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Grants for parish projects can be sought from a number of grant making bodies, whether for the church or hall. If your parish has any upcoming property projects or community projects, it may be eligible for funding from a range of organisations - including the National Lottery Awards for All initiative which offers finding from £300 - £20,000.
The UK is an increasingly cashless society with new forms of giving evolving fast. It is important that the Church is able to respond to new donation platforms, enabling people across our community to give to, and support, our parishes. Digital platforms are popular among younger givers, though many older donors are also adopting this convenient and safe method of giving.
Following extensive research and close discussion with other dioceses, Arundel & Brighton recommends Dona contactless giving devices as a cost-effective way of taking contactless and chip & pin, fully Gift Aidable donations. The documents below explore contactless giving in greater depth. If your parish is interested in finding out more, please contact Dona directly, who will be happy to support and advise.
As a registered charity, the Arundel and Brighton Diocesan Trust can claim Gift Aid on donations we receive where the donor is a tax payer and chooses to Gift Aid their contribution. Claims to HM Revenues and Customs (HMRC) are co-ordinated by our Finance Team using online software called GiftWise. Gift Aid organisers in every parish volunteer their time to manage online submissions and to ensure that our supporters receive an annual letter of thanks and acknowledgement of their donations.
The Gift Aid Handbook, GiftWise User Guide and our Gift Aid and Fundraising Webinar slides can be accessed here:
Why do we claim Gift Aid on the Christmas and Easter Collections when the proceeds are given to clergy?
The offertory collections at Christmas and Easter are applied to the parish fund for the support of clergy. This fund provides personal income for clergy, who are eligible for income tax on this. The maintenance of parish clergy is an inherent part of our charitable objectives and we are entitled to claim Gift Aid on these charitable donations.
Why do we now apply the Gift Aid recovered on the Christmas and Easter collections for the support of clergy to the restricted fund for the support of clergy?
This change ensures that Gift Aid arising from a donation is applied in line with the expectations of the donor.
What is GASDS?
The Gift Aid Small Donations Scheme allows charities to claim Gift Aid on cash donations. Single donations of cash or contactless giving of up to £30 are eligible. The claim is made annually.
Why can we no longer claim Gift Aid on Mass Stipends?
A Mass is received in exchange for the donation – and it is often considered that a standard fee of £10 applies. This creates the risk that the donation is not eligible for Gift Aid and claiming could jeopardise our scheme.
Which Second Collections can be Gift Aided within the Diocesan scheme?
The diocesan Directory lists the special collections taken throughout the year. Most of these relate to third party organisations and charities, and the monies collected are passed over to the recipients without any Gift Aid involvement for the Diocese. When the collection benefits our own charitable funds we can collect Gift Aid and GASDS for the loose change:
- Lourdes Pilgrimage Fund
- Education of Future Priests
- Missionary Endeavour of the Diocese
- 'Retired Priests' Fund
- Arundel Cathedral Maintenance
- Parish funds (maintenance, liturgy, flowers etc).
What happens to the Gift Aid on special collections?
Most second collections are passed to the Diocese and the Gift Aid is retained by the Diocese to add to the fund. This happens for the Lourdes Pilgrimage, Missionary Endeavour of the Diocese and Arundel Cathedral Maintenance collections. Special levies have been created to share the costs of Education of Future Priests and Retired Priests between the parishes. Collections taken for these funds are retained in parishes to offset the special levies. The Gift Aid claimed on these collections will be paid over to parishes to help with funding the new levies.
How is GASDS treated on Special Collections?
All cash raised on parish or Diocesan collections through the Gift Aid Small Donations Scheme is passed to the parish and none of it is retained by the Diocese. This helps each church to gain income of up to £2,000 per year. When the money from the GASDS claim is paid back to the parish an amount corresponding to the cash component of the Christmas and Easter Offertory should be added to the restricted fund for the support of Parish Clergy. This is particularly necessary where the income available to the priest from this fund is falling below the recommended minimum of £6,500 per annum (2020). The parish clergy fund is made up of parish receipts for stole fees and Mass stipends including Foundation Mass dividends and the Holy Souls box, as well as the Christmas and Easter Offerings and any Gift Aid applied.
What are the benefits of HSBCnet?
The latest transactions are always available live online so you do not need to wait for the monthly bank statement to arrive and be passed to the Gift Aid organiser for manual entry onto GiftWise. HSBCnet is more secure and does not lead to personal data being left around in the form of bank statements. HSBCnet access is quick and easy to set up and all Gift Aid organisers are entitled to access it.
When will I be audited for Gift Aid?
All parishes will receive a visit within 2 years, we try to see a parish every week.
What do I need to attach when uploading a Gift Aid Declaration or yellow envelope to enable an HMRC Claim to be made?
HMRC claims can only be made when the Finance Office has seen a scan of the Gift Aid Declaration or yellow envelope for each donor represented on the claim. The claim will be held up until this verification takes place.
How can I get help on GiftWise?
A useful place to start is the ‘Help’ screen. If you click on the question mark there are explanatory videos covering a wide range of issues. If these do not answer your question please contact our Gift Aid Co-ordinator; E: patricia.wrightson@abdiocese.org.uk
How many years can I go back?
We can claim for donations within 4 years of the end of the tax year in which we received it. For GASDS we need to claim within two years of the end of the tax year.
Can we claim Gift Aid on collections for other Charities?
No. Third party charities are entitled to their own Gift Aid. This is only collected when they supply their own envelopes, and these are submitted to the charity with the funds.
Our priest/deacon/parish secretary is leaving/moving/retiring. We have collected money for a gift, can this be Gift Aided?
No. This collection is not adding to parish funds to support our charitable activities. It is not a donation to the charity and cannot be Gift Aided.
What do we do with a CAF voucher?
Send it to the St Philip Howard Centre Finance Department by post and the team will claim on your behalf: The St Philip Howard Centre, 4 Southgate Drive, Crawley, West Sussex RH10 6RP.
