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PayPal’s desire to be a purpose-driven brand was brought to life through its GiveBack campaign which was launched in Singapore in July this year.
The premise was simple – make an online payment with PayPal when shopping at participating merchants and we will donate 3% of that total spend to a nominated charity.
But the message behind it was impactful as PayPal created an ecosystem of giving back to society through its payment gateway. Popular brands such as Zalora, foodpanda, Sephora and Charles & Keith were among the PayPal partners selected for this initiative. PayPal also garnered support from local personalities such as Bella Koh, Anita Kapoor and Paul Foster to drive greater awareness for the campaign.
So why choose to give back with PayPal? Well with PayPal donating 3% of the overall transaction to charities, the cost lies with PayPal and not on consumers. A sum of SGD$200,000 was eventually raised and went to nominated beneficiaries like the Breast Cancer Foundation, WWF-Singapore, Lions Befrienders and the Singapore Children’s Society.
Doing good
The varied profile of the causes which PayPal chose to support – Women (Breast Cancer Foundation), Environment (WWF-Singapore), Elderly (Lions Befrienders) and Children (Singapore Children’s Society) – was designed to appeal to as wide a segment as possible.
Our partner Sephora adopted the tagline ‘beauty for a good cause’, appealing to women aligned in the fight against breast cancer.
Meanwhile, those of an environmental persuasion could relate to influencer & sustainability advocate Mae Tan’s support for eco-friendly clothing. This can be done by shopping with brands such as Zalora which carries an eco-friendly collection ranging from sportswear to formal dresses. To complete this sustainability loop, PayPal donated 3% of transactions at Zalora to WWF-Singapore in support of its environmental work.
Supporting various causes
The GiveBack campaign also provided a platform for nominated influencers to volunteer and generate greater awareness for various social causes.
Actor and host Paul Foster had helped to shop, pack and distribute food packages to over 100 elderly seniors at Lions Befrienders, which provides a support network for socially isolated seniors. Paul’s efforts were made possible through PayPal’s partnership with Sasha’s Fine Foods which was a participating merchant for the campaign.
“The smiles on the seniors faces and the gratitude in our hearts made this such a beautiful day and I am so happy to always be a part of meaningful campaigns like this.”
Paul Foster, Actor & Host
Meanwhile, content creator Bella Koh had the pleasure of styling two breast cancer survivors with help from online women apparel provider Love, Bonito that had also participated in the campaign.
“I met up with two inspiring breast cancer survivors and the life lessons they shared were precious. Both of them followed a series of life-changing diagnosis with breast cancer, overcame arduous treatments, yet both had such uplifting energies and immense positivity, it was almost contagious. Breast cancer changes your body, and with mastectomy, it could greatly alter a survivor’s confidence. And this is where I love how Love, Bonito, and us, can step in to empower them.”
Bella Koh, Founder, SLOWHOUSE
And together with WWF-Singapore, influencer Daniel Michaels learnt to produce solar light kits as a sustainable energy alternative. These kits are then distributed to benefit children and families living in remote areas of Southeast Asia.
Every night, more than 789 million people are engulfed in darkness and as one of the beneficiaries of this campaign, WWF-Singapore wants to put an end to energy poverty in an affordable manner.
“What a fun and educational day when we joined WWF-Singapore to build solar lights for children in Cambodia to help them to study after dusk and improve their education outcomes.”
Daniel Michaels, Model and Sustainability Advocate
PayPal’s GiveBack campaign was supported by SimplyGiving, an online fundraising and crowdfunding platform.