About Us
Cards for Good Causes is the UK’s largest multi-charity card and gift retailer supporting local and national charities. We operate all year round as a charitable gifting website, plus open the doors of Christmas pop-up shops during the Christmas season (October-December).
We are a not-for-profit retail company which currently partners with over 70 charities throughout the UK providing both promotion and royalty income to each charity. We offer the most comprehensive range of cards and gifts for all occasions that directly supports the charity sector.
It started in 1959 when James “Jim” Jackson, Secretary of the British Diabetic Association, gathered a group of medical charities together to discuss the coordination of publicity for selling charity cards at Christmas to help promote the charities as efficiently as possible.
Since then, Cards for Good Causes has grown and changed. In the last 10 years it has offered support and promotion to a network of over 250 charities, giving back more than £22 million.
The huge funds raised over the years have enabled the charity sector to improve the lives of so many people and fund life-saving work.
In 1964, they began selling cards from empty shops in town centres. The name “Cards for Good Causes” was first mooted in 1971, but it was not until 1988 that it was formally established as the trading arm of The 1959 Group of Charities. It is common for charitable organisations to set up a subsidiary “business” or “trading arm” to generate income on a more permanent basis.
What is the 1959 Group of Charities?
The 1959 Group of Charities is a multi-charity membership organisation which currently has 11 member charities.
These are:
By working together as a collective group, our member charities can ensure more of every penny paid by the customer makes its way to those that need it most. In addition, the Group encourages and promotes voluntary work by local community groups and the general public.
Our charity cards and gifts
We sell “Cards for Good Causes” branded multi-charity Christmas cards which support all of our charities. We are also an on-line marketplace for multiple individual cards and gifts.
Christmas pop-up shops
Our Christmas pop-up shops open up around the UK in the lead up to Christmas. They are typically open from October to December. We set up in venues such as churches, libraries, community centres, tourist information centres, museums and some commercial premises too. We also work with a number of hosts and partner retailers to ensure that our customers can buy our products throughout the UK. Find a store near you.
Volunteers
Volunteers are a crucial part of Cards For Good Causes. The wonderful gift of time given by our volunteers helps us to operate a large network of shops enabling us to pass more income back to all the charities that we partner with. Historically, Cards for Good Causes has been supported by 5,000 volunteers. Due to the difficulties over recent years the number of volunteers able to support us has fallen and we are seeking to find those who would like to join our family and support our Charities. Apply to become a volunteer.Sustainability
We always aim to source a range of quality, environmentally-friendly, ethically-sourced products. Our charity Christmas cards and envelopes are recyclable, glitter-free and plastic free. We also ensure that any of our providers have sustainable credentials too.