MAKE A DIFFERENCE LOCALLY

CHARITY: NISA

QUARTER OF A MIL IN A QUARTER

NISA’S MAKING A DIFFERENCE LOCALLY CHARITY SAW A RECORD FIRST QUARTER WITH NISARETAILERS DONATING OVER £264K, THEIR HIGHEST EVER Q1 TOTAL.

Nisa’s Making a Difference Locally (MADL) charity saw a record first quarter in terms of partner engagement, with Nisa retailers donating their highest ever Q1 total. Nisa stores supported good causes with 585 donations throughout the first quarter of 2021, totalling £264,470, the most ever donated by retailers via Making a Difference Locally during a Q1 period and also the highest number of individual donations made.

Some 322 donations totalling £165,551 were made to good causes across the UK during March alone, and the strong Q1 follows a record month in December which saw MADL’s highest ever monthly total donated.

Kate Carroll, Nisa’s Head of Charity said: “We’re delighted that Q1 was the highest ever first quarter we’ve had in terms of partner engagement and we hope the funds donated will make a real difference for the hundreds of small charities and local community groups to receive them so far this year.

“Many good causes are still struggling to fundraise due to nationwide restrictions but their services have never been more needed, and it’s been truly heart-warming to see how Nisa partners have really responded to the needs of their local communities.”

Since its formation in 2008, Making a Difference Locally has raised over £12.6m and supported charities and other good causes with over 13,000 donations.

HAVE A HEART

MADL also launched the second round of its Heart of the Community Awards initiative over the last week, which will support a number of community projects with donations totalling £150,000.

Following a successful launch last October, the Heart of the Community Awards will again enable Nisa partners to nominate a local community project to receive up to £5,000 of funding from Making a Difference Locally, with the emphasis in this round being on good causes that encourage communities to enjoy and spend time outdoors.

Nominations will be accepted from Nisa partners via a dedicated website from 1 April and will remain open until 30th April.

The first round of Heart of the Community Awards saw 34 good causes nationwide benefit from donations totalling £150,000, cementing the initiative as Making a Difference Locally’s biggest funding giveaway to date.

Kate Carroll said: “We received a fantastic response to our first round of funding last year and the feedback from good causes that have benefitted has been incredibly heartwarming, so we’re delighted to be able to bring back the Heart of the Community Awards for a second round of donations.

“With the majority of people in the UK likely to have spent much of the last year indoors due to national restrictions, we wanted particularly to support causes that encourage or help communities to spend time outdoors this time around.

“Independent retailers are at the very heart of their communities and so are perfectly placed to identify local projects in need of a little extra support and we look forward to helping them really make a difference for their local area.”