thedonation.org.uk

a brief overview of why we think this is an idea worth running

The need to get people leading more sustainable lives is pretty urgent: if everyone lived like we do in the UK, we’d need three planets to sustain us.

And a staggering 42% of the UK’s carbon emissions are a result of our individual daily actions. That means almost half our country’s footprint is in our control, yet no one seems to want to do anything about it.

That got us thinking, and we realised…

1.  People prefer hugging friends than trees:

Most people aren’t motivated by doing green things to ‘save the planet’, they have busy lives and more pressing priorities. Like supporting their friends.

2.  We love group hugs more than anything:

We humans are social animals; we like to support our friends together, as a big social group. Our individual actions often seem so insignificant, but together they add up to create a meaningful impact. Sponsorship plays on this in a fantastically powerful way.

3.  Money doesn’t solve everything:

Unlike most other charitable causes, the environment needs our action more than our money. Individuals are at the root of the environmental solution, not research institutions or international aid organisations, and we simply need to act.

And so we built The DoNation to use the social and fun nature of sponsorship to motivate the masses to do little green things, together, without parting with a penny.

Here on The DoNation doing green stuff is about supporting your friends, helping to push them through their challenge – it’s not about saving the planet single-handedly.

And who knows, maybe it will help people realise that doing green stuff isn’t about hugging trees and wearing hair shirts, it’s just a pretty fun, healthy way of living.

“Every time I turned the dial on the washing machine (always in a hurry) I thought of Hermione and pictured her pedalling away and moved it back to 30 degrees.” – A past Doer

here’s how it works if you’re sponsoring someone

1. Read about their challenge

Find out what they’re doing and why they need your support.

2. Browse the DoActions

Sponsor them by flicking through the categories and choosing a DoAction that suits you. They range from cycling to work and washing your clothes at 30°C to installing solar panels – there’ll definitely be something there for you.

3. Make your pledge

Once you’ve settled on your DoAction(s), fill in a few simple details to help us calculate the carbon savings you could make. Your sponsorship pledge is then posted on your friend’s DoNation Page.

4. Do it!

Do your DoAction(s) for the following two months. We’ll send you useful advice and reminders (but no spam) to help you along the way.

5. Donate it

After two months we’ll ask you to confirm how you got on; only at this stage is your contribution officially donated to your friend. And yes, the system is based on trust and honesty.

here’s how it works if you’re raising sponsorship

1. Decide on your challenge

Whether you yearn to climb a mountain, embark on a 24 knit-athon, or cycle to Morocco, you want to use it to make a good and direct impact.

2. Create your DoNation page

Sign up and create your DoNation page. Here you explain your challenge, set your target and track the sponsorship you raise. It only takes a couple of minutes to set up.

3. Tell everyone about it

Ask your friends, family and colleagues to sponsor you through your DoNation page. Share it by email, through Facebook, Twitter, or simple word of mouth.

4. Get moving

Watch the sponsorship roll in as you prepare for your big challenge and see how much CO₂ your friends can save for you.

5. Good luck! 

Give it your all, everyone will be right behind you!