Give Back Friday: The Black Friday Alternative
- Pledger
- Sep 22
- 6 min read
Give Back Friday: A Meaningful Alternative Strategy to Black Friday for eCommerce and retail brands.
Give Back Friday is an alternative to Black Friday focused on donating instead of/as well as discounting. This alternative is a great option for brands looking share a strong values-led message with shoppers and incentivise sales with impact.
Tl; DR / Summary: Give Back Friday is an alternative to traditional Black Friday, where eCommerce Shopify stores donate a portion of sales to charitable causes instead of offering deep discounts. Below are ideas and examples of Give Back Friday in action. When choosing a charity, Shopify Charity Donations Apps like Virtue can help brands promote their campaign effectively, boost customer loyalty, build trust, and stand out during the busy shopping season. Campaigns can include percentage-of-sales donations, fixed amounts per order, product-specific contributions, giving loyalty points as donations, or customer-driven charity choices, with results shared to maximise impact.
The Problem with Black Friday
Black Friday is the bussiest season in retail. Firstly from a revenue perspective, this is the time when a lot of businesses will significantly boost their annual sales and acquire new customers. The Black Friday/Cyber Monday weekend has long been associated with people buying gifts for Christmas and catching up on personal purchases.
In recent years, there has been an interesting alternative to Black Friday growing in popularity known as Give Back Friday. This is an opportunity for businesses to take Black Friday and shift gears towards making a positive impact.
What is Give Back Friday?
Give Back Friday is an opportunity for businesses to Give Back. Instead of heavy discounting, businesses can take that portion of revenue and donate it to a cause that they care about.
Note: For businesses looking to give back to an environmental cause. Check out our post on Green Friday.
Why Take Part in Give Back Friday?
In recent years we have seen growing trends in consumer values guiding purchasing decisions. Customers are opting to align with brands based on their company values versus shopping based on price and product alone.
This means that Give Back Friday is a great opportunity for businesses to showcase their company's brand values to potential customers. A survey conducted by Deloitte found that 55% of customers said they would be more likely to shop at a retailer that supports charitable causes they care about.
Aligning with Give Back Friday as a brand is a great opportunity to show your philanthropic side.
How to Implement Give Back Friday in Your Shopify Store?
Step 1: Choose Your Giving Model
Step 2: Select a Charity Partner
Step 3: Integrate Donation Options in Your Shopify Store
Step 4: Promote Your Campaign Effectively
Step 5: Measure and Share the Impact
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Examples of Brands that Take Part in Give Back Friday
Early Rider
Early Rider is a UK-based company that specializes in designing high-quality, lightweight, and innovative bikes for children, emphasizing adventure, independence, and skill development. Founded by Andy Loveland, the company originated with a mission to instill a love for exploration and outdoor activities in children, starting with bikes as the ideal tool for fostering confidence and mobility. The company is passionate about sustainability and creating products that inspire kids to engage with the natural world.
Last Black Friday, they ran "Black Rideday" campaign, encouraging their customers to enjoy the great outdoors instead of being inside. In tandem with their outdoors campaign, they're also donating from store sales to Virtue's Impact Partners. Their sales are helping remove plastic, plant trees and supply children in need with meals via Virtue.
Omnes
OMNES is a sustainable fashion brand committed to creating stylish, affordable clothing while minimizing environmental impact. Based in the UK, the company focuses on responsibly sourcing materials and ensuring ethical production processes. OMNES aims to make sustainable fashion more accessible and emphasizes transparency, eco-conscious design, and quality. Their collections feature versatile, trend-forward pieces designed to reduce waste and encourage thoughtful consumption.
Over Black Friday 2024, Omnes ran a Give Back Friday Campaign on Virtue, combining a 30% store-wide discount with charitable donations to War Child UK, a humanitarian organization dedicated to supporting children affected by war and conflict. Additionally, they're encouraging their customers to add their own donations to their basket, as seen below..
Morecoco
During Black Friday in 2022, Morecoco donated all profits to the homeless charity Shelter..
Sonder Bikes
Sonder Bikes is a regular supporter of Alpkit Foundation. An social organisation helping to bring those in need outdoors to experience the wonder of nature.
Check out some other causes to donate to
Paynter Jacket
Helped provide 22,00 meals for people in need by supporting FareShare and engaging customers in an alternative BFCM brand message.
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Pala Eyewear
Gave, and very generously, from every pair of sunglasses sold.
Great Causes to Support for Give Back Friday
There are a ton of great charities and initiatives that you can support. Here are a few recommendations:
Movember - an annual event involving the growing of moustaches during the month of November to raise awareness of men's health issues, such as prostate cancer, testicular cancer, and men's suicide.
CARE International - Saves Lives In Emergencies. CARE works around the world to save lives, putting women and girls first in crises and emergencies.
The Trussel Trust - support food banks to provide practical support to people in crisis
Woman's Aid - donations help provide life-saving services to women and children across the UK
Support Dogs - providing trained support dogs to people and children with various disabilities
Crisis - the UK national charity for people experiencing homelessness. The charity offers year-round education, employment, housing and well-being services.
Check out some other causes to donate to
Looking at Give Back Friday as an alternative to BFCM for your eCommerce store?
Your How-To Guide to taking part in a Give Back Friday Campaign with Virtue.
Step 1 - Choose a cause
Find a cause that aligns both with your company values as well as the personal values of your target customers. There are over 40,000 charities and causes to choose from on Virtue.
Step 2 - Choose how you want to give
There are a number of ways to give back. While the most common way to give back is to give a percentage of every sale. Some brands will choose to dedicate an item to different causes.
Step 3 - Start Giving
With Virtue, you can start giving back from your retail store in just a few minutes. Check out our e-commerce Integrations and set up your giving campaign for Give Back Friday.
Step 4 - Empower Shoppers to Gift their Loyalty Points
Virtue's integration with Yotpo Rewards & Smile.io means shoppers can donate their loyalty points to meaningful causes.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Give Back Friday? Give Back Friday is an alternative to traditional Black Friday where businesses donate a portion of sales to charity instead of offering deep discounts.
How can eCommerce stores implement Give Back Friday? eCommerce stores can choose a charity, integrate donation options at checkout using the Virtue Shopify app, and promote the campaign to customers.
Why should Shopify merchants participate in Give Back Friday? It helps boost customer loyalty, build brand trust, and differentiate your store by showing purpose-driven values during a competitive shopping period.
What types of causes are suitable for Give Back Friday? Charities supporting social issues, environmental initiatives, animal welfare, or community programs are all great options for a Give Back Friday campaign.
When should I launch a Give Back Friday campaign? Start planning in advance, ideally in late October or early November, and extend campaigns through Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and Giving Tuesday for maximum impact.
Check out some other causes to donate to
