Seamless and Effortless Money Raising for Animal Welfare PE

One of South Africa’s biggest and most established community loyalty programmes, MySchool MyVillage MyPlanet is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year. Launched in 1997, the programme today raises more than R6 million a month for a wide range of schools, charities and conservation organisations.

Many thousands of Port Elizabeth shoppers are amongst the 1.2 million supporters nationwide who have played their part in raising a total of R500 million over the last two decades. Popular causes amongst supporters include national organisations such as the MyPlanet Rhino Fund, the National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) and Operation Smile, while locally-based charities are also high on their agenda. Over the course of just the last year, Port Elizabeth cardholders have raised over R1.7 million for the schools and charities they choose to support.

A firm favourite of PE cardholders is the Animal Welfare Society Port Elizabeth AWS (PE), a MyPlanet beneficiary of the programme which received R61 106.33 over the latest fundraising fiscal. The Walmer-based organisation rescues, rehabilitates and shelters all kinds of unwanted, neglected and abandoned animals, as well as facilitating lost and found, and adoption services. Another popular local beneficiary, the Aurora Special Care Centre received R20 836.55 thanks to MyVillage supporters. Aurora runs Residential and Stimulation Care centres providing professional care for profoundly mentally and physically handicapped children, as well as special needs children and adults.

This wide choice that shoppers have to make a difference to organisations whose work is close to their hearts is a result of the way the MySchool MyVillage MyPlanet has developed and expanded over the past two decades. Initially focused on just school fundraising, MyVillage and MyPlanet were added as additional options in 2007. Several dedicated funds have also been launched such as the Thuso Fund for Schools and Charities to specifically assist under-resourced schools and charities. In 2011, during the shocking surge of Rhino poaching, the MyPlanet Rhino Fund was established with the Endangered Wildlife Trust as its administrator. To date, R9.3 million has been raised thanks to MyPlanet Rhino Fund supporters. In addition, the Dream2Teach Scholarship Fund was launched by the programme in September this year which enables supporters to raise funds to provide bursaries to matriculants with a passion to become a teacher but no other means to fund their tertiary education.

There is a beautiful simplicity in the MySchool MyVillage MyPlanet model, and Pieter Twine, General Manager of MySchool MyVillage MyPlanet says this is what people really enjoy.

“It is fundraising for causes that people really care about and empowering them to choose where the money goes. This makes MySchool MyVillage MyPlanet highly relevant in the lives of customers, partner stores, schools, charities and conservation organisations. Customers, businesses and communities are connected in a practical way with everyone playing their part to make a difference in our country.”

Becoming a MySchool MyVillage MyPlanet supporter is easy. People sign up for free and can nominate up to three schools, charities or conservation causes as their beneficiaries. Every time they use their card at a point of purchase in partner stores such as, Woolworths, Bidvest Waltons, Loot.co.za. Engen Foodstops, Flight Centre Red Label Holidays and others, the participating retailer makes a contribution on their behalf, at no cost to them.

In celebration of the MySchool MyVillage MyPlanet 20th anniversary sign up for your free MySchool MyVillage MyPlanet card online at www.myschool.co.za and select up to three schools, charities and conservation organisations you would most like to support.