Charity bank accounts boosted by record Gift Aid claims

Charities’ bank accounts may have received a welcome addition from Gift Aid this year, as the amount claimed so far in 2010 is the highest it has ever been.

Social investment in charities and individual giving dropped off in the wake of the recession, meaning third sector organisations may have struggled to meet all their objectives.

John Low, chief executive of the Charities Aid Foundation, warned despite good returns from Gift Aid, a difficult fundraising environment meant there was no room for complacency.

’With the support of the new government, perhaps it will now be possible to drive through a radical simplification of Gift Aid processing to maximise the tax recovered on charitable donations,’ he suggested.

Social investment is arguably a lesser-known method of giving to charity, but one that has grown in recent years, according to the latest paper published by the National Council for Voluntary Organisations. ADNFCR-2318-ID-19868687-ADNFCR