The Christmas Countdown feels ever closer and that festive vibe is in many town centres. As shoppers start to prepare for the big day, there are so many Christmas options both online and on the high street but social responsibility and doing social good with the purchase of cards and gifts is becoming ever more important in today’s society.

Christmas cards in particular, have always been a large revenue stream for charities. Most shoppers will choose not only the card design but think about the charity that they are supporting. However, this year isn’t just about supporting charity, it’s about giving them a lifeline as many struggle to survive after the pandemic of the last few years. With everyone suffering during Covid times, it is inevitable that the charity sector would be hit very hard. With less disposable income, less fundraising events and less volunteers able to support them over the last few years, charities are really struggling at a time when they are needed more than ever.

Christmas cards can be a very good revenue stream for charities. Cards for Good Causes is the UK’s largest charity Christmas card retailer and they have raised over £40 million for charity over the last 10 years alone. Last year, this sector was hit incredibly hard - with November being the key trading period for charity Christmas cards, the last thing this sector needed was a lockdown for the whole month.

Jeremy Lune, CEO at Cards for Good Causes, says: “It was so devastating for us and all of the charities that we support. We had a website but it wasn’t geared up to have the amount of traffic that it suddenly saw in those weeks and we were predominantly a seasonal Christmas pop-up shop business. The past year has been incredibly tough. There have been times when we really didn’t think we were going to survive but we have given it everything this year”.

They have had to make some significant changes to their business model. Their usual seasonal pop-up shops have reduced from over 300 to 75 around the UK and they have also improved their website and fulfilment to cope with the ever-increasing online traffic. They run as a not-for-profit organisation so every penny counts. They have to keep operating costs at a minimum so that charities receive 70p in the £1 back. Thankfully, they have an army of volunteers to help them but it is still proving incredibly tough.

Jeremy Lune says “Charities have not had the disposable income to invest in a lot of stock this year and really need us to sell everything they have given us. This really is our last chance and we have been raising huge amounts for charities for over 60 years now. We work with over 200 charities every year so this would be a huge loss for all”.

The Christmas card market has seen a resurgence over the last few years. The giving of cards and gifts and receiving these through the post has been one part of Covid that hasn’t been taken away. When people have been going out less and stuck at home, a card being delivered has brought warmth to many people.

With Christmas cancelled last year, many are looking forward to the festivities more than ever in 2021. It’s clear that Christmas cards will play an important part and thousands will be bought over the next few weeks. Let’s hope it raises the money that our charity sector needs so they continue to make a difference to so many lives.

View the full range of charity Christmas cards at Cards for Good Causes here: www.cardsforcharity.org.uk