Swim Ulster hosted a very useful seminar on 4th September on fund raising for our clubs.

Neil Irwin, Fundraising Advice Manager with the NI Council for Voluntary Action, showed clubs how they could receive an additional 28p for every £ that they received in donations.

This is possible by using the Gift Aid scheme, whereby the UK Inland Revenue make payments to charities.

There are 5 steps to the Gift Aid scheme

1. Register with the Inland Revenue as a charity
2. Ask donors to complete a Gift Aid declaration
3. Keep a record of all declarations
4. claim the tax back from Inland Revenue (HMRC)
5. Tell all potential donors about the Gift Aid scheme- an easy way to increase your income by 28p for every £ donated. Donors who are higher rate taxpayers can also claim back part of the tax for themselves.

It is estimated that £700 million of Gift Aid is left unclaimed every year by charities. If your club is interested in finding out about Gift Aid contact our Business Manager, Gerry Cappa, at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Although there was a very disappointing attendance at the seminar, we are confident many of our clubs could benefit from this scheme, so we will provide advice and support for those clubs that are interested in it.

8th September 2010