For treasurers in England and Wales
For treasurers in England and Wales
Which bank should I use to pay in Christian Aid Week income?
Can I use my Payzone card?
Any Payzone payments should be made at a Post Office before the end of September 2017, as after that, the facility is no longer available from any of the major banks. Unfortunately, this year, the cards can only be used at the Post Office, not at other Payzone outlets (newsagents etc).
We’re currently exploring alternative options for 2018. Please destroy your Payzone card after September.
Does my group need a bank or building society account?
No. You can send the money directly to Christian Aid’s bank account using the paying-in stationery provided. Please brief everyone who’s banking money raised in Christian Aid Week, using your printed copy of Money Matters.
Make sure they have enough paying-in stationery and return envelopes, and that you have completed the Christian Aid group name and reference number before passing on stationery (see the front of your Treasurer’s Toolkit for your group’s reference number).
If you have a Christian Aid group bank account, check that it has two up-to-date, authorised signatories. Ask your bank manager to operate the account free of charge.
When does the money need to reach Christian Aid?
Please pay in the money as soon as you receive it. Cheques must be banked and Charities Aid Foundation (CAF) and other charity vouchers sent to Christian Aid quickly to avoid cancellations by donors who may think these have been lost or stolen.
The sooner money reaches Christian Aid, the sooner we can put it to work.
If you need more paying-in stationery, please call your local office. Once complete, please return the Form A to your local Christian Aid area office no later than 21 July 2017.
It is a legal requirement that the completed Form A be checked and signed by the Christian Aid Week organiser or treasurer, and also by an independent verifier if a house-to-house collection was held.
Who can be an independent verifier?
Your independent verifier should be someone who is not influenced, or perceived to be influenced, by either close personal relationships with the treasurer or by involvement in the financial administration of Christian Aid Week.
The verifier should not have been involved in the administration of the house-to-house collection and should have no connection with the house-to-house collection that might prevent him/her from carrying out an independent check of the financial documents.
A verifier cannot independently check his or her own work, so cannot be the Christian Week treasurer, organiser or member of your Christian Aid group.
Can I deduct expenses?
Yes. You may deduct any expenses incurred, either through house-to-house activity or in other ways (for example, travel costs). Please keep a clear record of all expenses incurred and deduct before paying any funds raised to Christian Aid.
Please note: Christian Aid cannot reimburse costs of fundraising at a later date. We are legally required to report house-to-house expenses to the Office for Civil Society. It’s therefore essential that you record your expenses in the following way when completing the Form A:
- in the case of house-to-house collections only, detail the total amount raised before expenses are deducted in section C (under ‘house-to-house collections’), and expenses incurred through house-to-house activity in section D
- for expenses incurred in relation to any other kind of fundraising, deduct your costs from the total collected and report the total after expenses in section C.
Do collectors need to be contacted after Christian Aid Week?
Yes. Please make sure that individual collectors are thanked and told how much they raised, either by you, your Christian Aid Week organiser or their church rep. Thank you cards and posters are available from Christian Aid, either through your Christian Aid Week organiser or by calling your area office.
What information should I gather about collectors?
You must keep a list of collectors and their contact details. Mark next to each name the number of envelopes collected and the total amount, alongside the precise area where they collected.
Please keep this list securely for seven years in case of future audit. On the Form A, please record the total number of collectors involved and the number of envelopes that were collected through house-to-house activities. This should include the envelopes returned with nothing in them.