BuyOnceGiveTwice, The Charity Auction Website Creates New Fundraising Source

Cheltenham, United Kingdom, February 27, 2008 --(PR.com)-- Generally when a charity holds an auction, its supporters pay thousands of pounds for a luxurious and often unique prize. However, frequently the supporter is busy and does not have time to redeem their prize. This prize simply doesn’t get used but through BuyOnceGiveTwice it is recycled making more money for charity.

With the launch of BuyOnceGiveTwice, the purchaser can contact the site and re-auction the lot for the charity. The original charity will receive 60% of the resale value and once re-sold, the new purchaser nominates their favourite charity to receive the other 30%.

In other cases, where charities contact BuyOnceGiveTwice directly with lots that are returned to them by the purchaser to re-sell, lots that don’t sell at auction, or cases where the purchaser defaults, the charity will receive 90% of the re-sale value. This is philanthropic recycling for the 21st Century.

The first lot to be re-auctioned on the site went live at the beginning of February. It comes from JDRF (Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation), one of the partner charities of BuyOnceGiveTwice and consists of a three day trip to the Italian Alps to watch World Cup skiing, complete with four star accommodation and flights for two. As this lot comes straight from the charity JDRF receives 90% of the resale value. There are many other lots now on the site from tickets to Glastonbury, or to see Kylie, or a box for 15 at the Eagles Concert at the O2 arena.

Founder Mia Woodford comments, “I have a long history with charity events and auctions, and along with my business partner Emma Leschallas became increasingly frustrated at the thousands of charity auction lots being left unclaimed each year. BuyOnceGiveTwice is a simple idea that will help charities effortlessly increase their fundraising revenue.”

Emma continues: “We have a unique proposition to bidders – how else could the public have access to these kinds of exclusive items? We handle everything from listing and marketing the items to taking payment and despatching the items, so the charity needs hardly lift a finger. It’s a win-win situation for charities – they can hand over the responsibility for dealing with unredeemed lots to someone else and at the same time raise huge amounts of money.”

Major charities already signed up include Breast Cancer Campaign, Changing Faces, the Motor Neurone Disease Association, Orchid, JDRF, Ovarian Cancer Action and Starlight.

BuyOnceGiveTwice will be launched at an exclusive event being held on April 17th at Old Billingsgate Market, London.

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For further press information and photography, please contact:

Emma Walton, Walton Public Relations, 86 Roman Way, Bourton-on-the-Water, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire GL54 2HD. Tel: 01451 821800 Mobile: 07515 357842 Email: emma@waltonpr.com
www.buyoncegivetwice.co.uk

Notes to editors:

• BuyOnceGiveTwice is the brainchild of Mia Woodford and Emma Leschallas, who spotted the potential of wasted lots after raising £500,000 at a single auction at the Cura Ball.

• BuyOnceGiveTwice uses the remaining 10% of the monies received from sales to cover the costs of running the site.

• There is no cost to the charity to auction or re-auction lots.

• The funds received by the charity from the auctions are unrestricted.