About us

Our story

The Charity Shop Gift Card was founded by four individuals from differing backgrounds, from payments, the gift card industry and employment within the charity retail sector to lived experience of financial insecurity. Our diverse backgrounds are brought together with passion and shared values rooted in sustainability and social justice, meaning the decision to make the business a not-for-profit was an easy one. This means that a minimum of 65% of our profits will fund free gift cards for refuges, foodbanks and other support organisations.

The mission was to create the only truly sustainable gift card that would be loved by thrifty consumers but that could give charity retailers meaningful access to the £7 billion gift card market. At the heart of the support sector aspect of the gift card is the firm belief that it can give dignity and choice back to people who, through life circumstances, have had many choices taken away from them. We wanted a way to connect all the things going to waste, with all the people going without, and The Charity Shop Gift Card is a mechanism for that. We are incredibly proud to call ourselves #agiftcardforgood.

I wanted there to be a way for people in need of essentials to 'shop for free' in charity shops, without charity shops losing out on income and with nothing that would identify those people as being 'in need'. A gift card for charity shops was the solution.

-Sarah Cox, co-founder

Meet the team

Lee Fellows

Managing Director and Co-founder 

Lee has held senior roles in various payments business including a global gift card issuer and processor.
Lee has always held an interest in sustainability and the environment, recycling at an early age and is passionate about building a business that not only promotes sustainability but will increase the revenues of a multitude of charities.

Sarah Cox

Head of Support Sector Partnerships and Co-founder 

As a co-founder, Sarah’s inspiration for The Charity Shop Gift Card came from her own life circumstances; where a voucher for shopping in charity shops would have been a massive help in replacing essential clothing, furniture and homewares. As such a card didn’t exist already, Sarah set about developing one. Having always been an avid charity shopper, Sarah knows they are special points of contact for all kinds of people and services, and loves that providing the card through support organisations can make a real difference to people’s lives.

Hannah Weet

Social Media Executive

Hannah, The Charity Shop Gift Card’s social media manager, has a decade of experience promoting second-hand shopping online via her personal social media channels. Her passion for charity shops began in her teens when she started volunteering in one which eventually, she got a paid role from. Her favourite thing about the gift card is that it’s the gift that keeps on giving as it benefits the recipient, the charity shop, and the planet.

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