Comic Relief, a prominent UK charity, evaluated the best options to successfully handle its Gift Aid claims.
For an organisation of Comic Relief’s size and complexity, the administrative burden surrounding the volume of transactions we needed to process was labour- and time-intensive. We were seeking industry experts who understood the value of Gift Aid and could assist us in managing the process more efficiently and effectively.
Swiftaid’s Solution
Acknowledging these challenges, Swiftaid intervened to modernise Comic Relief’s Gift Aid procedures. Leveraging their understanding of the complex and nuanced landscape of managing Gift Aid for large organisations, Swiftaid crafted a bespoke solution to automate the claims process.
Swiftaid grasped the various nuances that come with managing Gift Aid for an organisation of our size and history from the outset. The team were able to construct a bespoke solution specific to our business needs and completed all the processing required before sending it to HMRC. We’ve also been able to access their Gift Aid database, which is enabling us to find new ways of linking donations without Gift Aid declarations and unlock additional income that might otherwise be lost.
Impact
The implementation of Swiftaid’s automated claims process resulted in a significant reduction in administration time. This efficient system has enabled year-end reporting to be completed within minutes, not days, thereby freeing up resources to concentrate on the charity’s main mission.
Swiftaid’s expertise and technology have ensured we can make accurate, timely, and valuable Gift Aid claims, freeing up valuable time and resources for our teams to focus on supporting and delivering life-changing work in the UK and around the world.
Gift Aid is incredibly important for Comic Relief, and our partnership with Swiftaid has helped to make the entire claim process automated and reliable. We always promote Gift Aid to our fantastic supporters who want to make their generous donations go further and make a greater difference.
Additional Benefits
In addition to managing Gift Aid, Comic Relief also sought to increase its Gift Aid income. Previously, their process was ad-hoc, time-consuming, and heavy on administration. Swiftaid stepped in to resolve this issue, resulting in regular, accurate, and timely Gift Aid claims contributing to regular monthly cashflow.
Since partnering with Swiftaid, not only have we been able to decrease the time from donation to receiving Gift Aid from HMRC, but the Gift Aid finder tool is also assisting us to regularly uncover additional income we might have previously lost.
Since partnering in 2022, Swiftaid’s expertise and technology have considerably improved Comic Relief’s Gift Aid processes. We can now make accurate and timely Gift Aid claims all year round with a much simpler process, while increasing our Gift Aid contributions with minimal effort.
Technical Integration
The technical integration journey was fully supported by Swiftaid, with a dedicated team of developers providing resources, expertise, and time to facilitate a seamless integration process.
Since the beginning of the integration journey, Swiftaid’s team of developers have been solution-focused, provided materials, and offered time and resource where required to support our teams in getting our Gift Aid solutions up and running.
Looking Forward
Swiftaid’s partnership with Comic Relief continues to evolve and we’re exploring what this means for the future.
We value the Gift Aid contributions we’re able to claim from online and SMS donations through Swiftaid and are excited about exploring further opportunities for automating Gift Aid claims from our other donation channels and sources – allowing us to create a fully integrated suite of claims.
Conclusion
This partnership has shown how Swiftaid can revolutionise the management of Gift Aid and maximise income for a large-scale charity, transforming administrative processes and allowing for more efficient and valuable claims.