Imagine reading your payslip and discovering that your salary has suddenly gone up by 25%. No overtime, no expense claim, no payroll errors: just free money. I think most of us would have a skip in our step that day!
In Streetwise Opera’s Fundraising team, we’re lucky – we don’t have to imagine. Every time we find out that one of our generous supporters has ticked the Gift Aid box, that’s exactly how we feel. We excitedly tell each other about the fact that, suddenly, that person’s donation has gone from £5 to £6.25, from £50 to £62.50, from £500 to £625. And, just like an employee getting a pay rise, we think about the difference that free money will make.
Streetwise Opera receives around £8,500 per year from the government’s Gift Aid scheme, thanks to our wonderful donors who ticked that little box. That £8,500 means that we can have support workers at all our regular workshops and performances, allowing performers to feel safe, supported and comfortable at every Streetwise Opera activity regardless of the challenges they might be facing that day.
It means we can provide refreshments at all our weekly workshops, so the performers can concentrate on creating, devising and rehearsing the groundbreaking operas for which Streetwise Opera is known without the distraction of a rumbling stomach. Ultimately, that £8,500 means that Streetwise Opera performers can be their best selves while they’re with us, creating something beautiful that shows the world what people with experience of homelessness can achieve.
If you’re a UK taxpayer who has made a donation to Streetwise Opera and you’re not sure if Streetwise Opera is claiming Gift Aid on your donations, or if you have any questions about how Gift Aid works, we’d be happy to discuss this with you. It doesn’t even have to be a recent donation, because Gift Aid can be back-claimed on donations received any time in the last four years. If you’re a higher rate taxpayer you may want to seek advice from your accountant or financial advisor; higher rate taxpayers can claim back even more tax relief, which you have the option of donating back to us to make your original donation go even further!
We’d love to talk to you about your Gift Aid situation and answer any questions you might have. Please do get in touch, and thank you so much for all your support.
Evie Fordham, Individual Giving and Events Officer
evangeline.fordham@streetwiseopera.org
Anna Hodgkinson, Head of Fundraising
07563 729524
anna.hodgkinson@streetwiseopera.org
