Give As You Live!

We talk a lot about 'conscious consumerism'–the idea that we can be better citizens to the planet simply by shopping in a more thoughtful and considered way. Which is a great idea in theory, but somehow loses something in practice. If it means a hit to our weekly budget, or that we have to go out of our way to find ethical or sustainable products, then we are much less likely to go down the conscious route.

But the boom in online shopping has forced something of a step-change, and has made the idea of conscious consumerism a lot more realistic for many of us. Much apart from the way that we can now connect with and buy from our favourite ethical retailers, there is a push towards charity giving as you shop.

Sites like QuickQuid have been a savvy shopper favourite for years. They work as a portal to the big online retailers, and by signing up you accrue points that mean you save money or snag rewards. By attracting more shoppers, the portals earn commission which allows them to make money and pass the savings on to you. Simple, eh?

Now there's Give As You Live. It works in exactly the same way as QuickQuid, but instead of rewards you earn money for your favourite charities. Sign up is simple and straightforward, and you're not limited to second-rate retailers. You can even do your weekly food shop. Worried that your charity might not be supported? There are currently 200,000 good causes to choose from, from well-known names like the Big issue Foundation all the way to local churches and social clubs. You can always reach out and persuade your charity to sign up, of course!

Give As You Live are clear about how much you'll earn for your cause: percentages depend on the charity and the retailer. Nothing's hidden, and there's a dedicated support team ready to help. They've raised over £7.5million since starting in 2010, and have won a stack of awards for the good work they've done for the sector. I honk on about finding clever new ways for charities to raise their fundraising game. This has to be one of the smartest.

Our View: Give As You Live seems like a no-brainer to us. An easy and transparent way to earn cash for charities while carrying on the retail adventures that you'd do online anyway. It costs you nothing but a couple of extra clicks. If you're already used to doing things the QuickQuid way, there's no learning curve at all. Check them out, and see if you can shunt some money towards your favourite good cause.

Start here.