Pay online, donate your change

Launched in November 2008, The Trust is a corporate social responsibility initiative with the goal of assisting every South African charity that passes its stringent auditing and accountability checks. The Trust aims to aid as many South African charities as possible by making it easy for donors to donate money through a single, global access point located on www.thetrust.org.za.

When shopping with Ukash vouchers, if the value of a voucher exceeds the amount of the purchase, consumers are issued with 'change' in the form of a new voucher. Consumers are then given the option of donating their 'change' to a group of deserving charities under The Trust's umbrella. The Trust provides a network for reputable and accountable SA charities which have been qualified through ongoing due diligence.

"Facilitating the donation of Ukash change is something we have done in other territories and we wanted to do the same for our South African customers," says Mark Chirnside, CEO of Ukash. "The Trust links individuals to reputable charities and we are honoured to be a vehicle of donation to such an array of great causes."

"The idea behind The Trust is to boost the fundraising ability of charities by consolidating marketing efforts under one umbrella," says Tracey-Lee Cohen, CEO of The Trust. "By doing this, we aim to streamline the act of giving by creating a single access point for a vast assortment of causes, from animals in distress to women and child abuse."

Charities affiliated to The Trust are expected to adhere to strict reporting and accountability guidelines to continue receiving support from Ukash. Cohen adds that "every cent of every rand donated to our causes is tracked, accounted for and distributed to charities with maximum efficiency and transparency."

Ukash vouchers can be purchased through payment terminals operated by The Prepaid Company across the country. Consumers can then use the unique 19-digit code on the voucher to make online purchases without having to part with any sensitive financial information. With online fraud continuing to plague electronic commerce websites, prepaid vouchers are said to be a form of safe shopping experience. For more, go to www.ukash.com/za-en.