2006 Direct Debit Charity Awards open for entries
Howard Lake | 12 June 2006 | News
UK charities can now enter the 2006 Direct Debit Charity Awards, organised by BACS, the company behind Direct Debit. The awards are designed to reward charities which promote and use Direct Debit to increase the number of regular, automated donations they receive each year.
This year, the Direct Debit Charity Award scheme has three categories for charities to enter. The first award is for achievement and will be presented to the charity that can demonstrate the largest year-on-year increase in Direct Debit take up.
The second award is for innovation. Organisations will be judged on the most creative promotion of Direct Debit.
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The final category looks at best practice and will be awarded to the charity that shows the most significant improvements in customer satisfaction as a direct result of offering Direct Debit as an alternative payment method.
Recent research from BACS showed that 52% of all UK charitable donations were made using Direct Debit. It also confirmed that charities “were missing out on up to £400 million a year because Gift Aid was not being used to its full advantage and because almost a third of donors (32%) did not know what Gift Aid was.”
Commenting Michael Chambers, managing director of BACS said: “Identifying new ways to increase the volume, frequency and value of donations is key, as is maximising donor retention. BACS findings clearly show that more can be done to boost the nation’s financial investment in worthwhile causes and ensure Gift Aid is used to full effect.”
The winners will be announced at the Third Sector Forum on 8 November 2006 at the Oxford Belfry, Oxford. Each participating charity will also be entered into the Direct Debit Charity Awards Prize Draw giving them the chance to win a £1000 donation.
The closing date for all entries is 31 August 2006.
About Howard Lake
Howard Lake is consultant editor of UK Fundraising. He founded the site in 1994 and successfully sold it in 2022. As director of Giving X Ltd he is exploring growing giving on a massive scale.
He is the founder of Fundraising Camp and co-founder of GoodJobs.