One of the most vital sources of funding for us comes from a scheme called ‘Gift Aid’. This scheme allows us to reclaim from HM Revenue and Customs the basic rate tax paid on your gifts to us. The scheme means that a gift of £10 from you is worth £12.50 to us at no extra cost to you! You can ask us to claim Gift Aid on your donations whether you donate online or by post (just look out for the Gift Aid Declaration on the form or web page).
We can claim Gift Aid on donations from up to four years ago so it’s worth making a Gift Aid Declaration, even if you haven’t been able to donate recently. We can also claim Gift Aid on membership subscriptions.
If you are not sure whether you’ve signed a Gift Aid Declaration form for your donations to Humanists UK, please email info@humanists.uk or call us on 020 7324 3060. We can check immediately and, if needed, send you a Gift Aid Declaration form- it’s very easy so please do contact us.
Gift Aid represents approximately 15% of our voluntary income. That’s the equivalent of more than two members of staff to campaign and promote Humanism! We simply could not operate without the income we receive from this scheme.
Also, if you are a higher rate taxpayer, you will directly benefit from Gift Aid – you just need to let HMRC know what you’ve donated (either on your self-assessment form or over the phone) and they will refund you the higher-rate element of the Gift Aid. For example, if you give £1,000, your donation is worth £1,250 to Humanists UK and you will get a £250 tax rebate.
For more information on Gift Aid, please see www.gov.uk/donating-to-charity/gift-aid