Jersey Gift Support: Optimising Online Donations for Local Charities

Making Every Penny Count

When it comes to local charities taking online donations through their website, there are three key players: PayPal, Just Giving and Race Nation’s (newish) Sports Giving.

We know that there are hundreds of platforms available to facilitate local charities with their fundraising activities. This blog is exploring tools that enable local charities to take online donations via their website safely and securely.

Choosing the wrong platform could actually be losing your charity vital money! So we’ll be covering the pros and cons of the best local solutions we’ve found.

What’s the big deal re Jersey Gift Support?

Much like Gift Aid in the UK, if you are a local tax payer you can donate to local charities registered with the Jersey Charity Commissioner using the Jersey Gift Support scheme. The charity will then get an additional 25p for every £1 you donate. Let’s assume a charity received £10,000 donations in a quarter from local tax payers. By submitting the correct information, that charity could be claiming an extra £2,500 with Jersey Gift Support!

The Jersey Gift Support Scheme is applicable to donations over £50 and can be applied to one-off donations or through regular giving. Head to the gov site for all the ways in which you can donate. 

Gift Support from a charity perspective: 

Claiming Jersey Gift Support requires a bit of admin; charities require the donors full details including full name, TIN (Tax Identification Number), Donor postcode, donation date and total. This can be submitted by an individual by completing this paper form and sending it to the charity alongside your donation.

Charities can submit quarterly bulk claims for all donations in a spreadsheet. If they do have all required information, they can complete this form and send all claims in one go to rjcharities@gov.je.

Claiming via online donations

Providing the charity has all the required information from online donations they can include online donations in their quarterly Jersey Gift Support submission. However, unfortunately not all platforms are geared up for this just yet. In fact, we are only aware of one online platform which currently asks for this information at the point of sale. 

An advantage of Race Nation’s Sports Giving platform is it asks for this information at the point of donation and stores this data in a downloadable format for the charity which replicates the requirements of the formal submission forms. Arguably making it infinitely easier for charities to claim this extra 25% on donations. Hooray! 

We spoke to a few local charities and organisations re their choice of website payment gateways: 

PayPal

“We currently opt to use PayPal for online donations because it is direct, secure and globally recognised and trusted. A lot of people already have PayPal accounts for their online activity, and so are very familiar with it so the process of making a donation is swift and easy so we can pass on the payment to our members charities. As a payment gateway it also facilitates secure transactions and means we are not personally retaining that sensitive data from donors.” Beth Gallichan, AJC Chief Executive

Just Giving 

“We love the simplicity of using JustGiving for our online donations and the plethora or tools which come along with it. The whole platform is geared up to nurture supporter relationships, equipping and empowering them with what they need to be ambassadors for us in the community. The reporting informs us, the tools facilitate growth. There are some downsides as it doesn’t make Jersey Gift Support claims easy; asks donors for a voluntary contribution to its running costs and takes a month to share regular giver details with us.  On balance however, JustGiving has proven to be a useful asset for our fundraising.” 

Fiona Vacher, JCCT Executive Director

Sports Giving

“We have a fantastic community of Islanders who want to support us, but sometimes taking payments online felt a little disjointed. People would fundraise for us through digital platforms or via paypal, but we wouldn’t have any context of who or why that donation had been made, which made it harder for us to track down and thank those who support us. What’s more – a lot of platforms aren’t setup for the local version of Gift Aid (Jersey Gift Support), so we are missing out on an extra 25% for every donation made by a local tax payer! That was a key driving point for us choosing Sports Giving as our online payment gateway for our new website. One down-side is they aren’t set up for Regular Giving just yet – but we really hope this will be resolved in the near future as this is one of our focuses for the future”. 

Hannah Nichol, ABC Jersey Committee Member.

Let’s Compare Features: 

There are pros and cons with all online payment platforms – so choosing the right one for your organisation comes down to the specific needs of your organisation. But to illustrate the benefits to our key players, here’s a birds-eye view: 

“But it isn’t just about taking donations and making money. A donation is an interaction with a
valued supporter of your organisation and an opportunity to communicate the difference the gift
makes to that individual and their wider network. Every touch point a donor has with your
organisation is a reflection on your charity, so if a payment platform helps to facilitate this
relationship – it should be explored!”

Beth Gallichan, AJC Chief Executive

So, as we navigate the realm of online donations for Jersey charities, it’s clear that selecting the best payment gateway for your organisation is akin to finding the perfect fit for a tailored suit. Each option, whether it’s the established and globally trusted PayPal, the user-friendly JustGiving with its array of tools, or the locally focused Sports Giving, offers its own distinct advantages and considerations. 

Moreover, the potential windfall from schemes such as Jersey Gift Support should not be underestimated – we really want to make every penny count whilst nurturing their donor relationships (and responsibilities).

Yet, remember, it’s not just about transactions and revenue; each donation is an opportunity to foster a lasting connection with supporters. Every touchpoint reflects on your charity, so selecting a payment platform that facilitates and enhances these relationships should be a priority. Choose wisely, and you’ll not only raise funds but also cultivate a stronger community of support.

Want help making digital simple? Let’s talk!