 and they are interest free for 12 months. No repayments are due in the first year.

We have spoken with and supported thousands of small businesses fighting to survive this period. Above everything, most small businesses want to keep trading. For some, taking on debt is not possible and could stifle their recovery.

On average we find micro and small businesses are looking to secure between £5,000 – £10,000 to cover costs during lockdown. Through Pay it Forward, small businesses have raised on average £8,500 across a two-week period, although we’ve seen several reach over the £10,000 mark, with others in need of much smaller totals such as £2,000. Once raised, the funds are available to the business immediately.

Continue reading…

Update: 20 April
10:50am

A weekly update from our CEO

A boost for London’s small businesses – let’s keep them trading.

Today, we are proud to partner with the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, to launch ‘Pay it Forward London’. We must keep our vibrant capital trading, retaining jobs and promed to bounce back post crisis. 

Our economic recovery is vitally important for the health and wellbeing of our country. The speed at which we can resume business as usual once this is over, will determine the longer-term impact of this crisis.

It is critically important for the largest part of our economy – micro and small businesses – to survive this period of lockdown. Despite the financial support schemes put in place by the Government, many small businesses find they do not qualify for or cannot access grants and they do not want to take on debt when they are unable to trade. For many, it is a matter of days or weeks before they go bust.

Continue reading…

Update: 17 April
4:00pm

£5 Million pounds raised and all with 0% fees

We’re delighted to announce that we have broken through the £5 Million mark for projects on our platform. Congratulations to everyone who has been keeping every penny of what they are raised at this difficult time.

Update: 17 April
2:00pm

Distillery delivers on hand sanitiser promise

Matugga Distillers have raised over £3,500 so far and now have announced the delivery of 1,000 litres of hand sanitiser to health care providers and front line services.

Find out more about the project here

Update: 17 April
12:00pm

Dornoch Castle reaches £40,000 target in 48 hours

The Dornoch Castle have their £40,000 target to help survive by providing all supporters with pre-paid visitor vouchers to use once the site is back open for business. A great success story for aspiring Pay It Forward projects

Find out more about the project here

Update: 17 April
9:00am

12 food banks unite in Torbay 

Food banks in Torbay have joined forces and launched a crowdfunding campaign to raise much-needed money. Twelve organisations have come together to form the Torbay Food Alliance to make sure no-one in the Bay goes hungry during the coronavirus crisis. They have raised over £2,000 so far.

Read more at RadioEx.co.uk

Find out more about the project here

Update: 16 April
5:00pm

Supporting the AAA to keep NHS on the road

Ely Motorcycle school AAA launched their crowdfunding page and has already helped a new NHS worker qualify to be on the road safely.

Read more at The Cambridge Times

Find out more about the project here

Update: 16 April
3:00pm

Coventry Rugby club set the bar

Coventry Rugby has launched a crowdfunding campaign to help the club bridge the financial worries caused by the coronavirus pandemic and honour its payments to local companies and suppliers. So far they have raised £6,575 of their £30,000 target.

Read more at Coventry Live

Find out more about the project here

Update: 16 April
1:00pm

Towersey Festival is half way home

Towersey Festival following its postponement to 2021 has raised 50% of their £25,000 target so far through future ticket sales and fans are even buying the wristbands for this years cancelled festival.

Read more in the Oxford Mail

Find out more about the project here

Update: 16 April
11:00am

Saving Dornoch Castle

The Dornoch Castle have secured £35,000 of their £40,000 target to help survive the lockdown period until government support kicks in. They are providing all supporters with pre-paid visitor vouchers to use once the site is back open for business.

Find out more about the project here

Update: 16 April
9:30am

Craving Coffee feature on the BBC

The BBC have featured Craving Coffee’s successful crowfunding appeal on their website. Read more on the BBC website.

Find out more about the project here

Update: 15 April
4:00pm

Hugh Grant shows his support 

Actor Hugh Grant has shown his support for Battersea Park Children’s Zoo.  As they have raised over £13,000 beaten both their original and stretch goals.

Find out more about the project here

Update: 15 April
2:00pm

Masks for NHS Heroes update

The Masks for NHS Heroes has reached a huge £1,857,008, but just as impressive is the 30,605 supporters that have now backed the project.

Find out more about the project here

Update: 15 April
12:00pm

Rising from the ashes

£15,708 has been raised by 655 supporters to rebuild a burned down playground in Bristol to give children a place to play.St Pauls Adventure Playground’s original target of £1,000 has been dwarfed by the generosity of the local community.

Find out more about the project here

Update: 15 April
10:00am

Fans to name Frome Town FC’s Stadium

Frome Town Football Club in Somerset have launched have raised £4,000 in the first 24hrs following their opportunity for fans to help save the club and have their name on the seats. One lucky fan will have their name as the stadium name for the upcoming season.

Find out more about the project here

Update: 14 April
5:00pm

miiCUBE uses AI to help the elderly indoors

In-home AI health companion-miiCUBE launches to keep all the elderly affected by COVID-19, safe, healthy and connected with their carers and families.

Find out more about the project here.

Update: 14 April
4:45pm

A weekly update from our CEO

Our actions now will shape the landscape for small businesses for years to come.

In a crisis of this scale, everyone is affected. And everyone can play a part in helping to ensure as individuals, communities and as a country we come through this, together. 

Big businesses and those with deep pockets must play their part, more so than those with less. This responsibility comes through benefiting from profits rewarded in better times. 

Despite this, we’ve seen several high profile business leaders demonstrating that we are far from “in it together”. I believe they will come to regret these early decisions. Actions now will shape the public’s view of businesses and the landscape for years to come. 

Continue reading…

Update: 14 April
2:30pm

Lakaz Maman restaurant masters their goal!

Winner of BBC’s Masterchef and owner of Lakaz Maman a Mauritain street restaurant in Southampton, have used the #payitforward campaign to raise £5,000 and now are looking to apply for our solent match funding.

Find out more about the project here.

Update: 14 April
12:30am

Henry C 3.5 mets target and survives!

Henry C 3.5 is a very small independent cocktail bar in the south Manchester suburb of Chorlton. They have just met their target and successfully raised £4,322 with 114 supporters in 28 days

Find out more about the project here.

Update: 14 April
10:30am

GO-WELL FUND breaks through £30,000

Jimmy Anderson (Cricketer), Greg James (Radio 1 DJ) and Felix White (Musician) have created a Go-Well fund designed to help raise money to be donated to great causes.

Find out more about the project here.

Update: 14 April
9:00am

Jodie Whittacker supports Food for the NHS

Actress Jodie Whittacker has shown her support for Food for Heroes. Who have raised over £150,000 to help provide meals to the NHS.

Find out more about the project here.

Update: 13 April
3:00pm

Masks for NHS Heroes has now seen its first delivery of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) in the UK! 60,000 face shields have now been delivered to an NHS depot and will be distributed to five NHS trusts thanks to the work of the Masks for NHS Heroes team and the power of the crowd.

Thank you to everyone who has supported and continues to support Masks for NHS Heroes!

Update: 10 April
9:00am

Sam Smith backs Masks for NHS Heroes

Singing sensation Sam Smith has given his support to Masks for NHS Heroes, as they continue to gain more donations to reach their £1.7 million target.

Find out the latest here.

Update: 9 April
5:15pm

Success for the children of Hackney

The LEAP federation have reached their goal of raising £10,000 by securing £10,535 from 238 supporters. This will allow them to purchase 400 laptops for the children of Hackney who are at home with no computer during the crisis.

Find out more about the project here.

Update: 9 April
5:00pm

#ClubForOurCarers

XOYO London are 80% towards their target raising over £4,000 for their NHS chosen charities. Through offering exclusive content and future tickets to events has seen them launch a different way to supporting the NHS.

Find out more about the project here.

Update: 9 April
4:30pm

Liverpool Bid backs Crowdfunder

Update: 9 April
4:20pm

The hunt reaches its goal

The South Downs Bloodhounds are a Hampshire based bloodhound pack that hunt human runners (for fun). Run ethically, they have raised £10,000 to secure their future following the wet winter and the current lockdown.

Find out more about the project here.

Update: 9 April
4:00pm

Gainsborough Trinity F.C. kick off

Non-league Gainsborough Trinity F.C. are the latest football club to come on board with their crowdfunding appeal. Looking to help raise the club much needed funds, whilst also raising funds and rewards for the local NHS.

Find out more about the project here.

Update: 9 April
3:25pm

Help save a life!

Engin Yorganci’s wife Mena is currently suffering with Cancer and in need of an operation. But being stuck in another country with no way to return to the UK means that they desperately need to raise £50,000 to pay for Mena’s emergency operation to remove the cancer. They have raised £39,000 as they enter the last day of their cause.

Find out more about the project here.

Update: 9 April
3:05pm

Argyle are on the up!

Plymouth Argyle have just announced that they have reached £30,000 which is 60% of their target amount. With three weeks to go things are looking up for the Pilgrims.

Find out more about the project here.

Update: 9 April
2:45pm

Boost for the Brave comes on board

A Boost for the Brave was set up by a former NHS MidWife, who is providing gifts and hampers to NHS staff to thank them for the work they are undertaking. Bringing with them £30,000 of donations raised, as they look to appeal for more donations to get them to £50,000

Find out more about the project here.

Update: 9 April
2:00pm

Food for Glasgow sets a new target

Food for Glasgow met its first target amount today reaching £2,500, upon the news they have set their sights much higher with a new £100k target now in place. The network of over 50 chefs and volunteers is already in action preparing food and delivering. The money raised goes to supporting all the costs involved and food ingredients. 

Find out more about the project here.

Update: 9 April
1:45pm

Staying indoors

We’ve featured some big projects so far, but with the governments message clear for everyone this weekend. There’s more people calling for help with activities and things to do. With Comedy at the Covid about to met its third weekly goal. Let’s take a look at our smallest live project, with Ben Allman (aka Bimmer-peg) looking to raise just £11 to help him stay online…he’s got just three pound to go.

Find out more about the project here.

Update: 9 April
1:15pm

Picking up pace

Wheels for Heroes has now attracted over 1,300 people to help raise funds to allow Brompton Bike Hire to provide the bikes necessary to help our NHS staff avoid using public transport to get to work. They have raised over £145,000 so far and with 6 days left on their campaign they are hoping the increase in awareness of their cause will help them meet their £400,000 target.

Find out more about the project here.

Update: 9 April
12:00pm

Watch: Small Business Saturday explores crowdfunding

Our Sami Mauger joined Small Business Saturday on a live video to discuss our amazing Pay It Forward campaign and how it can help your small business!

Watch the video on Facebook

Update: 9 April
11:30am

Watch: Wimbledon Foodbank detail how your support is helping

Wimbledon Foodbank has announced that in the last week they have given out seven tonnes of food, equating to about 7,000 meals.

Watch the video on YouTube

Find out more about the project here.

Update: 9 April
11:00am

Another day…. another 100k

After reaching their £1.5 million target yesterday, a new target was set at 1.75 million. You have all responded and we’ve seen over £120,000 raised for Masks for NHS Heroes overnight.

Find out more about the project here.

Update: 9 April
10:00am

Showcase the Street gets local coverage

Fergus Storrier, volunteer chairperson of Showcase the Streets has been interviewed in the The Courier about the challenge of maintaining a centre that will be in huge demand once the lockdown is lifted.

He added: “We would like to be able to re-open the Manhattan building and we expect to be ten times busier after the lockdown…When we re-open we don’t want to have to play catch up, so that we’re able to cope with the demand.”

Read more on The Courier website

Find out more about the project here.

Update: 9 April
9:30am

£3.5 Million raised.

It’s been a frantic few weeks so far and we are now up to £3.5 Million raised for projects to help fight directly against the spread of the coronavirus and supporting businesses with #PayItForward projects. A huge thank you to everyone that is setting up projects and those showing their generosity at this time.

Update: 8 April
5:10pm

A change of Tack

Plastic@Bay based in Durness, Scotland, set out to turn old fishing ropes that are often left on shore or in the sea into to recycled materials for construction. The campaign was set up before the huge demand for PPE for hospitals and the team has now raised the £5,000 target. However, with the whole of the UK in need, they decided the money raised could be better used to help create more PPE masks. They are now creating prototypes and looking to start production on 200 straight away.

Find out more about the project here.

Update: 8 April
5:00pm

#PayItForward summed up in 1 tweet…

Update: 8 April
4:45pm

At full capacity…

Edinburgh Shield Force based in Edinburgh, has reported that their production facility is now at full capacity due the generous donations of over £10,553. The team have produced 400 foam face shields and 200 3D printed face shields so far. They are running three shifts per day in the factory with volunteers coming in from the community to train in how to to manufacture shields and mind 3D printers.

Find out more about the project here.

Update: 8 April
4:30pm

Run to help save Cemetery Park

The Friends of Tower Hamlets manage the popular running route in Cemetery Park and need support to continue protect the local nature and heritage. The target is now set at £17k and the team has already raised £15,268 so far…

Find out more about the project here.

Update: 8 April
4:15pm

Battersea Park Children’s Zoo to stay open

Update: 8 April
4:00pm

Giggers save the Cluny!

The Newcastle based Music venue successfully raised £28,465 with 794 supporters in 11 days to ensure that when the lockdown finishes the venue can re-open its doors. addition to the money raised, the team has held back 100 tickets for NHS staff at the comeback night.

“We wanted to say a. huge, huge THANK YOU to you and everybody who has supported us with this Crowdfunder.  The response has been amazing, overwhelming and humbling and we’ve both met and exceeded our target.   This money has basically ENSURED that we’ll be able to reopen in a strong position to move forwards.  There’s been a lot of news about government support but it’s been extremely difficult to even access and put us in an extremely perilous position.  We’re now able to pay all our suppliers in full, the majority of whom are small local businesses themselves, fully protect our staff and contribute to our ongoing substantial costs that are still incurred even whilst we’re closed.”- The Cluny

Find out more about the project here

Update: 8 April
3:30pm

NHS Airbox prototype approved and ready for distribution

Great to see the reaction from the owners of the project to manufacture and deliver COVID-19 airways procedures boxes to hospitals across the UK which will protect the NHS specialists. They have raised £21,000 for their prototype and are now ready to start distribution.

Find out more about the project here

Update: 8 April
3:00pm

Sittingbourne F.C. need fans help to save their season

Sittingbourne F.C. are looking to fans to help save their season by raising £5,000. In return they are offering support and tickets to NHS Staff once the football games resume.

Find out more about the project here

Update: 8 April
2:45pm

The Greensand Ridge Distillery (Tonbridge) is looking to supply as much sanitiser to the NHS and care services as they can produce and helping to relieve the strain on the shortage of hand sanitiser. Going one step further, Gin bottles are now being repurposed for sanitising.

Read more on the The Gin Kin website

Find out more about the project here.

Update: 8 April
2:30pm

Dundee-based charity Showcase the Street get up and running

Read more from the Evening Telegraph here.

Find out more about the project here.

Update: 8 April
2:15pm

Elmbridge Food bank fills up.

The people of East Elmbridge, Surrey have risen to the challenge of providing emergency funding for East Elmbridge Foodbank. The £5,000 raised will help manage the increased demand from local people. The success has led to an extended goal of £10,000.

Find out more about the project here

Update: 8 April
2:00pm

All Stand-together-ish

The people of Standish have backed and completed their campaign to raise raise money for food and essentials for their elderly community. They raised £2,570 in three weeks with 134 backers.

Find out more about the project here

Update: 8 April
1:45pm

Over 800 Masks delivered to NHS hospitals in Cornwall

CoVisor (a non-profit team) have been mass-producing protective face shields for healthcare workers in Cornwall. The face shields are re-usable unlike many others and have started to be delivered to Cornwall Hospitals. They reached their £7,000 target and now are looking to reach their new target of £14,000

Find out more about the project here

Update: 8 April
12:15pm

WATCH: Masks for Heroes featured on BBC News

Link: https://youtu.be/5-9cyH_Q7FI

Update: 8 April
11:45am

Helping to bridge the gap

Meet the team who are helping to raise funds to provide food and essential household items, IT equipment and learning resources to children and families throughout West London who are suffering in the current crisis.

Find out more about the project here

Update: 8 April
11:30am

Food for Heroes comes on board.

Let’s take a look at some of the new funds that joined us yesterday. Food for Heroes joined the Crowdfunder platform bringing with them £50,000 from their original campaign and already raised a further £5,000. They are providing meals to the NHS at the following hospitals: Huddersfield, Kettering, John Radcliffe Oxford, Queen Elisabeth Kings Lynn, Southmead Hospital, Cheltenham General, Gloucester Hospital & Royal Cornwall Hospital.

Find out more about the project here.

Update: 8 April
10:50am

A message from our CEO, Rob Love.

Pay it Forward. Let’s keep small businesses trading.

Since the UK went into lockdown, we’ve all been faced with extraordinary challenges. Our resilience and ability to work together has never been more important. 

Crowdfunder was established to enable people to tackle society’s challenges through crowdfunding. I’ve never been more sure of the power of us, the crowd, to deliver on this. 

Over the past ten days we have seen greater than 2,000 small businesses sign up to Pay it Forward and raise over one million pounds. These vital funds will keep those businesses alive.

Continue reading…

Update: 8 April
10:15am

Solent local enterprise launches to help small businesses 

The Solent LEP Pay it Forward fund is looking for projects that can demonstrate how they will help a business cope with the current challenging trading conditions. There is a maximum pledge of up to £2,000 per micro business (fewer than 10 staff) and up to £5,000 per small business (fewer than 50 staff) available, contributing up to 50% towards the total target.

Find out more here

Update: 8 April
10:10am

Barge East meets their stretch target to support the NHS.

As soon as Barge East realised the support they received to save their business had been achieved they quickly changed their course and set off to help their local NHS centres. Providing lunches for the Homerton University hospital, the ITU, theatres and A&E teams. Barge East have raised £27,000 surpassing both their goal and their stretch goals.

Find out more about the project here.

Update: 8 April
10:00am

£1.5million raised!

They’ve done it. What an amazing achievement! Masks for NHS heroes has raised £1,500,000 in under two weeks.

An amazing story about how Dr Mona Barzin (GP), Dr Salaj Masand (Medicine, Ashford Hospital, Kent), Mr Ravi Visagan (Neurosurgery, King’s College Hospital, London) & Mr Nav Kumar have captured the Nation’s spirit to donate towards Masks for NHS Heroes. Starting out with a target of £200k, they made instant headway with a huge amount of donations coming in, followed by support from celebrities such as James McAvoy which saw the campaign smash the initial goal and aim for a new target of £1.5million. They are now creating and delivering thousands of full face masks, using the additional funds to provide gowns and respirator masks.

Find out more about the project here.

Update: 8 April
9:30am

Today’s the day for the NHS…

We start the day hoping that we’ll see three of our NHS focused campaigns meet their targets.

• NHS Masks for Heroes reaches 25,500 backers – they are just a few pound from their target.
• Trussell Trust campaign backed by Eddie Izzard –  need £3,000 to meet their £50,000 target.
• The Sewing Room – For the love of scrubs – need just £200 to meet their £4,000 target.

Update: 7 April
2:00pm

Community cookery school in Hackney raises over £63k

An emergency appeal from Made In Hackney is looking to raise £62k in seven days to provide 350 meals a day for three months. The project has raised an incredible £63,500!

Find out more about the project here.

Update: 7 April
1:00pm

Street Food Trader Vouchers raise over £4k

Street food vendors in Newcastle have come together to offer universal vouchers to be used across the town as part of a joint #PayItForward campaign. Initially looking to raise £1.5k, the vendors successfully closed today having raised £4,490!

Find out more about the project here.

Update: 6 April
5:35pm

6 April – what a day…

Update: 6 April
5:30pm

Helping migrants stay safe in London

Update: 6 April
5:00pm

Coventry’s sport and culture industry to get match funding grants.

Update: 6 April
4:55pm

Close to home (for some of us)…

Update: 3 April
4:45pm

Thank you, thank you, thank you…

We’re delighted to announce that today we have seen over £3 million raised to support the effects of the coronavirus and supporting UK businesses. An amazing achievement for all those involved and a huge thank you to everyone who continues to donate.

If you want to help – click here to find the recently launched projects that need your support.

Update: 6 April
4:20pm

Whitfords to share half their donations with Women’s Aid

Whitfords are a 100% plastic-free, vegan, botanical skincare brand. The family-run business is being heavily impacted by the lockdown, but that’s not stopping them from pledging half of their donations to Women’s Aid. Raising awareness of those who are now living in lockdown with a violent partner.  Women’s Aid is a national charity working to end domestic abuse against women and children. Their services save lives and they urgently need to raise money.

“We attended a webinar with Rob Love, founder and CEO of Crowdfunder and we immediately knew it would be the right platform for our #PayItForward campaign. It was very easy to setup, they have a Facebook support group and we even received a progress phone call once our funding reached 40%. They add that personal touch that is so important and makes such a huge difference!” Paula Ortega, Founder of Whitfords

Find out more about the project here.

Update: 6 April
4:05pm

Happy to help!

The Wales Arts Review team successfully raised £6,450 with 204 supporters in 17 days, to provide an emergency hardship fund for artists and freelancers in the creative industries in Wales who have lost work due to Covid-19. We’re so happy to help!

Find out more about the project here.

Update: 6 April
3:45pm

James McAvoy helping Masks for NHS Heroes on Instagram

The campaign has been backed by 25,000 people now and is fast approaching their new target of £1.5Million.

Find out more about the project here.

Update: 6 April
3:30pm

Think of the animals…(part two)

The Wildheart Trust has hit the halfway point of the campaign raising over £28,000 so far to help secure the future of their wildlife sanctuaries and helping animals that have been abused or mistreated.

Find out more about the project here.

Update: 6 April
3:20pm

Think of the animals…

Update: 6 April
3:10pm

Feeding the NHS Ghanian style…

Update: 6 April
3:00pm

Scrubbing up nicely…

Find out more about the project here.

Update: 6 April
2:30pm

Comedy at the Corvid launches a third night.

Find out more about the project here.

Update: 3 April
1:05pm

Have you backed a campaign recently?

There are so many amazing projects on Crowdfunder right now. Have you seen the #PayItForward campaigns to save local businesses? If you’ve already been a Pay It Forward supporter, copy the badge above and wear it proudly on your social media channels!

If you want to help – click here to find the recently launched projects that need your support.

Update: 6 April
1:00pm

3D printed PPE Mask creators get their ‘Fil’.

Find out more about the project here.

Update: 6 April
12:45pm

Into the second half and Plymouth are 29 goals up…

Read the full interview on the Plymouth Herald website.

Find out more about the project here.

Update: 6 April
12:30pm

Save the Whitworth centre

“I had no idea when I set this up there was so much support. You have been fantastic and opened our eyes to the world of Crowdfunding and how to get the most out of it.” – Simon, Whitworth Centre

Due to coronavirus the Whitworth Centre in Matlock has been forced to close for the foreseeable future. The centre is a Charitable Trust dependent on the support of local people. Every penny that comes from room hire, the sale of an ice cream, a coffee in the cafe and parking tickets is reinvested in the building and park. The team has just started their Crowdfunding journey having already raised £5,000 of their £20,000 target.

Find out more about the project here.

Update: 6 April
12:00pm

Cheltenham’s razor sharp finish

Cheltenham Town F.C. raised £2.9k towards buying a ventilator with their head shave challenge, leading to more clubs across the divisions starting the same challenge. They’ve picked up some great coverage and funding all from a fun challenge that the players and coaches could join in with from home.

Read more about Cheltenham’s reasons for starting the challenge and how they raised the money in The Guardian.

Find out more about the project here.

Update: 6 April
11:00am

6 April update – other movers from last week that are still growing!

• Masks for NHS Heroes – Keeps ploughing on and the amount raised is now up to £1.46Mm. Wow!
• Scarborough Hospital set out to reach £500 and and has already hit the stretch target! The project is and now is above £5,500 – ten times more than they hoped for.
• Made in Hackney a project to provide meal aimed to raise £30,000 and are now on £60,000 with one day to go!

Update: 6 April
10:45am

Drs campaign ticks all the boxes!

Mr Declan Costello FRCS and Dr Marion Palmer started a campaign to raise £5,000 and make their airbox prototypes. The team has now raised over £20,100 and counting!

Find out more about the project here.

Update: 6 April
10:10am

The final stretch for the Trussell Trust

The Trussell Trust food banks provide 1.6m three-day emergency food parcels to people in crisis. With Eddie Izzard’s support they are just £6k short of making their £50k target. Keep up to date with the project by clicking the link below.

Find out more about the project here.

Update: 3 April
5:30pm

Forbes and the Deputy Mayor of London give Wheels For Heroes a shoutout!

Wheels for Heroes is raising funds to provide up to 1,000 bikes to support NHS staff with free travel during the COVID-19 pandemic. Over 500 NHS staff have registered for the free rental of a Brompton Bike and now the team is raising more to help support the uptake. The project has a target of £400,000 and they’re well on their way to the first £100,000 of that!

Read about it in Forbes here.

See Rajesh Agrawal’s (Deputy Mayor of London) LinkedIn shoutout here.

Update: 3 April
10:00am

3 April update – £2.5 million raised and over 50,000 supporters

Yesterday saw us break through some amazing landmark figures across our coronavirus and #PayItForward campaigns. If you have been one of our supporters, copy the badge above and wear it proudly on you social media channels.

Money raised so far –  over £2,520,000
Supporters – over 51,500
Projects live on our platform – 694

Thank you for all your support.

Update: 2 April
3:45pm

Interview with Scarborough PPE Crowdfunder John Parkes

“I’ve got some really good friends up at the hospital who are on the frontline and I wanted to help them… I’m amazed by the response.”

Read the interview with John Parkes about how the fund set up to raise £250 to buy PPE for Scarborough Hospital has now exceeded its target 12 times over – now at at £3.6k!

Read more from the Whitby Gazette here.

Find out more about the project here.

Update: 2 April
3:30pm

Brompton are looking to provide more free bikes to the NHS.

Brompton are looking to provide 1,000 bikes to support NHS staff to travel for free during the COVID-19 pandemic. They need to raise £100k to fund the creation of the bikes and currently have raised nearly £60k towards their first target amount. #WheelsForHeroes

Find out more about the project here.

Update: 2 April
3:00pm

Eddie Izzard backs the Trussell Trust.

The Trussell Trust food banks provide 1.6 million three-day emergency food parcels to people in crisis. With number of people reaching out to them growing every day. They have set a target of £50k and currently have raised £40k. With Eddie’s support they could go on to meet this target and beyond.

Find out more about the project here.

Update: 2 April
1:55pm

Notts County kick off…

Notts County FC have teamed up with their local Age UK branch, to offer supporters the opportunity to ‘pre-order’ various packages and experiences.

So far they have raised a quarter of their £20k goal in just a few hours. Selling out experiences such as attending a pre-match press conference, where fans are able to put their questions to the manager.

Read more on the official Notts County FC website here.

Find out more about the project here.

Update: 2 April
11:30pm

Fierce Beer reaches closing time…

The success of the Fierce Beer project hasn’t gone unnoticed in the Scottish press. Read more about the reaction in the The Evening Express. Even more impressively, the project is closing early due to the success with just a couple of hours to go!

Read the report from The Evening Express here.

Find out more about the project here.

Update: 2 April
10:30am

New Airbox prototype underway for the NHS

Declan Costello FRCS and Dr Marion Palmer are looking to raise set a target of reaching £5,000 to fund a prototype for Airboxes that can help to protect healthcare professionals against the spread of the coronavirus during surgeries. The team is delighted to have doubled the amount they were hoping for and have raised over £11,500 so far.

Find out more about the project here.

Update: 2 April
10:15am

Crowdfunding to save Scotland’s SMEs?

The Scotsman newspaper is running an article on how the rapid growth in crowdfunding could help to unlock the huge potential of Scotland’s SMEs.

Read the report from the Scotsman here.

Update: 2 April
9:45am

Gloucester Bike Shop to the rescue

Gloucestershire Bike Project is fundraising to provide free bikes to Gloucestershire’s NHS workers and other key workers who need a way to travel safely and easily to work during the COVID-19 crisis.

Find out more about the project here.

Update: 2 April
9:00 am

2 April – your one minute update

The funding projects that were trending yesterday echoed the hopes of the nation with NHS projects and PPE related causes gaining awareness and raising funds. The coverage for Masks for NHS Heroes continues to grow with another £25,000 pledged just last night. Fierce Beers has caught the attention of Aberdeen with their #PayItForward project which saw the team raise over £123k with their enticing offers. Let’s see what today brings!

Update: 1 April
5:20pm

£1.3 million for Masks for NHS Heroes.

The decision for Masks for NHS Heroes to keep their Crowdfunder campaign going after raising the initial £200K has allowed them to source PPE a national scale. The project has now seen £1.3 million to donated to frontline NHS staff in the fight against COVID-19.

Find out more about the project here.

Update: 1 April
4:50pm

Halfway home for the Dalston freelance community

Dalston Superstore has hit the halfway point of the project target to help their freelance community create a hardship fund for DJs, hosts, designers, dancers, drag artists, security and others who have lost their main source of income due to the impacts of COVID19. So far Dalston Superstore has raised over £7,500.

Find out more about the project here.

Update: 1 April
4:30pm

Scrubbing up nicely

A group of tailors and seamstresses based in Margate have help the NHS by sewing scrubs; hats; kit bags and anything else they might need as they tackle the massive shortage of scrubs across the country. The project target is £500 and the team has raised over £2,300 so far.

Find out more about the project here.

Update: 1 April
4:00pm

Slough Foodbank closes in on target.

On Friday, Slough Foodbank launched a Crowdfunder appeal which has already raised £4,000 of the £5,000 target.

Read the report from Slough Express here.

Find out more about the project here.

Update: 1 April
2:00pm

School for Social Entrepreneurs features Crowdfunder

We’re featured on the School for Social Entrepreneurs list on how social enterprises & charities can prepare to survive the coronavirus impact.

Find out more here.

Update: 1 April
1:00pm

Fierce Beer reaches £69k in four hours

Since this morning the Aberdeen based brewery have received over £69k and showing no signs of slowing down…

Find out more about the project here.

Update: 1 April
12:30pm

PPE for Scarborough Hospital

Local resident John Parkes has set up this initiative to source PPE for those who need it most in our fight against Coronavirus (COVID-19).

Read the report from Yorkshire Coast Radio News here.

Find out more about the project here.

Update: 1 April
12:00pm

Barge East sails to target 

Three years ago Stuart Thomson had the idea to buy a Barge in Holland, sail it across the North Sea and convert it to a Bar & Restaurant in Hackney Wick.  The recent events have seen Stuart take to Crowdfunder and to raise £13k to save the business and it’s sailed through the target with of £23,000 raised so far…

Find out more about the project here.

Update: 1 April
10:45am

WATCH: James McAvoy on The One Show

Last night saw actor James McAvoy speak live about the Masks for NHS Heroes live on the BBC.

Find out more about the project here.

Update: 1 April
10:40am

Mask for Heroes gains more support

The Masks 4 NHS Heroes campaign is now approaching the £1.3 million mark! Hear from Dr Carl Owen, from Word Monster, who hopes to make up to 20 masks a day with 3D printing.

Find out more about the project here.

Update: 1 April
10:20am

Paisley come together to support the NHS

The businesses and residents of Paisley in Scotland, have rallied to help feed hardworking staff at their local hospital. The team has already broke hit their original goal of £3,000 and have already collected over £4,000 to continue to help the NHS.

Read about it from Daily Record here.

Find out more about the project here.

Update: 1 April
8:00am

Tackling homelessness in Norfolk

The social enterprise company, Your Own Place, tackles homelessness in Norfolk has launched a Crowdfunder over fears it will shut due to coronavirus. The team has already raised £1,200 in just their first day as they look to meet their £10,000 total target.

Read more from Eastern Daily Press here!

Find out more about the project here.

Update: 31 March
5:00pm

Masks for NHS Heroes

“Donations flood in as McAvoy pledges £250k for medic masks.”

What’s new? A recent article in the Daily Mail commends James McAvoy and the public for their generous donations towards the Masks for NHS Heroes project which now sits at a whopping £1,184,196 raised!

This incredible project is raising funds to provide Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to protect healthcare workers against the Coronavirus while caring for sick patients.

The amazing team of four Doctors have already raised over £1,018,647 from over 15751 supporters, including a pledge from Actor James McAvoy who is raising awareness for the campaign on his Instagram. His support has also been picked up in The Guardian.

In their latest update, they said “To all the kind people out there, your response continues to be incredible. Thank you all so much. We are in a position to place a mass order by early next week. With £125K, we are able to order 22,000 N95 face masks and 22,000 face shields! This is a massive contribution to the frontliners who desperately need more protection against COVID-19 exposure. None of this will have been possible without your time and kindness so please feel proud of YOUR contribution.”

Find out more about the project here.

• Thanks to Eddie Izzard for shoutouts for the Trussell Trust on Twitter here!

Search for #PayItForward on social media to get involved in the conversation!

If you’re concerned about the survival of your business, you could benefit in the same way that many other businesses already have. Our funding service is 100% free, every penny you raise will go to you.

Find out more about Pay It Forward here.

Are you joining us from Canada? Find out about Pay It Forward with Crowdfund Canada here.