About Us

Our Inspiration


 

Shop for your Charity derived from a desire to evolve our consumption behaviour to also do good in this world.  Everyday consumption of goods and services is something we all participate in order to live out our daily lives; from the basic needs of food/water and shelter to the needs of living in a modern society where amenities such as transport/fuel, clothing, household goods and services become a necessity to have a decent standard of living.  

With the rising cost of living and stagnant wages, many Kiwis make only just enough to get by to support our families.  But we Kiwis are also one of the most generous people who care about worthy causes and will happily share what we little we have with the less fortunate or someone in dire need of a helping hand.  However it’s not always possible for us to put money aside to donate to charities all the time; occasionally maybe but not always; especially when we ourselves have to go through hard times.  



But what if a portion of the money we spend on our everyday consumption can go towards a charitable cause that we care about. What if every time we go to the supermarket, or shop at a retail store, whatever money we’ve spent, we get to tell the company or brand that we wanted a portion of our purchase to be given to our chosen charity?  

 

Giving to Charity is a Part of Our Business Model - Our Purpose


Many NZ businesses today (small and big) do support certain charities that aligns with their products and their target audience. These charitable donations are often made at the discretion of the company and often for a short term campaign. 


Then there are those businesses that creates a special line of products separate from their main product line (which are profit driven) where the sale of the special product goes towards a charitable cause chosen by the company. 


Shop for Charity on the other hand is committed to supporting charities as part of our core business model, it is the reason we exist, it becomes our objective and our purpose. Our business operations is centred on facilitating every 5% of the transactions to be passed onto a NZ charity chosen by the customer. Supporting charities is not a short term campaign that we do at our discretion nor is it a side business that is run alongside the core business.  


We don’t believe in choosing just one or two charities but to allow our customers who are the ones paying for the products to tell us where the money should go. 


Why let Customers Choose?


There are so many worthy causes out there that deserves the support and donations. Many of us feel strongly about certain causes because we have had our own personal experience with those causes either ourselves or through families and friends.  

For us here at the Shop for your Charity, we are very passionate about animals and animal welfare. Our love for animals has also inspired us to add in a Pet Accessories line. Our very own store cat; Alex who is an SPCA rescue plays an active role in our store.  You’ll see him popping up on certain pages asking you if you need any help. He also is an eager participant (for the most part) in testing out our pet products and has been an inspiration for the many cool pet accessories and gadgets that we have in our store. 


Just like us, we know every person like you out there has a special cause that you care about and would like to play an active role in supporting your charity without having to feel like you have to put extra money aside. Shop for your Charity facilitates that through the sale of products that you may already be planning to buy anyway and at the same time, pass on a percentage of what you’ve spent to a charity of your choice. If you want to learn more about our processes and operations, please check out our FAQ's


The Lotus Flower ハスの花

You may have noticed the lotus flower symbol as part of our logo for Shop for your Charity.  This flower symbol has a special and deep meaning that underlines what we hope to achieve. The lotus flower starts off as a small bud underwater, often in murky ponds and it grows until it emerges above the muddy waters to bloom into a beautiful flower. 

 

In Japan, the ‘hasunohana’ or the lotus flower serves as a symbol of the perseverance of our hearts, where the good inside all of us can shine and blossom even amongst the harsh and sometimes unjust world. 

 

Like a lotus…
we too shall rise out of the mud, 
and bloom in darkness.