CSSEF (Chloe and Sophie’s Special Ear Fund) started with one simple goal: to make life a little brighter for deaf children in their local community. Inspired by sisters Chloe and Sophie Jackson, the charity has spent over 15 years raising funds and spreading awareness to help local schools and services offer better support to Deaf children.
Karen and Brian Jackson, founders and parents of Chloe and Sophie, first started their retail journey by selling items they had stashed away in their cupboard under the stairs. That small idea quickly grew, and before they knew it, they had three sheds full of donated goods! They then opened their very first shop in Camberley in 2013. The shop was named Just4Kids – selling just children’s items, and the number 4 representing Deaf children. A child with a hearing aid, a child with a cochlear implant, a child with a Bone Anchored Hearing Aid and a child using British Sign Language.
Karen Jackson, CEO, says, “Everything felt stuck in the dark ages, or as I like to call it, 'the dinosaur times.’ When Silvia Lofting, our Charity Operations Manager, joined the charity, she was on a mission to modernise how we worked and help us save time. We knew we needed a more modern, connected system to move forward.”
Fast forward to 2022, and CSSEF officially became part of the Wil-U Family. To celebrate and honour our three-year partnership, we had the privilege of visiting CSSEF to better understand how they operate and utilise Wil-U's solutions. We headed to Aldershot and Fleet to visit their retail locations. Seeing first-hand how they utilise Wil-U's EPOS & Gift Aid solution.
This visit not only deepened our relationship with CSSEF but also gave us valuable insights into how our solutions are making a difference in their operations, further reinforcing the impact of our partnership.
Getting to meet Brian, Karen, and Silvia (not to forget Brian’s hearing dog, Rebel) showed us the importance of building a strong customer/supplier relationship within the charity industry. It's not just a transaction for Wil-U. We genuinely care. So being able to talk in person with everyone at CSSEF meant that we could support and receive feedback that can improve not only their experience but also future members of the Wil-U Family. But also get to know the charity and its mission, and see the wonderful things they are doing for the deaf community.
Karen says, “Our experience has been extremely positive from the very beginning. Whenever something comes up, it’s never too much trouble to sort it out. We know we can call and speak to a real person who is there to help, which is incredibly empowering for our charity shop managers.”
In a quick post-visit interview, we asked Karen a few questions about her shop's results and recommendations to other charities:
What specific results or outcomes have you experienced since using Wil-U’s solutions?
“One of the most significant outcomes happened recently during Richard and Victoria’s visit. As a small charity wearing many hats, some things can easily slip down the priority list. Being shown that we could potentially raise an additional £23,000 simply by changing how we use our Gift Aid system was transformational. It was shared with such kindness and clarity that it truly stayed with me. As a result, we are now focusing on improving how we bring in donations.
Another incredibly meaningful outcome is how accessible the data is through Wil-U. Our Retail Lead, Brian Jackson, is Deaf proud, and he loves being able to check the shop data daily to motivate and encourage his team. He regularly shares updates on how close each shop is to its target, and every Saturday morning, like clockwork, there’s a message with a photo from Wil-U saying, “I know we can do this, Team Blue.” Being Deaf means that traditional spreadsheets and manual data tracking made it more challenging for Brian; things just didn't make as much sense. It wouldn’t excite Brian, but the way Wil-U presents information truly does. Using tools to empower him in his role is beautiful to see.”
What would you say to someone on the fence about working with us?
"If you’re on the fence, especially if you’re a micro or small charity thinking you can’t afford it, you absolutely can. Wil-U will save you time, increase your income, and give you confidence in your data. You will love it as much as we do. Roll your numbers in your budget and calculate how much time it's costing you in time vs how much time you would get back to be able to support your mission."
Building relationships like this one with CSSEF is so important to everyone at Wil-U. We want to see our Wil-U Family grow, and there is no better way to help than on-hand support.