CAF HELPS UK PUBLIC DONATE TO AUSTRALIAN BUSHFIRE APPEALS

Source: UKFundraising (Extract)
Posted: January 23, 2020

The Charities Aid Foundation (CAF) is helping members of the public donate to the Australian bushfire crisis, by working with its Australian partner, Good2Give to ensure donations reach the country without international payment fees.

People can give a minimum of £20 upwards to an agreed list of 27 Australian charities through CAF. The charities are split across three main cause areas, which are the General Bush Fire Appeal, the Firefighters Appeal and the Animal Appeal. Some of the charities who stand to benefit include the Salvation Army, RSPCA Australia and the New South Wales Rural Fire Service.

Sir John Low, Chief Executive of CAF said:

“We have all been deeply saddened by the raging bushfires in Australia, as well as the cost to human and animal life.

“As the crisis continues, we’re pleased to be able to make it simpler for people in the UK to donate to some of the brilliant charities tackling this crisis on the ground.”

Record-breaking temperatures and drought have fuelled the bushfires, around 60 of which were still burning across New South Wales and Victoria this week.

Three more fundraising campaigns for Australia:

Revolut supports Australian Red Cross & WWF appeals.

Revolut has joined forces with the Australian Red Cross and WWF on an emergency appeal to support the people and animals affected by the bushfires in Australia.

Revolut customers will now be able to donate to the Australian Red Cross and WWF via the in-app Donations feature, which allows users to round up their card payments and donate the difference to charity. Customers can also donate by setting up a recurring payment or making one-off donations.

All donations to the Australian Red Cross from Revolut customers will go directly to the Australian Red Cross Disaster Relief and Recovery Fund. Donations to WWF will be directed towards the immediate response efforts that are tackling the bushfires and its impact on wildlife and communities. After the fires clear, the funds will be used to help restore homes for koalas and other wildlife, planting the first 10,000 trees urgently needed in koala habitats.

In the UK, WWF UK saw £1m raised in the first week of its Australian Bushfire Emergency Appeal. The total was bolstered by donations from companies, celebrities and sports stars, including Formula 1 driver Lewis Hamilton, Arsenal’s Hector Bellerin, and Juventus’s Aaron Ramsey.

Formula 1 auction

With Formula 1’s 2020 season kicking off in Melbourne in March, the Formula 1 community is running an F1 Auction, with the money raised going to help those affected in the worst hit areas.

The F1 Auction started on 22 January, with all proceeds going to four charity and non-profit organisations, selected together with the Australian Grand Prix Corporation:

Red Cross Australia

Country Fire Authority Victoria

Foundation for Rural and Regional Renewal

WWF Australian Wildlife and Nature Recovery Fund

Up for auction are exclusive items, signed merchandise and ‘money-can’t-buy’ experiences. Among the many items already donated are the racing gloves and shoes used by Daniel Ricciardo during his first season with Renault, the helmet that Kevin Magnussen will use in this year’s 2020 Australian Grand Prix, as well as race suits from Red Bull’s Max Verstappen and Alex Albon, Haas’ Romain Grosjean and AlphaTauri’s Daniil Kvyat as worn in the 2019 season.

London Ambulance Service appeal

London Ambulance Service has raised almost £10,000 so far through its appeal, which is raising funds for the Australian Red Cross to support the emergency services tackling the bushfires. The Service has close ties with colleagues in Australia and hundreds of its staff are from the country and have loved ones and friends who live near the affected areas.