About The Prince’s Trust
Youth charity The Prince’s Trust helps young people to develop the confidence and skills they need to realise their ambitions, so that they can live, learn, and earn. Founded by The Prince of Wales in 1976, the charity supports 11 to 30 year-olds who are unemployed, struggling at school, and at risk of exclusion.
Many of the young people helped by The Trust are in or leaving care, facing issues such as homelessness, mental health problems, or have been in trouble with the law. The programmes offered by the charity give vulnerable young people the practical and financial support needed to stabilise their lives, helping develop self-esteem and skills for work. Three in four young people supported by The Prince’s Trust move into work, education, or training.
The Trust has helped over 950,000 young people to date and supports over 100 more each day.
Fundraising Need
The Prince’s Trust aims help one million more young people to transform their lives over the next 10 years, helping them develop the confidence and skills to live, to learn, and to earn, and giving them an increasing stake in the economy and society.
The Prince’s Trust relies on the support of partners and donors to deliver on its mission. The Trust offers several programmes to help young people start a business, get a job, and build confidence.
One such programme, Enterprise, supports youths aged 18-30 years old, to turn an entrepreneurial idea into a business success. The Trust provides training and mentoring support, as well as funding and resources, in either an in-person Enterprise training program or through the Enterprise Online programme.
eBay for Charity Solution: Direct Selling and Charity Partnership
In October 2018, The Prince’s Trust and eBay for Charity kicked off a 12-month partnership with a 24-hour Give Day. For every item purchased on the platform on a designated day in October, eBay UK donated 5p, and multiple items netted a 10p automatic donation. In just 24 hours, the eBay UK community raised over £105,000 for The Prince’s Trust. The eBay community raised enough in 24 hours to fund nearly 2,000 hours of expert mentoring through The Prince’s Trust’s Enterprise programme.
Impact
Since 1983, The Prince’s Trust has helped more than 85,000 young people into business. Its Enterprise program teaches business basics to potential entrepreneurs, as well as helping them write a business plan, test their idea, and gain access to funding.
To help grow the existing businesses The Prince’s Trust supports through its Tomorrow’s Store, eBay for Charity also onboarded select businesses to eBay.co.uk. And we teamed up with some of The Prince’s Trust’s celebrity Ambassadors, including Phillip Schofield and Emma Willis, to auction exclusive meet-and-greet celebrity events and experiences, with 100% of proceeds going to The Trust’s Enterprise program.
Learnings & Benefits
According to a statement from The Trust:
“The Prince’s Trust is thrilled to be partnered with eBay for Charity. Through the partnership so far, we have had invaluable exposure to a wider audience base. This has allowed us to effectively promote our charitable work to millions of people who would not necessarily have been familiar with our work.
“eBay for Charity has a played a proactive role in giving Enterprise launched businesses a platform on their website. They have not only given young people expert advice and guidance on how to be successful online but have also given them a spotlight on their platform, enabling them to promote their newly launched businesses. This is a benefit that is exceptionally unique in its impact for directly supporting young people through the Trust.
“eBay for Charity work in a flexible but exceptionally efficient way of allowing us as a charity to develop and implement several projects across the year. The approach they take to the partnership has always been enthusiastic and committed which has allowed for a positive partnership. One key benefit we have gained from the partnership is the expert knowledge of various departments that have allowed us to excel in the delivery of any projects planned.
“Through eBay for Charity’s huge brand presence, we have been able to utilise our celebrity ambassadors and influencers to maximize on our fundraising initiatives. Taking advantage of eBay’s audience through this method has a greater chance of increasing our fundraising efforts compared to other charitable partnerships which may not have been as successful.”
Final Thoughts
“It’s been a privilege to be in partnership with eBay for Charity. Through our partnership we have been able to work on a range of projects while keeping young entrepreneurs at the heart of everything we do together. Their generosity, commitment, and passion for supporting young people has been outstanding and has become a much loved and admired partnership at the Prince’s Trust.”
