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It’s a simple process to Gift Aid your donations—and it makes a world of difference
What’s so great about Gift Aid? Well, the UK government pays it, which means you can increase the value of your donation by 25% without paying a penny more. When you choose to Gift Aid, charities receive an extra 25% on top of your donation, provided you’re a UK taxpayer. Every £1 donated to Compassion will be worth £1.25 if you choose to Gift Aid your donations.
For many of us, deciding to Gift Aid our donations is as easy as ticking a box. But for the children and families Compassion serves, that simple decision can be a lifeline. It’s as easy as ticking a box. But for the children and families, Compassion serves, that simple decision can be a lifeline.
Gift Aid helps support unsponsored children
Gift Aid has enabled us to maintain a fund for children awaiting sponsorship. Last year, thanks to Gift Aid, we were able to support 5,700 children who are unsponsored across 23 projects, and we’re in the process of enrolling a further 700 children.
Twelve-year-old Stephen from Uganda has been part of Compassion’s programme since he was seven. Initially, he was sponsored quickly, but sadly, when they had to cancel, he spent a year waiting for another loving person to come alongside him.
Thanks to the Unsponsored Child Fund, Stephen continued to receive the life-changing support he needed to thrive.
“What I love the most at the project are the teachers,” says Stephen. “I like Uncle Geoffrey. He taught me about the story of Noah. It is my favourite Bible story.”
For Stephen’s mum, Marie, had peace of mind, even when Stephen was waiting for another sponsor. “The project has helped me a lot. Now, Stephen is never chased away from school because he does not have the school fees.”
Gift Aid funds Child Survival Interventions
Our Child Survival Interventions enable local church partners to give vital support for pregnant mothers and babies during their early years. Expectant mothers are given access to antenatal check-ups, trained birth attendants, as well as provision of nutritious food, safe water, and offer mentoring and parenting workshops for families.
We’ve recently been celebrating a wonderful partnership with UK aid, which funded 23 Child Survival projects in Togo for three years. Now that this source of funding has come to an end, we need to find new ways to resource and expand our intervention work, such as Gift Aid.
Gift Aid funds can enable us to continue to help mothers like Adjowa who says, “I still can’t believe the project paid for all our medical expenses! My daughter and I wouldn’t have made it if Compassion hadn’t helped.”
Adjowa was one month pregnant when her husband, Antoine, was involved in a car accident, leaving him seriously injured. Soon after, Adjowa was laid off from her job as a cleaner. The family suddenly had no income—and no prospects for earning.
Unable to pay their rent, they were evicted. Eating became a luxury they could only afford every couple of days.
One day, Adjowa’s sister-in-law heard about a Compassion project at the local church that was helping mothers and babies, so she encouraged Adjowa to go and find out more. “The first support I received was a food kit,” says Adjowa. “I will never forget it. For the first time in months, we ate normally, and weren’t obliged to skip meals for days.”.
She also received support for medical care, starting with a prenatal check. The project paid for all medical fees and supplied her with clothes and hygiene items. Baby Eyram was born in hospital and survived thanks to swift interventions by the medical staff.
“I will never forget what Compassion has done for me,” says Adjowa. “The workers and the other mothers from the programme have become my family. I’m so grateful to have them.”
Gift Aid funds food crisis programmes
As we watch inflation and food prices rise in our own supermarkets, costs of basic commodities are skyrocketing around the world. This has presented very real challenges for our local church partners as funds don’t go nearly as far as previously. Project staff in Togo observed how inflation meant their usual food parcels suddenly felt like a drop in the ocean in supporting families. “We began to realise families were only eating once a day,” said Food Implementer, Eugene. The project had to ask for more funds to be allocated to increase their ability to provide enough food.
Gift Aid funds can allow us to bridge these kinds of gaps caused by inflation and rising costs. Thanks to Gift Aid, we’ve been able to use £3 million to fund both short-term food relief, and longer-term food stability initiatives, such as drought-resistant seed and livestock.
What your Gift Aid means
Lives are changed when you choose to Gift Aid your donations. Gift Aid allows us to respond to needs as they arise, and to expand the reach of our work even further.
If you sponsor one child for one year, Compassion can claim an additional £84 in Gift Aid income from the UK government at no cost to you.
How can you help?
If you pay tax in the UK, every £1 you give to Compassion UK could be worth £1.25 – additional funds that can be used where the need is greatest.
If you haven’t already done so, we’d be hugely grateful if you’d help us by providing your Gift Aid status. You can do so by going into your myCompassion account and clicking on the button in the Gift Aid box. Or, if you’re a Compassion UK App user, you can navigate to ‘Account Details’ and select ‘Sponsorship Preferences’.
Still have questions?
If you’re unsure whether you are eligible to Gift Aid your donations, we’ve put together some answers to Frequently Asked Questions. Click on the button below to read through them.
If you have further questions, our friendly team are available to help you out, so please contact us.
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