PORTFOLIO — tech FOr good

easyfundraising

easyfundraising is the UK’s leading charity reward shopping site. It plays a pivotal role in connecting more than 2 million registered consumers with their favourite retail brands, supporting the charities and causes they are passionate about.

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Key Facts

Initial investment: 11/08/2020

Sector – Tech For Good

Fund — Impact Fund I

Status — Current

Investment highlights

  • Introduced a chairman with an invaluable mix of technology, data, charity and private equity experience.
  • Significant investment in the team, including the recruitment of a CFO and CTO immediately post-deal and the recruitment of a CEO during 2021.
  • Continued to scale the impact of the business with donations to charities and good causes from easyfundraising now exceeding £60m, and with more grass root, hyperlocal causes now being supported.
  • Introduced consultants to assist with digital marketing performance and conversion rate optimisation.
  • Supported continued investment in the technology platform to establish a modern, scalable architecture.

Partnership Motivation

As the market leader in shopping-based charitable fundraising, easyfundraising is an ideal investment for the Impact Fund. The business provides much-needed funding for mainstream and local charities, creating longer-term, positive social and environmental impacts. At the time of investment, the business had over 1.8 million registered supporters, more than 160,000 registered charities and good causes, and had generated over £35 million in donations.

easyfundraising is positioned well for further growth due to the highly scalable business model, the positive market dynamics around online spending and its strong technology platform.

Ian Woodroffe – Director & Founder, easyfundraising

Ian, former telecoms account manager from Walsall, came up with the idea for easyfundraising when he was recovering from cancer.

“I was off work with a lot of time on my hands and it may sound like a cliché but I really wanted to give something back and that’s how the idea for easyfundraising.org.uk came about.”

In 2003, Ian set up the site from his kitchen table to help raise money for charities that helped him after he was ill. easyfundraising has now become the biggest charity fundraising shopping site in the UK, making his dream a reality!

“During the deal process, we had several suitors and, in a very crowded room, Palatine stood out. We like that the objectives of the Impact Fund and the objectives of easyfundraising are aligned as we are both here to deliver societal impact. We were also impressed with the team; we had been speaking to Beth Houghton and James Gregson for over three years, and every interaction we had with them felt genuine; they were invested in us as a team as well as a business.”

Michael Miller
Chief Operating Officer – easyfundraising

Investment Team