The best charity and supermarket partnerships

Corporate partnerships are an effective way for charities to raise both funds and awareness of their cause. They are also important for businesses trying to meet their environmental, social, and governance (ESG) commitments.

 

These link ups are particularly effective when supermarkets are involved. Stores are highly visible to the public for awareness raising and they can mobilise large numbers of staff and customers quickly to raise funds.

 

Here we look at the benefits for charities of partnering with supermarkets as well as look at some of the most interesting link ups.

 

 

Benefits to charities and supermarkets

 

There are strong benefits of partnerships for both the charities and firms, which are amplified when supermarkets are involved. Charities’ ability to raise money is highly effective when a steady stream of customers is on hand to give cash at tills to good causes. Large staff numbers at stores are another bonus for fundraising activity, such as sponsored walks and events.

 

Good causes can raise awareness in stores through promotional stalls and to chat to customers.

 

Meanwhile, for the supermarkets involved, charity link-ups often help with their mission to support their local communities – who are their customers, staff, and their families. As major firms, they can also donate part of their profits to charity.

 

Research shows that supermarkets are among the most generous corporate partners charities can hope for. Analysis released in 2024 by Charities Adi Foundation found that supermarkets Tesco and Sainsbury are the most generous FTSE 100 companies in terms of corporate giving.

 

This found that Tesco donated 11.93% of its pre-tax profits, while the figure was 10.55% for Sainsbury’s. In addition, Tesco gave a further £30m to good causes in 2023, largely through supporting food waste and food bank charities.

 

Below we explore some of the most interesting supermarket and charity partnerships.

 

 

Aldi supplies Salvation Army shops

 

In March 2024, the Salvation Army’s retail arm announced a deal with Aldi to stock its charity shops with non-food products, known as “middle aisle items” to the supermarket’s customers.

 

The move follows a year-long partnership between Aldi and the Salvation Army Trading Company, which raised more than £350,000 through the sale of Aldi products in stories.

 

Salvation Army Trading Company Head of Corporate Partnerships Kirk Bradley said: “This partnership will contribute to providing a vital funding source for our charity as well as great quality products to our customers across the UK.”

 

Other support for good causes by Aldi includes providing surplus food to charities through a partnership with communities and business links platform Neighbourly. This has seen the supermarket donate more than 40m meals since its launch six years ago.

 

 

Tesco’s hygiene product link up with In Kind Direct

 

Among the charity links up that Tesco is involved in is its partnership with donated product organisation In Kind Direct to provide disadvantaged families with hygiene products.

 

In 2025 this involved six suppliers of toothpaste, soap and other hygiene products: Unilever, Essity, Haleon, Kimberly-Clark, Edgewell, and P&G.

 

Through this supplier, supermarket, and charity partnership, a product is donated to families for every two bought through the supermarket, both online and in-store.

 

Its campaign in 2025 was the fifth time a similar multi-supplier campaign to support struggling families has been run through Tesco.

 

“We recognise the importance of challenging the stigma of hygiene poverty, and we are pleased to be able to work with In Kind Direct and our suppliers to support more people in our communities to get the essential items they need,” said Tesco Category Director of Health, Beauty and Wellness Thomas Lye.

 

This campaign is needed as one in four households with children live in hygiene poverty, where they cannot afford basic products, says In Kind Direct.

 

 

Lidl’s micro donation campaign for NSPCC

 

Another innovative supermarket and charity partnership to launch in 2025 was Lidl becoming the first national UK supermarket to introduce the Pennies digital micro donation system at tills.

 

This six-week fundraiser gave customers the chance to donate up to 30p a transaction to the NSPCC when they pay for their shopping.

 

This involved rolling out of Pennies technology on the store’s tills and was complemented by in store cash donation tins for the children’s charity.

 

Lidl’s partnership with the NSPCC launched in 2017 and has since raised £10m. It aims to raise a further £5m for the charity by 2030 to support its Childline support helpline services, which receives a call from a child every 45 seconds on average.

 

“We’ve been able to promote Childline through Lidl’s national marketing campaigns and raise vital funds through creative colleague fundraising, says NSPCC Chief Executive Chris Sherwood.

 

“Funds from the Lidl partnership have supported our essential services, such as Childline, which provides impartial support to all children in the UK.”