FAQs

When and how do you respond to emergencies?

Our Rapid Response programme does just that – we respond rapidly to humanitarian crises worldwide. We're on the ground now providing critical food, medicine, and hygiene kits for civilians in Yemen.

Wherever we can, we respond to humanitarian emergencies around the world, providing immediate and life-saving aid to those in the most desperate situations. We can do this quickly and effectively because we have many teams already on the ground, international field offices and a network of delivery partners.

What aid do you provide in response to emergencies?

This will vary according to the situation but we always focus on getting life-saving, vital aid to those in the most desperate circumstances. We work with our teams and delivery partners to make sure we get appropriate aid to the right places as soon as possible. The aid we provide usually covers the necessities of an emergency response phase – food, clean water, and medical care – which are often life-saving.

Our partners are on the ground providing essential medicines, disposables and beds to public hospitals and public health centers.

How long do emergency appeals last?

This will depend on the situation and there is no definite timeframe. There is an urgent need for aid when an emergency first happens, and this period is usually about providing life-saving aid to help people with their immediate needs. Following this, ongoing aid is required to help people rebuild their lives. We respond rapidly to each situation and aim to provide aid for as long as possible.

Can I choose where and how my donation is spent?

This depends on the nature of the emergency. You can select which country you want your donation to go to in the drop-down box, or tell us when you call us or write to us. The amount you give usually determines what we provide. For example, £25 can provide enough food for a family for a month and £150 can provide medical treatment for cholera for a month.

Can I make a general donation to the emergencies fund?

Yes, simply select the option for 'where most needed' and your donation will go towards where there is currently the greatest need.

Can I make a regular payment?

Yes, small payments made regularly can make a big difference – this is the Penny Appeal way.

You can set up an affordable monthly Direct Debit to make contributions to our Rapid Response Emergencies fund throughout the year. This allows us to be prepared well in advance so that we can act quickly as soon as aid is needed.

Automatic, monthly payments are the most efficient way to support Penny Appeal as they reduce the cost of administration. Regular commitments allow us to plan ahead and ensure we have a reliable source of income to provide aid.

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.

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.