We are running a Sponsorship Webinar at 10.00am on Tuesday 25th September; please join us to discover how you can:

Please click on the link below to enrol:

 https://bbeuropeevents.webex.com/bbeuropeevents/onstage/g.php?d=809347211&t=a

A gift by definition is ‘the transfer of money’ or ‘goods, etc. without the direct compensation that is involved in trade’.

If a person is paying for the pleasure or pain that is involved in competing in an event; this cannot be considered to be a gift and therefore, the money paid is not Gift Aid applicable. If, however, they decide to raise additional sums to that required in order to allow them to compete; this would indeed be classed as a gift and would be Gift Aid applicable.

For example, if a charity decides to put together a fund-raising event that costs £100 per person, but only people who raise £500 are allowed to take part; Gift Aid cannot be claimed on the £400 difference; as this extra funding is not a gift, but a prerequisite so that the person can take part in the event. If this same person then went on to raise £800; Gift Aid could be claimed on the additional £300; as this is truly a gift and are giving money to the charity for no personal gain; i.e. there is no benefit.

Whenever in doubt about whether monies raised or donated are allowed to have Gift Aid claimed on them or not, it is prudent to check the dictionary definition of ‘gift’. 

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.

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.