Giving FAQ

Why should I support Health Poverty Action?

  • We prioritise the poorest and the most marginalised communities in the world – those missing out on mainstream aid.
  • We believe in a comprehensive approach. We address health emergencies and problems at point of need, while campaigning to change the systems and situations that hold people in poverty.
  • Whenever possible we aim to eliminate health problems before they occur through prevention, education and promoting healthy behaviour.

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What’s the best way to give to Health Poverty Action?

The most effective way of giving to Health Poverty Action is to make a regular contribution from your bank account by setting up a direct debit. Poor communities need people they can rely on. We’re with them for the long-term and we hope you are too.

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How much of my money goes directly where it’s needed?

Health Poverty Action prides itself on being lean and efficient. 95 pence in every pound goes to our overseas work. The rest is spent on ensuring that our work is effective, sustainable and that it brings real and lasting change.

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What is Gift Aid?

Gift Aid is a simple way for our charity to increase the value of donations that UK taxpayers make to us. Put simply, Health Poverty Action can reclaim the tax that you have already paid on the amount you give us.

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Are my donations eligible for Gift Aid?

You can Gift Aid your donations if you are a UK taxpayer. You just need to have paid enough income tax (or capital gains tax) to cover the amount we claim back. For example, if you donate £10 then you should have paid tax of at least £2.50 in the year, as this is what we’ll claim back. Health Poverty Action will receive £12.50 in total.

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How much is my Gift Aid donation worth to Health Poverty Action?

If you apply Gift Aid to your donation, Health Poverty Action will receive an extra 25 pence for every pound – meaning we can help even more people.

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I’m a higher rate tax payer. How will this affect my donation?

If you’re a higher rate taxpayer your donation will cost you less because you can claim additional tax relief. For example, a donation of £50 will cost you £37.50 but will be worth £62.50 to Health Poverty Action.

You can claim higher rate relief by entering the donations in the gift aid box on your self assessment tax return. If you receive a form P810, you can declare your gift aid payments on it. Calculate how much your gift will be worth to us and how much it will cost you.

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Can my company support Health Poverty Action?

Of course! There are lots of ways that your company can get involved. Why not rally a group of colleagues and:

If you’d like somebody to come in and talk about our work, please  .

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Can I leave a legacy to Health Poverty Action?

Read here to learn how leaving a legacy to Health Poverty Action is an amazing way to give the gift of health and hope to the very poorest and most vulnerable people long into the future.

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I’m a US taxpayer. Can I make a tax-effective donation?

Health Poverty Action has tax-exempt status under Section 501 (c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of the United States.

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Can I give a gift of shares?

Yes. As well as being highly tax effective for you; your shares can make a huge difference in tackling poverty and improving health. It brings you tax relief benefit in two ways:

  • Income Tax relief on the value of the shares
  • Exemption from Capital Gains Tax

If you would like to donate some shares to us, please follow these simple steps:

  1. Obtain a stock transfer form from the registrar who acts for the company in which you have shares. The name of the registrar will usually be shown at the bottom of your share certificate. On the stock transfer form, in the box entitled ‘Full name and postal address of the person to whom the security is transferred’, please write: Health Poverty Action, Ground Floor, 31-33 Bondway, London, SW8 1SJ. Complete, sign and date the form as appropriate and send to Helen Stack at the address above. Don’t forget to keep copies of transfer forms for your records (and for your tax return).

You can get more information by visiting HM Revenue & Customs, and see leaflet IR178 – Giving shares and securities to charity. We advise that you talk to a financial adviser before making any decisions.

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Last modified: 19/03/2012