Help us meet needs where help is needed most.
Our mission to help Africa’s most vulnerable children today, so they can help Africa tomorrow, goes beyond supporting and educating the children of the Choir program. Your donation also goes towards our various relief and education projects across the continent that help 1,000’s of suffering children every year. By donating today, you are helping us create ChangeMakers for the future of Africa. Thank you.
There are several ways you can donate
Donate Online
Click here to donate using our pay pal or your credit or debit card.
Donate by Mail
Please make your cheque or postal order payable to ‘Music For Life’, download a donation form (PDF), and send it to: Music For Life, PO Box 412, Lisburn BT28 9EB
Donate by Phone
Phone the Donations team between 9am and 5pm on 028 9266 6611. Out of hours please leave a message and we will call you back or click here and send us an email to give you a call back.
Donate by Text
Text “ACCH30” followed by the amount (£_) you wish to donate to 70070
Payroll Giving
Give as You Earn allows you to make regular donation which are deducted from your pay before tax; please ask your Payroll Department for more info. Learn more about GAYE here.
Payroll Giving GAYE
Over £100 million was donated to charity through payroll giving last year. Payroll Giving – sometimes known as ‘Give As You Earn’ – is a really easy way to make regular, tax-free donations. Its hassle free – all you have to do is sign up with your payroll department and the money you pledge comes to Music For Life every month. Each time you’re paid, an amount agreed by you is deducted by your Payroll Department, and sent to us so we can continue to give vital support to vulnerable children in Africa. There’s nothing more for you to do. And, your donation will be even bigger at no further cost to you, thanks to the Government adding the tax on as an extra donation. For example, if you agree to give £5 to Music For Life, you only pay £4.00 – if you are a basic rate tax payer – and the taxman makes up the remaining £1.00.
Benefits to the employee giver
- It’s an easy and efficient way to donate
- With just one form, you can choose to support a number of charities
- There are no direct debits or standing orders to complete
- All paperwork is handled by your employer
- Knowledge that you are giving in an efficient, regular, reliable way to a charity you care about
How do I donate?
Ask your Payroll Department whether or not your company offers the scheme. If they do, then decide how much you would like to give each time you are paid.
Regular Giving
You can set up a Direct Debit to give a regular amount to Music For Life, on a monthly basis. Click here to download a Direct Debit form (PDF).
Gift Aid
Click here to read more about Gift Aid, to download a donation form (PDF) click here. If eligible tick the ‘Gift Aid’ box on the donation form, we can get tax back on your donations, increasing your gift by 25%.
What is Gift Aid?
The Gift Aid scheme, introduced by the Government in April 2000, is very simple. To make a Gift Aid declaration:
- You must be a UK tax payer who pays more than the amount of Income Tax and/or Capital Gains Tax to cover the amount that all charities you donate to will reclaim for that tax year. Council Tax and VAT do not count.
- You can only Gift Aid a personal donation i.e. you cannot Gift Aid cash collected from others; raised at an event; being paid across to pay for a challenge or ticket to an event; or to purchase merchandise.
- The Donation must be made by an individual who is a UK tax payer:
- not as a couple – you could however make one donation each to show your support, however you can only give Gift Aid consent if you each pay tax in the UK.
- not on behalf of a group of people;
- not as a result of a fund-raising event (collection, raffle, ball etc);
- not by a company;
- not if you are a participant in a sponsored event (including a Challenge) for which the charity has borne some or all of the cost, or if you are connected to the participant. A “connected person” is a wife or husband, a relative (brother, sister, ancestor (e.g. mother) or lineal descendant (e.g. grandson), the wife or husband of a relative or a company under the control of the participant or connected person.
Music For Life can reclaim the Basic Rate Income Tax or Capital Gains Tax paid on donations.
Note: If you are a higher rate tax payer you can claim the difference on your Self Assessment Tax Return.
Currently a charity can claim 25 pence in every pound. So for a donation of £10.00 the charity can claim 10 x 25p = £2.50 in additional funds from the government.
Don’t forget to ask your sponsors to tick the box on your sponsorship form!
For a full explanation of Gift Aid, visit www.hmrc.gov.uk/individuals/giving/gift-aid.htm
For further help and advice on Gift Aid, you can contact the Inland Revenue Charity helpline on 0845 3020203 (option 3), which is open from 8.00am to 5.00pm, Monday to Friday or Email
Shop
Money raised from the sale of T-Shirts, DVDs and Music CDs helps to offset the running costs of The Choir. Shop with us and your money really does make a difference.