Australia's peak retail body, the Australian Retailers Association (ARA), is proud to announce a significant partnership with social impact tech platform i=Change, ahead of International Women's Day on March 8.
As part of the partnership, the ARA is supporting i=Change's Shop for Change campaign, a 3-day impact focused online shopping event from March 8 to 10, 2024.
The collaboration aims to empower women and girls by supporting life-changing projects in Australia and globally.
To do this, participating retailers give back a portion per sale to carefully vetted NGO projects focused on education, health, and economic independence for women.
ARA CEO Paul Zahra said there has never been a more important time to be a part of the movement towards gender equality and act on humanitarian crises worldwide.
"Our partnership with i=Change is a testament to the power of collaboration in driving social change," Mr Zahra said.
"By leveraging the vast network and influence of the retail industry, we can make a significant impact on the lives of women and girls around the world.
"This campaign is not just about donations; it's about embedding social impact into everyday business operations and empowering shoppers to be part of the solution."
"With International Women's Day just around the corner, there's never been a more fitting time to give back and change lives."
Retailers have a powerful opportunity to join this campaign to drive customer engagement, growth and loyalty, while meaningfully contributing to some of the key issues of our time.
During Shop for Change, retailers give back $3 per sale for 3 days. Customers shop as usual, the i=Change platform appears post-checkout and engages customers to choose where it goes. 100% of funds are forwarded to the chosen NGO projects, that have a direct impact on improving the lives of women and girls.
This solution allows consumers to be part of a larger movement towards gender equality, simply through their purchasing choices.
The featured projects for this campaign are diverse, ranging from providing education and literacy skills for young girls in developing countries, to offering support and resources for women escaping domestic violence.
In founding i=Change, Jeremy Meltzer is constantly moved and inspired by his experiences in the developing world.
"I have just returned from the slums of India and seen first-hand how enabling women to start businesses can circuit-break intergenerational poverty, and light the spark for daughters to realise their dreams," Mr Meltzer said.
"The empowerment of women and girls represents a key and critical opportunity to lift entire communities from poverty and strengthen entire economies.
"This IWD, while indeed there are challenges in Australia, let us not forget communities across Asia Pacific, our nearest neighbours, where relatively small amounts of funding can directly change lives."
So far, i=Change has raised – $1 at a time – over $9.5 million for NGOs.
Some of their achievements include:
- Over $260,000 raised for The Australian Literacy and Numeracy Foundation (ALNF) project 'empower with literacy'.
- Over $1.8 million raised for Women's Community Shelters, impacting the lives of up to 36,000 women seeking crisis accommodation
- Over $157,000 raised for The Fred Hollows Foundation where every $1 helps improve Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander eye health.
The tech platform also has a focus on environmental preservation and combating climate change, with projects to clean the sea, restore nature and prevent the extinction of native animals.
