How to Give

EDITOR‘S NOTE

Giving is very much a personal exercise ‘as God hath prospered’, 1 Cor. 16. 2. Whilst this article uses the work of Precious Seed International as its background the principles can be applied to many other aspects of the Lord’s work.

The following is not intended to be seen as a request for funds for Precious Seed International, the aim of the article is to provide ideas that will enable believers to maximise the effectiveness of their giving to whatever cause they feel exercised to support.

Readers often contact us seeking guidance as to how they may financially support the work of Precious Seed International. Whilst the magazine is provided free of charge as the Lord enables, the cost of producing it is significant and increases year on year. However, our God is faithful and we have proved Him many times.

Giving can be done in various ways and it is hoped that the following will be of help. For those in the United Kingdom, cheques can be sent to the treasurer at the address given on the back page of the current magazine, or they may contribute using the website.

OVERSEAS GIVING

Donations from abroad can be accepted in cheque form although anyone wishing to contribute from outside the UK should ideally send the gifts in sterling, otherwise Precious Seed International will incur a currency conversion charge. However we are happy to accept gifts in any of the major international currencies. These gifts may be sent to our addresses in the UK, Australia, Canada or the USA. Alternatively, many readers may prefer to donate via our website.

GIFT AID

Gift Aid is tax relief on money donated to UK charities.

We treat donations as if the donor had already deducted basic rate tax from them. The charity can then reclaim this tax to increase the value of a donation.

Gift Aid rules

Donors must: Pay enough UK income tax and/or capital gains tax to cover the amount of tax the charity will reclaim; Give the charity a gift aid declaration, which should include: their name; their home address; the charity’s name; details of the donation, saying that it is a gift aid donation; confirmation that they have paid UK tax – to cover the tax the charity will reclaim.

A declaration can be made to cover individual donations, a series of donations, donations made during a specified period, or to cover all future donations. They can also be backdated for up to 6 years prior to the date of the declaration provided the donation was made since 6th April 2000.

Tax relief

If donors pay the:
1. basic rate of tax, they can claim tax relief only at this rate;
2. higher rate of tax, they can claim higher rate relief on the payments by entering the donations in the gift aid box on their self-assessment tax return. Donors who receive a form P810 can declare their gift aid payments on it.

LEGACIES

Before using this method, it would be advisable to consult a solicitor in advance to avoid problems arising. To minimise the amount of time with a solicitor, ensure that your wishes have been clearly thought through and the necessary details of potential recipients obtained.

ONLINE DONATIONS

For those who have access to a computer then a very easy way to donate is to use the facility which is on our web site at www.preciousseed.org. From the front page, press the ‘Donate’ button and follow the instructions.

We use a secure site, provided by World Pay, so as to eliminate worries about giving details of your credit or debit card. This method can be used by those living abroad as well as those in the UK.

STEWARDSHIP VOUCHERS

For those who have accounts with Stewardship donations using a voucher system can be made to registered charities. As we are a registered charity, (No. 326157), we can accept these vouchers from anyone wishing to support our work in this way.

RECEIPTS

We acknowledge all gifts (unless otherwise directed) so if you send a gift and do not receive a receipt then please contact us as soon as possible.

CONCLUSION

We have a great God and it has been our privilege to be engaged in the work of producing the magazine. As we get letters of appreciation from so many parts of the world it is a joy to know that we are ‘workers together’ in serving Him.