How to receive online donations for small unregistered charity

Kitsi

Hi,

I have just recently started a charity. We are too small to register and I think we will be staying small for the foreseeable future. I have almost completed our website and I was wondering if there was any way of receiving donations online. It seems that almost everything requires you to be a registered charity.

Could I display the charity's bank details online perhaps?? Obviously only the necessary details, not all of them!

I also have a problem with displaying my address online publicly (otherwise people could send cheques).

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated

phill99

Sorry to say this and I mean it with the best intentions, but why would any one donate to an unregistered charity?

If you are not registered, then you aren't a charity, but a business.

I have no doubt your intentions are purely honourable but others won't see it that way. You may also find if you aren't registered, many avenues will be shut to you such as low cost banking, grants, council support etc and, more importantly, the publics perception.

I would really encourage you to register.

Wywth

Paypal? Bank transfers in would also be another option.

I'm sorry, but a lack of a physical mailing address would make you look "dodgy"

gb12345

Kitsi wrote: »

I also have a problem with displaying my address online publicly (otherwise people could send cheques).

So a website with no physical contact details expecting people to send money to them. Doesn't sound dodgy to me :cool:.

Your address will be all over the Internet the minute you register the domain - unless you are going to hide it, which makes you appear even more dodgy.

PlutoinCapricorn

There are many charities too small to register with the Charity Commission, but they normally operate locally and personally. In other words, the donors are 'hot' or 'warm' not cold.

Kitsi

Thank you for the responses :-).

I'm unable to register my charity as a charity must have an annual income of at least £5,000 to register. I believe you can still call yourself a charity if you are too small to register but its best to be honest about it which we are.

We have a lot of support locally and people know we are trustworthy.

The reason I don't want to post my personal address everywhere is because our charity is for save Tibet which is a very political and controversial issue and I know others who are involved in the save Tibet movement who have received threats and all sorts! Luckily the website is registered with the hosting company so it doesn't display my address online.

I've looked into paypal and even getting a PO Box address but both are expensive options and as a charity, we are not bringing in that much money yet. I just don't see how charities are meant to get their feet off the ground unless they have a lot of money to put into it to start with.

I mean, you can't register unless you're bringing in more than £5,000 a year but how are you meant to do that if no ones willing to donate to an unregistered charity? :huh:

PlutoinCapricorn

People are not unwilling to donate to a small, unregistered charity - just ones that are unknown to them. If they know you, they may give to the cause just for your sake; if they don't know you, their donations may well be made at the expense of a similar charity - the zero sum game!

Yes, you must raise £5,000 before you can register. The Charity Commission themselves advise you to think carefully before starting yet another charity and to consider supporting existing charities that help your cause.

Kitsi

Spyros wrote: »

A worthy cause, but does it really need another charity?

Why not associate yourself with one of the other existing charities that do seem to have found a way of collecting online.

Well, we do support other Tibet charities but my husband is Tibetan, he has a lot of knowledge to share, direct experience and knows where the money is needed.

We have the advantage of having direct links to the people we support and almost 100% of the money we receive in donations goes straight to the cause. We don't incur high admin costs whereas charities like Free Tibet spend a large amount of money on admin. My husband also knows that these charities do not get to the people who most need it.

For example, if I gave £50 to Free Tibet it wouldn't go very far at all. If I send £50 to a Tibetan family to enable their child to go to school, its a life changing amount of money. That child is educated in a Tibetan school therefore preserving Tibetan culture. That child is then in a more likely position to be able to help the cause in the future.

Don't get me wrong, Free Tibet do an incredibily important job. We are just focusing on a different area but related to the same issue.

paddyrg

Spyros wrote: »

A worthy cause, but does it really need another charity?

Why not associate yourself with one of the other existing charities that do seem to have found a way of collecting online.

Really good point - remember there used to be 2 competing cancer charities in the UK - they joined forces, reduced overheads, combined campaigning, raised more money, reduced confusion, etc. Unless there's an actually a good reason to duplicate overheads, it is worth looking into becoming a local branch of a national organisation.

gb12345

Kitsi wrote: »

Well, we do support other Tibet charities but my husband is Tibetan, he has a lot of knowledge to share, direct experience and knows where the money is needed.

But your problem will be building enough trust for people to believe all of that.

Anyone can set up a website, claim to be Tibetan and be donating 99.99% of monies to the cause, but how do people know that is really happening?

You will have no physical contact details on the website and a hidden domain registration so how are you going to convince a member of the public that you are legitimate and not just an opportunist scammer?

PlutoinCapricorn

Having such a direct link to Tibet does make a difference.

However, did you look at all existing registered Tibet charities and go through their accounts on the CC Register to see who has very low overheads and how much their income is and where it comes from?

When people do start their own charities, the trustees often raise the necessary £5,000. Registration is best because charitable trusts and foundations will not usually give to an unregistered charity and they are a good funding source.