Gift Aid declaration for cashpoint donation to Children in Need takes four months

Howard Lake | 21 April 2006 | Blogs

HSBC Bank made a welcome change to its cashpoint machines last year, enabling users to choose to make a donation via the screen to BBC Children in Need. The bank promised that other charities would be listed in due course.
Having made a donation via the cashpoint, it was disappointing to see that there was absolutely no mention of Gift Aid – not on screen and not on the paper receipt.
More than four months later a Gift Aid declaration form has arrived through the post from HSBC Bank, asking me to tick the box and sign and return it to BBC Children in Need.
Better late than never, but what a back-to-front approach to claiming Gift Aid. Why not add a yes/no button option in the donation process at the cashpoint? At least BBC Children in Need would have been able to get the Gift Aid claim in a third of a year earlier.

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.