As a brand, it's always been important to us to work with charities and make a difference where we can. There are so many incredible charities we've worked with over the years and each one has a special place in our hearts.
This International Charity Day (5th September 2021) we'll be donating 10% of every order to Help Refugees, a brilliant organisation who support refugees around the world, including those who have evacuated the current crisis in Afghanistan. So far, Help Refugees's important work has reached over one million people in fifteen countries.
While our team are passionate about all the charities we support as a brand, they also have charities that they support as individuals. So now, we want to hand the mic over to them, to talk about the organisations they love and why...
Jade, CEO
"I support Happy Hippie Cats Ibiza, a not-for-profit organisation that takes care of the street cats on the island by neutering, feeding and rehoming them. Happy Hippie Cats are made up entirely of volunteers and and are completely self-funded. Myself and my partner, Jack, take care of 15 stray cats and have recently rescued three abandoned kittens in Ibiza, so we know first-hand how important the work that they do is. At Dancing Leopard, we recently teamed up with Happy Hippie Cats to create a groovy charity t-shirt, where 100% of the profits are donated."
Rosie, Marketing Director
"I've chosen Smart Works, and in particular my local branch in Greater Manchester. This incredible charity help women to find employment by giving them interview coaching and an interview outfit. Each woman gets a dressing consultation to find an outfit that she can feel confident in on her big day, plus she gets to keep it! In fact, Dancing Leopard recently donated some of our clothes to Smart Works and I was so happy to see that one of their clients got the job wearing one of our dresses!"
Nando, Senior Graphic Designer
"The charity I choose is Gaya Dewata, one of the very few LGBTQI organisations in Bali, Indonesia, focusing more on health awareness, consultation, HIV prevention and shelter for Indonesian LGBT youths. Indonesia is not what I'd describe as a particularly progressive country, but it's also not in crisis, therefore its very often overlooked by international organisations. Gaya Dewata do a lot of great programmes in the health department and build opportunities for marginalised people, like the transgender community to better themselves. They're a centre and safe haven for all LGBTQI people not only in Bali, but all over Indonesia. And with the pandemic happening, it doesn't help with the struggles of operating programmes, and marginalised people are desperate for COVID relief and funding."
VISIT GAYA DEWATA
Sallie, Marketing Executive
"The charity I support is Crisis, who campaign to end homelessness. They do such important work, not just in bigger city areas, but nationwide in towns, too. I've supported this charity since I was in school and I still support it now, as they do so many amazing things. Their Christmas appeals are especially important, and there's so many ways you can help, from donating to volunteering - anything can make a huge difference."
Mary, Content Producer
"The charity I support is Bridge Of Hope Children's Ministry, who support orphans in Uganda. I have been sponsoring a little girl called Shalif with them for three and a half years. We write to one another and I send a care/ fun package every year to include some of her favourite things. The charity is committed to social justice and providing care to the most vulnerable children. Every child has the opportunity to learn, develop and grow in a loving community, free from fear and exploitation."
VISIT BRIDGE OF HOPE CHILDREN'S MINISTRY
Sam, SEO Executive
"My chosen charity is YoungMinds, which is a charity that fights for children and young people's mental health, in order to get young people the mental health support they need, when they need it. Suicide rates are rising in recent years, particularly in men where suicide is the biggest killer of men under 45. I think the best way to reverse this is to get the right help and support for young people and encourage them to seek support and open up. I don’t think enough support or education on mental health is given for young people and in schools, so the work YoungMinds do will help future generations better manage their mental health and reduce suicides."
Becca, Senior Copywriter
"I can't choose between them, so I'm going to shout out two charities! Firstly, Age UK, who do life-changing work to support old people in the UK. They do this in lots of different ways, from giving financial advice to helping to prevent loneliness and more. I've been a 'Befriender' with Age UK for two years, where I spend time with an elderly person once a week to keep them company. I've formed a great friendship with my Befriendee and I really enjoy our time together. It's definitely something I'd recommend doing! The second charity I would like to mention is Women For Women. This amazing organisation supports women victims of war and conflict by helping them to rebuild their lives. Dancing Leopard ran a campaign with them for International Women's Day 2021 so we really got to see how important their work is and the lengths that they go to to help people."
Just so you know...
We don't just donate to charity on International Charity Day, we do it all year around. Check out our collection of charity products, where partial or full profit is donated to various organisations.