What an exciting week it has been since the inaugural Belfast Telegraph IT Awards 2022! GCD were delighted to win two awards at the event, IT Project of the Year & Best ‘Not for Profit’ Sector IT Project of the Year, for our work with Cash For Kids.
The third Belfast Telegraph IT Awards took place in the Mac in Belfast on 11th November 2022 and was hosted by comedian Neil Delamere and sponsored by Telefónica Tech UK&I.
It was a fantastic evening that showcased the considerable talent of the IT sector here in Northern Ireland and celebrated all the fantastic businesses and projects. To win two awards is something the entire GCD team is extremely proud of.
About the Cash For Kids Project
Cash For Kids is a network of local charities, which operate across 22 areas around the UK. Northern Ireland is served by Cash For Kids NI, whose sole mission is to help the thousands of disadvantaged children across the province.
Over the last number of years, the Cash for Kids project has seen continuous innovation, from the original custom fundraising platform, ‘GivingisEasy’, through to the Covid-19 emergency appeal application and culminating in our most recent collaboration with Amazon Business, in which we developed a “first of its kind” integration that has transformed how people donate gifts.
The platform and its features are pivotal in supporting the charity in helping disadvantaged children across Northern Ireland and the UK. As a direct result of the Amazon Business integration, 27,269 gifts were purchased with a total value of £406,077 for the 2021 Mission Christmas appeal. In Northern Ireland, the majority of donations were purchased through the integration, highlighting the measurable success of the project.
The team at GCD are extremely proud to be the charity’s digital partner as we continue to innovate and support their amazing work, as were the Amazon team, who said:
“The collaboration between Amazon Business, Cash For Kids and GCD has been a first time venture for us and one we’re pleased to say has been a huge success. The innovative API integration GCD developed with our team, enables easier, more interesting ways for supporters to donate to Cash For Kids at Christmas time, making sure disadvantaged children throughout the UK receive gifts as part of the Cash for Kids Mission Christmas Appeal. All these essential items are distributed directly to the Mission Christmas warehouses by Amazon UK. It’s something we’re delighted to have been part of. The GCD team were excellent to work with and have created a solution for Cash for Kids that has already made a huge difference, we’re excited to see what’s next.“
“The whole team are delighted to have won IT Project of the Year & Best ‘Not for Profit’ Sector IT Project of the Year for our work with Cash For Kids. As the charity’s Digital Partner, we are continuously working in tandem with the team to develop the platform and create new innovative features to support their fundraising. This led to the most recent project, a first of its kind integration with Amazon Business. It was new ground for both GCD and Amazon, as it’s the only time they’ve allowed the functionality; we are incredibly proud of the outcome and to have received these awards in recognition of the hard work, innovation and dedication of our team.
Andrew Gough, Managing Director at GCD
Creating innovative solutions for our customers is at the heart of what we and winning these two awards is something I am personally very proud of. These accolades will helps us continue to showcase how digital products can truly transform and innovate businesses, as well as supporting our continued growth.”
“Winning IT Project of the Year and Best ‘Not for Profit’ Sector IT Project of the Year is a brilliant reminder of how important it is to recognise and celebrate the innovative work we do at Cash For Kids alongside GCD.
Darren Fowler, Group Digital Development Director at Cash For Kids
We’ve worked alongside the team at GCD for over 8 years now and this has been one of our most powerful projects in terms of the impact it has on the children and families we support. Our fundraising platform is an integral part of the Mission Christmas campaign and our new integration with Amazon Business has helped take us to the next level!
These awards are fantastic recognition of the hard work and innovation we strive for and will enable us to continue to develop new ways to support children and families across NI and the UK.”
