# Charities Trust and Cleversquirrel prepare to launch new initiative

- Link: https://fundraising.co.uk/2009/01/23/charities-trust-and-cleversquirrel-prepare-launch-new-initiative/
- Published: 2009-01-23T11:21:02+00:00
- Author: Howard Lake

![](https://www.fundraising.co.uk/files/images/news/Clever squirrel_1232707873.jpg)

Due to be launched in February 2009, a new online innovation claims to be able to
offer charities an innovative way to attract new donations; at no cost! [Cleversquirrel](http://www.cleversquirrel.com)
claims to have discovered a brand new source of tapping into millions of pounds 
which is currently hidden.

This hidden money is in the form of fees set aside for financial advisers and other
intermediaries when they sell insurance, investment and pension products. Often 
there is no independent adviser as people buy directly from the provider so these
fees remain unclaimed.

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Detailed information is not openly available as yet but Cleversquirrel reclaims 
these charges and donates them to charity, making the most of money already paid.
[Charities Trust](http://www.charitiestrust.org/home/index.html), a national, non-
profit donation management agency approved by HMRC, handles the donations and provides
a choice of almost 200,000 and good causes.

As a social networking forum in its own right, Clever Squirrel also encourages young
people to sign up and recommend others to join. The existing member’s favourite 
charity receives a donation when people introduced have charges reclaimed on their
policies. Half the money goes to their favourite charity. And half goes to the new
member’s.

Cleversquirrel is free to use for charities and each charity can have its own page.
Charities can download leaflets and flyers for conventional printing or placement
in newsletters and other publications. They can also keep in touch with supporters
by posting upcoming events and new fundraising initiatives as this information is
automatically sent to Cleversquirrels (the name given to members) supporting the
charity.

80% of the reclaimed policy charges is donated to charity. The amount retained covers
the cost of checking whether each policy contains charges that can be reclaimed,
monitoring the money received month after month, maintaining the website and all
the support services. The organisation also commits to donating any “surplus after
costs, expansion and development works” to charity.

Clever Squirrel is registered with the Financial Services Authority.

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