Fundraisers, myself included, sometimes find it hard to get excited about Gift Aid, but we should as we can claim 25p in every £1 for qualifying donations.
The idea of getting money for no effort should always be appealing, and especially when people’s disposable income is likely to come under more pressure.
So ask yourself:
- Are you sure that you are claiming Gift Aid on every qualifying donation? https://www.gov.uk/claim-gift-aid
- Do you always ask the ‘Gift Aid’ question and record any Gift Aid certificates as evidence?
- Can you claim Gift Aid on more of your non-financial donations, e.g. if you accept donations of clothing, books etc which are then sold as charitable income?
- Are you making most use of the Gift Aid Small Donations Scheme (“GASDS”) https://www.gov.uk/claim-gift-aid/small-donations-scheme
The government has announced a reduction in income tax in 2024 and this could see a reduction in Gift Aid income, although somewhat offset by the announced transitional relief. But that is a long way off, so why not make sure you are making the most of Gift Aid now