5 ways that small charities can maximise their return on Gift Aid
Howard Lake | 16 June 2015 | Blogs
With Small Charities Week getting underway this week (15 -20 June), what can small charities do to generate more income from Gift Aid?
Smaller charities and hospices often feel the pressure to make every penny count and it can be a long and lonely road when they don’t have the support of a central operation like many larger charities are able to offer. Here, the expert team at Charity IT specialists BMc Azurri reveal their top tips for smaller charities to get on top of Gift Aid in their retail store, so that they can start making a real difference to their income.
1. Find a charity-specific Gift Aid solution
This might seem a logical tip to begin with, but the reality is that there are a number of IT solutions out there that can work for Gift Aid but have their roots in traditional retail. This means that a system which was created for a general retail setting has been adapted so that it can also offer Gift Aid functionality. Often these systems are far more costly and complex than a small charity needs. Sourcing a solution which has been built specifically for the charity sector will help ensure that the solution is completely fit for purpose and you aren’t paying over the odds for functions you don’t actually need.
2. Go and visit stores with the solution in operation
Purchasing a new IT system, or in fact any kind of capital investment, is always going to be faced with scrutiny to ensure that the spend is justified and it can often be difficult to foresee any issues with a new system prior to it implementation. It is recommend that you visit at least one existing user as all suppliers have at least one good reference. It is always a good idea to visit one of the supplier’s existing customers to see the solution in operation.
Seeing it in a similar setting to yours means that you can better visualise how it will improve your current operation prior to committing to the spend.
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3. Don’t underestimate the importance of ongoing training
Many charities with even the smallest of stores will often have a large number of volunteers involved in the running of the store and it is all well and good having a great system and process in place for maximising Gift Aid, but if people aren’t confident or adequately trained, it’s unlikely to make a difference!
Ensuring that there is a clear process for training and regularly monitoring the way volunteers approach the subject of Gift Aid with customers as well as how they process the data once received is absolutely critical to the success of any Gift Aid initiative.
4. Maximise revenue from all sources
As a small charity, it would be crazy to miss out on the Gift Aid available on higher value items such as furniture. If you are fortunate to be able to offer your community a local collection service, it can be even more difficult to ensure that the drivers ask the right questions and gather the correct information to enable you to claim Gift Aid on those bulky items.
Equally, when items are donated via clothing banks via the bags posted through letterboxes etc, Gift Aid is often a forgotten area.
It is worth thinking about all they ways in which people donate to your charity shop and find simple, cost effective ways to help ensure their Gift Aid preferences are recorded. Ideas could include self-adhesive stickers, or tags which can be easily included in the package and attached by the donor or the person collecting the items.
5. Get everyone on board
As with any small organisation, it is really important that everyone is on board with any new ideas and initiatives and are all working together to ensure the goals are achieved. New technology or processes are great, but they always need PEOPLE to believe in them, take action and utilise them to achieve the desired outcome. Make sure that any new initiatives are well communicated and discussed across the entire organisation, so that everyone is clear about what needs to be done and how to best achieve it.
Alastair Petrie is General Manager of BMc Azurri, a company specialising in the provision of Gift Aid systems and IT services for the charity sector.
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.