We are sorry to say that the Sponsorship Workshop taking place on 3rd of May is now fully booked.

This invaluable session contains 3 presentations; one from Helen Elliott of Sayer Vincent detailing how to maximise Gift Aid from fundraising events, the second from Blackbaud Gift Aid explaining our sponsorship utility, and last, but certainly not least; Andrew Kayley from the HMRC giving an invaluable insight into how to provide accurate Gift Aid claims for sponsorship.

We are planning to hold another workshop soon. When we have details of this we will publish them; so if you have missed out this time round, please let us know and we can reserve a place for you on our next workshop.

There are few departments within a charity that don’t play a role in the process of Gift Aid management.   It would stand to reason that all departments with any degree of responsibility in the management of Gift Aid share the responsibility to help grow this valuable income stream.   Although fundraisers spearhead the promotion of Gift Aid other departments such as Marketing, Supporter Services, Finance and IT all can make a valuable contribution.

This makes it all the more important that suitable systems and processes to effectively manage Gift Aid are not only implemented but also kept up-to-date.  It is already becoming vital that such systems offer the kind of Gift Aid program clarity that will help induce growth. 

Business growth generally is driven through investment in more advanced technology.  Although generally the focus of Gift Aid growth is concentrated upon innovative ways of appealing to the socially conscious public can growth be realised through greater clarity of your existing supporter base?

Gift Aid in it’s current form (post changes to the Finance Act 2000) took 2-3 years to start realising it’s strongest growth.  One reason suggested for this lethargic start was the time required to invest in new systems.

Is there still scope for improvement in the management process of your Gift Aid program and will a more granular analysis of your supporter base lead to even greater Gift Aid success?   

Experience tells us the answer to this is Yes.

So, what possible steps can an organisation take in order to start maximising the return on Gift Aid scheme investment? 

Perhaps a good starting point would be to take full stock of the existing ‘health’ of your Gift Aid and non-Gift Aid supporter base.  By analysing and understanding possible grey areas in the current management of Gift Aid a firm platform can then be established allowing you to confidently claim, develop and grow Gift Aid income for the years to come.   

Looking at the amount of Gift Aid revenue that is left with the Chancellor each year and in light of his recent budget announcement it is clear that improvements in Gift Aid management must be sought, and that this responsibility should not be solely shouldered by Fundraiser’s. 

Welcome to the Gift Aid Blog

What a time to launch. Whilst offering encouragement to Charities to claim their Gift Aid entitlement the Chancellor takes £70m - £100m (it depends who you ask!) of claimable Gift Aid out of the system in the recent budget.

I think its time to fight back. Let’s use this blog to share ideas on how to maximise Gift Aid claims and to secure the claims that are made such that HMRC Audits can safely be passed and these hard earned donations can be maximised in terms of fundraising effectiveness. Lets use it to lobby, to argue, to think creatively and to make a real difference.

I’d like to think of the blog as having a really positive role to play. Its easy to feel like victims when Gift Aid can seem complex, HMRC are coming round to audit and even the Chancellor seems against us.

But in the democratic world of the Internet it will be exactly what you want it to be. And that’s even more exciting.

Happy Blogging!

We’re coming to the end of one financial year and starting another.

So, what needs to be considered when planning your Gift Aid strategy for the upcoming year?

The most important consideration needs to be the wording within your Gift Aid declaration, or more specifically the date gathered within the wording. The 6th April 2000 is no longer a valid date to claim tax from, on your constituent donations; this must now be changed to 6th April 2001. Check all of your Gift Aid forms to ensure they comply with this date change.

Take advantage of this date though, rather than having wording relating to claiming tax ‘from this date forward’, incorporate the earliest date possible; otherwise, who knows how much Gift Aid you could be missing out on!

Of course, the earliest date you can claim Gift Aid on is dependant on whether your charity is a Trust or a Company. With this in mind there is a new business rule incorporated within The Raiser’s Edge 7.81, which requires you to choose your status and, therefore, only allows you to claim Gift Aid for the finite time allowed by your status. This is set within the Configuration page.

Keep your Gift Aid declarations to the point. Make sure you have a valid tax declaration, the date applicable (within the declaration) and either a tick box or a signature line, if you would rather. If you over-complicate, your donors are less likely to complete the Gift Aid declaration accurately and you will increase your costs in ascertaining your donors’ Gift Aid eligibility. Make it simple!

I have no doubt that Gift Aid is a relevant and important issue for charities but so far I have only been made aware of one industry event to focus on this as a key revenue generator. Recent Budget annoucements and the furore of comment still, in my opinion, leaves this as an open issue. The focus continues to be around Fundraising etc and I suspect that is to do with how charities measure their activities.