Last year, MySchool MyVillage MyPlanet, South Africa’s foremost loyalty fundraising programme, celebrated its 20th Anniversary and over R500million given back to date with the social media-driven #MySchool20 campaign. 20 winning customers and their 20 favourite causes have now been announced, with the supporters each receiving a R20 000 Woolworths gift card and their nominated schools and charities each benefitting from a R20 000 cash donation.

DJ Fresh playing with the kids at Little Eden

The more 1.2 million South African supporters of the programme are empowered to raise funds for causes they most want to help simply by having their cards scanned at the purchase points or online check-outs of the partner retailers. However, the 20th Anniversary campaign enabled them to go further in being part of the country’s upliftment efforts that matter to them most.

During the campaign, supporters took to Twitter and Facebook to raise awareness of the schools and organisations they support by starting conversations and talking about the programme and their favourite causes using the hashtag #MySchool20.

Thirteen schools across the country were nominated by the winning customers. DR Joubert Primary, Tuscany Glen Primary, Norma Road Primary, Parkhurst Primary, Sunlands Primary and Oaklands High schools in the Western Cape each received a R20 000 prize. So did Ganyesa Primary School in the North West, Weltevreden Park Primary, Constantia Kloof Primary and Montrose Primary schools in Gauteng, as well as Grantleigh, Michaelhouse and Ashram Primary schools in KwaZulu-Natal.

The charitable causes that were nominated included Little Eden Society for the intellectually disabled, the Refilwe Community Project; child-focused causes, Doors of Hope Gauteng and SOS Children’s Home, Sparrow Village for people affected by HIV/AIDS and the popular medical services organisation, Operation Smile. Thanks to its loyal supporter animal protection organisation, Cape Town’s Lucky Lucy Foundation also received funds.

“MySchool MyVillage MyPlanet congratulates the 20 conversation starters that enabled these schools and organisations to get a fundraising boost in celebration of our 20th Anniversary,” says Pieter Twine, MySchool’s General Manager. “The programme strives to make it simple and easy for South Africans to be part of what matters most to them, whether that’s an under-resourced school or rhino conservation or their favourite local charity. Going forward, we aim to double our impact by getting at least 2 million supporters on board.”

You can sign up for free as a supporter and nominate up to three schools, charities or conservation causes as your beneficiary. Every time your card is scanned at a point of purchase in a Woolworths store or at any other partner store, the participating retailer makes a contribution to your beneficiaries at no cost to you. There are over 1 500 stores that support the programme.