Tax effective giving

There are numerous tax-based incentives on offer to individuals and corporations designed to encourage greater levels of giving. Some of these incentives involve reducing the tax burden on an individual or company as a result of their philanthropy while others involve increasing the value of a donation through a tax mechanism.

The most widely-known tax-effective giving device is gift aid, whereby government supplements the value of a donation by a fixed percentage amount. Legacies and payroll giving are other tax- effective giving options available to individuals. There are also opportunities for higher-rate taxpayers to reclaim tax paid on donations when conducting self-assessments.

Companies have a range of tax-effective giving options open to them, including the gifting of shares. 

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The longest winter: Are lifetime legacies ready to come in from the cold?

The longest winter: Are lifetime legacies ready to come in from the cold? 0

Fundraising | Celina Ribeiro | 8 Mar 2010
Topics: Legacies | Major donors | Tax effective giving

Lifetime legacies are a giving mechanism that have been a glint in the eye of fundraisers for years. But while fundraisers, politicians and researchers alike have expressed support for the major donor tax instrument, lifetime legacies have got people heated up. Celina Ribeiro asks what has kept the mechanism on ice.

London Underground tax efficient giving campaign launched

London Underground tax efficient giving campaign launched 0

Fundraising | Stefan Marseglia | 21 Jan 2010
Topics: Tax effective giving

Charities Aid Foundation and the United Nations are running a two-week campaign on the London Underground to get people to donate to charities tax-efficiently.

Gift aid research finds major donors unswayed by tax relief changes

Gift aid research finds major donors unswayed by tax relief changes 0

Fundraising | Celina Ribeiro | 15 Dec 2009
Topics: Major donors | Tax effective giving | Gift aid

Government research into possible reform of gift aid has concluded that higher rate tax payers are unlikely to be massively deterred by tax reform, and appears to favour the introduction of a 37p-per-£1 gift aid rebate directly to charity for all donations.

Gift aid in danger of stalling and research could be self-contradictory

Gift aid in danger of stalling and research could be self-contradictory 0

Fundraising | Celina Ribeiro | 10 Dec 2009
Topics: Tax effective giving

The lack of a firm decision on gift aid in yesterday’s pre-budget report by Alistair Darling has prompted concerns that progress on gift aid might be stalled until after the next election and predictions that research on the topic could be self-contradictory.

Universal payroll giving idea backed by business

Universal payroll giving idea backed by business 0

Fundraising | Celina Ribeiro | 7 Dec 2009
Topics: Tax effective giving

Seventy per cent of business leaders support the idea of a universal payroll giving scheme, but the Charities Aid Foundation is holding off from lobbying for the creation of such a scheme.

Guide on tax efficient giving admits awareness and use is low

Guide on tax efficient giving admits awareness and use is low 0

Fundraising | Celina Ribeiro | 9 Nov 2009
Topics: Tax effective giving | Corporate fundraising

A new guide highlighting the tax incentives of corporate giving has been launched by the government, acknowledging that tax efficient giving is underused and misunderstood. A Guide to Giving for Business was launched late last week by minister for the Cabinet Office Tessa Jowell on behalf of the Office of the Third Sector, HMRC and HM Treasury.

All banks will have giving accounts soon, says Coutts

All banks will have giving accounts soon, says Coutts 0

Fundraising | Celina Ribeiro | 2 Nov 2009
Topics: Philanthropy | Tax effective giving

All major banks will offer charity giving accounts “in the not too distant future”, according to Coutts & Co’s philanthropy chief. The prediction was made by Mark Evans, head of philanthropy at the private bank, today as the company launched its own charitable giving account.

Trends in giving during economic downturns

Trends in giving during economic downturns 0

Fundraising | Cathy Pharoah | 9 Oct 2009
Topics: Individual giving | Tax effective giving | Leadership and strategy

There is nothing alarming in the latest giving statistics, now charities need to display calm and consistency to their faithful donors. By Cathy Pharoah writes as part of a series of four expert articles this month following the UK Giving report The results of the new annual UK Giving Survey should not come as any surprise. Its findings of a fall in the number and value of donations is consistent with other studies of giving in previous recessionary times in both the UK and the US, which have shown that giving tends to fall at least in line with the decline in incomes.

Charity chiefs back gift aid campaign

Charity chiefs back gift aid campaign 0

Fundraising | 25 Sep 2009
Topics: Gift aid | Tax effective giving | Taxation

Several charity chief executives and fundraising directors have signed the Institute of Fundraising’s online petition for the government to make changes to gift aid, but the petition is still short of the number needed to elicit a response from government. The Institute wants the government to allow charities to reclaim the gift aid that higher-rate taxpayers are able to reclaim for themselves but often don’t.

Cause and effect: Charity Market Monitor 2009

Cause and effect: Charity Market Monitor 2009 0

Fundraising | Cathy Pharoah | 11 Sep 2009
Topics: Legacies | Tax effective giving | Corporate fundraising

Figures from the top 300 fundraising charities reveal the latest trends in legacy fundraising, and offer insight into cause-related giving in a recession, as Charity Market Monitor author Cathy Pharoah reports. In reviewing fundraising performance, the current challenge for charities is to establish what is genuinely due to the economic downturn and what would probably have happened anyway.

In memoriam donations double

In memoriam donations double 0

Fundraising | Celina Ribeiro | 10 Sep 2009
Topics: Tax effective giving | Individual giving | Digital fundraising

In memoriam donations on Justgiving pages have nearly doubled over the last year. There were 93 per cent more donations to in memoriam pages on the platform in the first quarter of 2009 compared with the same period in 2008, according to figures released to Professional Fundraising. The boom in donations was accompanied by a nearly commensurate increase in the number of in memoriam pages, increasing by 73 per cent in the first three months of 2009 to reach 3,640.

Virgin Money Giving launches

Virgin Money Giving launches 1

Fundraising | Celina Ribeiro | 26 Aug 2009
Topics: Individual giving | Tax effective giving | Digital fundraising

Virgin Money Giving, the latest rival to Justgiving, has launched today. The website, developed by Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin Money and which will be the official fundraising platform for the London Marathon 2010, claims to be the most cost-effective fundraising website for charities.

Where is the charity market headed?

Where is the charity market headed? 0

Fundraising | Cathy Pharoah | 4 Aug 2009
Topics: Benchmarking | Corporate fundraising | Legacies | Events fundraising | Tax effective giving

Spotting trends in major charities is a good indicator of what may be happening elsewhere. Using the latest Charity Market Monitor report, Cathy Pharoah assesses the current state of play In the current market turmoil, as the charts plunge up and down, the biggest challenge in planning next year’s fundraising strategy is that of getting any steady reading at all. Recession, yes, but how deep or how long is currently beyond safe prediction. The best compass is to look at the general direction of the market. And the evidence from the Charity Market Monitor 2008 suggests that major charities were already experiencing the impacts of recession by the end of 2007.

When are charities not eligible for zero rate tax relief on advertising?

When are charities not eligible for zero rate tax relief on advertising? 0

Fundraising | Lorraine Owens | 14 May 2009
Topics: Taxation | Tax effective giving | HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC)

Charity advertising qualifies for zero rate tax relief, but not in all circumstances. The rules have not kept up with technology and lead to frequent disputes with HMRC as Lorraine Owens and Graham Elliott report Over the last 20 years the scope of zero tax relief for charity advertising has widened to include broadcast and print media, but although the idea is now familiar it is not without complications.

Where's the gift aid?

Where's the gift aid? 2

Fundraising | Celina Ribeiro | 29 Jan 2009
Topics: Gift aid | Tax effective giving

I've just signed up for membership to a certain London cultural centre because, among other reasons, I'm a bit fancy like that. But just as I was about to place my order, I got asking - where's the gift aid?

£200m in donations tax relief left unclaimed by high rate tax payers

£200m in donations tax relief left unclaimed by high rate tax payers 0

Fundraising | Celina Ribeiro | 27 Jan 2009
Topics: Tax effective giving

£200m worth of personal tax relief for high rate tax payers is going unclaimed, according to new research released by the Charities Aid Foundation (CAF). Fifty per cent of higher rate tax payers are unaware that they are even eligible to reclaim 20 per cent personal tax relief on charitable donations and just one quarter of the 243 individuals surveyed by GfP NOP for CAF said they would be inclined to give to charity via their tax self assessment process. When the process was explained, however, more than half of the donors said that they would take advantage of the scheme.

Tories call for automatic gift aid system as charities miss out on £100m

Tories call for automatic gift aid system as charities miss out on £100m 0

Fundraising | Becky Slack | 25 Sep 2008
Topics: Gift aid | Tax effective giving | Taxation

Tories call for automatic gift aid system as charities miss out on £100m The charity sector has missed out on more than £100m since the changes to the gift aid system were introduced in 2000, according to Greg Clark, shadow minister for the cabinet office.

Debate rages over payroll giving inadequacies

Debate rages over payroll giving inadequacies 0

Fundraising | Becky Slack | 12 May 2008
Topics: Tax effective giving

What was once the quiet cousin of fundraising has found itself at the centre of a heated debate that has seen a payroll giving agency calling for a senior fundraiser to be expelled from the Institute of Fundraising.

Arts groups launch giving manifesto

Arts groups launch giving manifesto 0

Fundraising | Gemma Ware | 12 May 2008
Topics: Legacies | Tax effective giving

A powerful coalition of arts and cultural organisations have joined forces to launch a manifesto calling for the introduction of more tax incentives for donors who make gifts to cultural organisations during their lifetime.

£310,000 for Institute

£310,000 for Institute 0

Fundraising | 12 May 2008
Topics: Office of the Third Sector | Gift aid | Tax effective giving

The Institute of Fundraising will receive £310,000 a year for the next three years from the Office of the Third Sector to continue its gift aid programme.

Payroll giving costs rise for donors

Payroll giving costs rise for donors 0

Fundraising | Gemma Ware | 23 Apr 2008
Topics: Tax effective giving | Individual giving

Payroll giving has become less cost-effective for donors than a gift aided donation as a result of the transitional gift aid relief introduced in last month's Budget.

Payroll Giving sets sights on 1,000 firms

Payroll Giving sets sights on 1,000 firms 0

Fundraising | Gemma Ware | 11 Apr 2008
Topics: Tax effective giving | Grants & Grantmaking | Direct mail

The Institute of Fundraising is expecting to sign up an extra 1,000 small and medium-sized businesses to Payroll Giving before the end of the year, following a door drop campaign of three million businesses and households.

Budget gives Institute gift aid boost

Budget gives Institute gift aid boost 0

Fundraising | Tania Mason | 4 Apr 2008
Topics: Statutory funding | Funding | Tax effective giving | Gift aid

The Institute of Fundraising has secured three more years' funding to continue operating its tax-effective giving initiative, which helps charities take advantage of gift aid and other tax reliefs.

Payroll Giving celebrates 20 years and £84 million

Payroll Giving celebrates 20 years and £84 million 0

Fundraising | Becky Slack | 3 Apr 2008
Topics: Tax effective giving | Impact reporting

Payroll Giving has raised more than £84 million since it began 20 years ago. When it was first launched in 1987, more than 60,000 employees donated just over £1 million. Today the number of participants has increased ten-fold with 600,000 employees using the mechanism to generate £84.7 million in 2005/06.

Highest value donors come from least volume sources, survey finds

Highest value donors come from least volume sources, survey finds 0

Fundraising | Becky Slack | 1 Apr 2008
Topics: Impact reporting | Charity advertising | Tax effective giving | Individual giving

Analysis of committed giving within 24 of the UK's largest charities has found that low volume mechanisms, such as payroll giving and radio advertising, generate higher value donors than other tools.

Institute to support independent review of payroll giving

Institute to support independent review of payroll giving 0

Fundraising | Gemma Ware | 31 Mar 2008
Topics: Tax effective giving | Impact reporting

The Institute of Fundraising is to commission an independent 'root and branch' review of payroll giving after admitting the scheme has not reached its full potential. The review will examine the drivers and barriers to the payroll giving mechanism and produce recommendations on how to resolve some of the challenges facing the system.

Good week for corporate fundraising partnerships

Good week for corporate fundraising partnerships 0

Fundraising | Becky Slack | 19 Mar 2008
Topics: Tax effective giving | Corporate fundraising

Boots is to introduce payroll giving across the whole of its business, in an effort to raise a potential £390,000 a year for various charities.

Concern at lack of further discussion of radical gift aid reform

Concern at lack of further discussion of radical gift aid reform 0

Fundraising | Gemma Ware | 10 Mar 2008
Topics: Gift aid | Tax effective giving

The Treasury is to hold a series of follow-up meetings with the sector as part of its gift aid consultation in order to find out more about the awareness-raising measures needed to improve take-up of the scheme, and what extra support could be given to smaller charities. However, there is some anxiety within the sector that the government may be trying to manage expectations by shutting down further discussion on possible, more radical reforms of gift aid proposed during the consultation.

Gift aid coalition 'confident' of Treasury's compliance

Gift aid coalition 'confident' of Treasury's compliance 0

Fundraising | Tania Mason | 29 Feb 2008
Topics: Gift aid | Tax effective giving

The voluntary sector coalition that banded together to submit a common submission to the government's consultation on improving the gift aid system, claims to be "confident" that the Treasury will accede to their wishes. The coalition sought to dispel rumblings around the sector that the government was not minded to introduce an accounts-based gift aid system.

Umbrella bodies present united front to gift aid consultation

Umbrella bodies present united front to gift aid consultation 0

Fundraising | Becky Slack | 13 Feb 2008
Topics: Gift aid | Tax effective giving | HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) | Audit

The amount of gift aid a charity reclaims should be based on the level of voluntary income it reports in its accounts and the tax-paying status of people who give to charity, according to proposals from six sector membership bodies.

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