FAQ's - For Donors

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. 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 read our Terms & Conditions which contains information about Privacy & Security.

How and when does my donation get to the charity of my choice?
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. You will also be emailed confirmation.

What will I see on my bank statement?
Your bank statement will state 'Charity Choice' once a donation you have made.

I'm still not sure I feel comfortable donating online, is there any other way I can make a donation or give to charity?
You can contact the charity direct from the website using the contact details available and arrange to donate by post or over the phone. Alternatively, if you do not wish to make a cash donation but would like to donate goods or services to charity visit www.goodwillgallery.co.uk.

What if my favourite charity has no donation button?
All charities listed on www.charitychoice.co.uk are invited to opt in to receive a free online donation button. Please contact us if your favourite charity does not have a 'Donate Now' button at onlinedonations@waterlow.com Please state the charity name and its Charity reference number. We shall then contact the charity and let them know that they are missing out of valuable donations by not registering to receive donations via Charity Choice.

What if my favourite charity is not within Charity Choice?
Charity Choice contains over 10,000 charities within its database. If your favourite UK registered charity is not listed, please email us the registered charity number and the name of charity and we will endeavour to get your charity listed. Please email us at charitychoice@waterlow.com.

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 of your choice. 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' for more information.

Will you protect my privacy?
Yes, we will protect your privacy if you do not wish your details to be passed on to others. See our Terms & Conditions which contains information about Privacy & Security.

What are the advantages of donating online via Charity Choice?

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. There are no charges to the charity, nor are there any debit or credit card fees applied to the donors transaction - we pay all these fees.

Please note that we shall endeavour to reduce these rates even further over time, the more charities and donors that use the service, the better the rates we will be able to negotiate with card issuers.

What are the card issuer charges?
There are no credit card or debit fees. Until January 2008, Charity Choice and The Co-operative Bank plc. are absorbing the credit and debit charges to ensure that you get the full donation. After this time, this will be reviewed. Please note that by pooling all donations through one administration account means we are able to negotiate the lowest possible trasaction fees from the card issuers.

What are my payment options?
You can make your donation using all major credit cards including Visa, Switch, Solo, Master Card, JBC, Diner Club and Carte Blanche. Please note that we do not accept American Express. If you would like to donate by cheque or cash please contact your favourite charity directly using the contact information within the Charity Choice website.

Can I set up a monthly amount to donate?
Currently the service only allows you to make one-off donations, as a future development we are looking to extend this service to offer a regular monthly donation facility.

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 a donation to your favourite charity please call us on 020 7566 8249 or alternatively email onlinedonations@waterlow.com.

Can I cancel my donation?
Unfortunately not, all donations made through Charity Choice are non refundable. However, if there is an error on your credit card please contact us on 020 7566 8249 or alternatively email onlinedonations@waterlow.com.