FAQs

Why is Penny Appeal providing aid in the UK?

We want to help as many poor and needy people around the world as we can, including those in our own communities here in the UK.

We have carefully developed our At Home campaign to offer much-needed support to the most vulnerable in our community. We chose to focus on providing food at soup kitchens and food banks and offering counselling to survivors of domestic violence as these are two key issues where we can make a big impact.

What is the need for food in the UK?

Four million children and adults in the UK are not properly fed by today’s standards. Overall, one in five of the UK population live below the poverty line.

The number of people going hungry in the UK is growing, and last year food banks fed nearly a million people.

What aid is Penny Appeal At Home providing?

Our UK-focused project is supporting people by providing meals via soup kitchens and food banks and offering counselling to victims of domestic, family or sexual abuse.

Where in the UK do you work?

We have partnered with several organisations around the country to help some of the most desperate and vulnerable people in disadvantaged and deprived communities.

Can I make a regular payment?

Yes, you can set up a monthly Direct Debit. This is the most efficient way to support Penny Appeal as it reduces the cost of administration. Regular monthly commitments allow us to plan ahead and ensure we have a reliable source of income to provide aid.

Why should I Gift Aid my donation?

It really helps us if you can Gift Aid your sponsorship or donation – it increases the value of your donation by 25%. If you are a UK taxpayer, selecting to 'Gift Aid' your donation (either by checking the box online or ticking the box on a paper donation form) will make it worth more to us at no extra cost to you.

In order for Penny Appeal to reclaim the tax you have paid on your donations, you must have paid income or capital gains tax (in the UK) equal to the tax that will be claimed by all the charities that you donate to (currently 25p for every £1 you give) in the same tax year.

The tax reclaimed will be used to help fund the administration costs of the charity so that more of your actual donation can go directly to those in need.

Gift Aid can be added to your donation if you are donating your own money. We regret that Gift Aid cannot be reclaimed if you are paying donations that you collected from others, even if everyone was a UK taxpayer. Neither can it be reclaimed on donations made by companies. Other taxes such as VAT and council tax do not qualify. Gift Aid cannot be claimed on payments for any ticketed events.

Please notify us if you are no longer eligible, wish to cancel this declaration, change your name or home address or if you no longer pay sufficient tax on your income and/or capital gains.

By ticking the box you agree that you are eligible to claim Gift Aid as explained above and that we can treat this donation, any donations made in the last 4 years, and future donations as Gift Aid, and that you understand that if you pay less income tax and/or capital gains tax than the amount of Gift Aid claimed on all your donations in that tax year, it is your responsibility to pay any difference.

I can no longer afford the monthly payment. What can I do?

Please get in touch with us before cancelling your monthly payment as we could reduce the amount so that you can still help us provide life-saving aid. It also helps if you tell us first so that we can update our records.

Is my payment secure?

We only use secure systems with banking standard safety features to make sure that your payment and financial data cannot be compromised. All online payments are securely processed via KeyIVR Ltd, PayPal or SmartDebit and no financial data is retained on our servers.