Operating a Gift Aid Scheme:

The Gift Aid Secretary

The Gift Aid Secretary is an important job in the parish. They should be appointed by the PCC and the appointment recorded in the minutes, as should any change of appointment. The person concerned may or may not also be the PCC Treasurer. We tend to think this is not a good idea. Unless the number of Gift Aid donors is small, this is too much work, and there is no backup for illness or other reasons. In large parish schemes it is good to get others to assist with aspects of the task, e.g. recording, issuing envelopes, etc. It is essential that, where more than one person is involved (including the Treasurer), good communication is maintained.

A new Gift Aid Secretary will need to complete a Nomination of Authorised Signatory form, to enable them to sign the claim form in due course.

The role of the Gift Aid secretary is to:

• Ensure accurate records are kept
  Follow Records you must keep for more details.
• Encourage tax efficient giving
  This can be broken down into:
  - Encourage giving
    This is really an issue for the Incumbent and the PCC,
    not the Gift Aid Secretary. Giving is a spiritual issue –
    it is part of our worship and thanksgiving to God.
    Please see the Giving in Grace pages for more details.
  - Encourage tax payers to give by tax effective
    means
    This requires information:
    > Written – use leaflets, posters, letters to envelope
       givers and church members. Click here for examples.
    > Verbal – talk to people, remind them that it doesn’t
       hurt, it is confidential, it is good for the church
    > Presentations – to the PCC or in church
    The personal approach often works best. People
    need reassurance and their questions answered.
• Encourage regular review
  You should write every year to remind people to let you know if their tax situation changed. It is good practice to also thank donors and let them know of amounts given, particularly for those needing to complete a tax return. You can use this opportunity to ask them to review their amount of giving. For an example letter click here.
• Produce the claim
  See Making a Claim for non Diocesan Scheme parishes. Much of this is done for Diocesan Scheme parishes.