Is it safe to donate online?

The Charity Choice online donations service is completely secure and uses an advanced encryption technology provided by Secure Sockets Layer (SSL), a recognised authentication and encryption software process. This means that the site encrypts all of your personal information, including your credit card number, name, and address, so it is unreadable to anyone outside the transaction process. For more information, please see the Terms & Conditions on the Charity Choice website which contains information about Privacy & Security.

How and when does my donation get to the charity?

The Co-Operative Bank will process your donation through your debit or credit card company immediately after you enter your information. Please allow 3 working days for your transaction to be processed.

Will I receive a confirmation that my donation has been processed?

Yes, you will receive a confirmation at the end of your donation. This is sufficient to serve as a receipt for tax purposes. Please print this out and keep this for your records.

What will I see on my bank statement?

You can can pay by cheque or standing order or contact us directly by email or phone .

What is Gift Aid

Gift Aid is an easy and effective way of giving to charity at no extra cost to you. Using Gift Aid means that for every £1 you give, the charity gets an extra 28p from the Inland Revenue helping your donation go further. So every £10 you give the charity will get another £2.80 from the government. Plus, if you are a higher taxpayer you can claim tax relief on the donation in your annual tax return. If you choose to be anonymous when you donate the charity is unable to claim Gift Aid.

Can I make an anonymous donation?

Yes, you may choose not to disclosure who you are and still give to the charity. We are committed to protecting your privacy. This means that the charity knows the amount donated but does not receive any other contact information about you. Please be aware though that if you choose to remain anonymous the charity is unable to reclaim extra money from the Inland Revenue using Gift Aid. See What is gift aid above for more information

Will Charity Choice protect my privacy?

Yes, Charity Choice will protect your privacy if you do not wish your details to be passed on to others. Please see the Terms & Conditions on the Charity Choice website which contains information about Privacy & Security.

What are the advantages of donating online via Charity Choice?

• Neither Charity Choice nor The Co-Operative Bank Plc. will make any charge for processing or administering your donation
• The only fees applicable are those applied by the debit and credit card companies.
• By pooling all donations via one account Charity Choice is able to offer the lowest possible card issuer fees and shall continue to negotiate these down further as transaction numbers increase.
• Charity Choice has over 10,000 UK registered charities in its database
• Peace of mind - 100% secure payment site

Do Charity Choice or The Co-Operative Bank Plc. take a cut of the donation processed?

No, unlike some other online donations services neither Charity Choice or The Co-Operative Bank Plc. will make any charge for processing online donations. The only fees applicable are those levied by the card issuers and Charity Choice have negotiated extremely favourable rates by pooling all donations via one account. The latest rates charged by the card issuers for donations processed via Charity Choice in association with The Co-Operative Bank Plc are charged at 2.35% for all major credit cards and 27.50p for all major debit cards.

What are the card issuer charges?

At launch, the card issuer's charges for the donation service will be a maximum of 2.35% on credit cards and 27.5p per debit card transaction. These charges will be negotiated down as the volume of transactions increases. Details of new reduced charges will be published on the Charity Choice site as and when applicable.

Credit and debit card issuers base their rates on volume of transactions and revenue processed. The real beauty of this model is that because all donations will be handled via a central account every charity that participates will benefit from the lowest possible rates based on the overall volume of donations made.

If you would like to donate by cheque or cash please select Donate by cheque/SO and download a donation form.

Can I set up a monthly amount to donate?

Currently the Charity Choice service only allows you to make one-off donations, as a future development they are looking to extend this service to make a regular monthly donation. If you wish to set up a regular monthly donation please select Donate by cheque/SO from the menu and download a donation form.

Is there a minimum donation amount?

No, we have no minimum amount requirement for donations.

What if I have a problem making a donation?

If you have a problem trying to make an on-line donation to our charity through the Charity Choice website please call Charity Choice on 020 7549 8676 or 020 7549 8646 or alternatively email onlinedonations@waterlow.com.

Can I cancel my on-line donation?