Donations
As a charitable organisation Help and Care relies heavily on the donations and goodwill of the local community. However large or small, every gift makes a difference.
The work of Help and Care could not continue without the generous donations of people who share our values. Much of our work is funded by bodies like councils or health trusts but we simply can’t rely on their contribution alone.
We work closely with many local older people and carers to find out what kind of help people really want and how. As a result we provide some of our services without any funding from local government or similar organisations. For example, our telephone befriending service is run entirely without any funding, our Information Gateway similarly is not paid for by any external agencies.
We want to continue to run these services and develop more so that we can support even more people in ways that they really want. Perhaps you can help?
| Options - click an option to find out more | |
| Making a donation | In Memory giving |
| Leaving a Gift in your Will | Inheritance Tax |
Making a donation
We have several ways that you can make a donation to Help and Care;
Make a small donation.
We are pleased to work with Justgiving who will show you how you can make a small donation to Help and Care either as a ‘one-off’ payment or on an ongoing basis
Make a larger donation.
Please telephone us on 0845 4500 418 to find out about how you could make a larger donation. If you belong to a club or network that would like to run a fundraising event we can help with promotional material and collection boxes.
Leaving a Gift in your Will
If you have benefited from our services or if you support our actions and intentions you might like to remember us in your will. Any legacy will be exempt from inheritance tax so if your estate is likely to be subject to Inheritance Tax the portion that you give to Help and Care will not be reduced by 40% by the tax man. Find out more about Inheritance Tax.
If you have already made a Will...
If you have already made a Will, but would like to leave a gift to Help and Care, you can do so by making a simple addition to your existing Will. This is called a codicil. By adding this to your will you can include new instructions and delete old ones without having to go through the task of revoking the whole Will.
If you have not already made a Will...
If you do not have a Will at the moment, you may need to see a solicitor. Although you will have to pay a fee, you will receive professional advice and can then be sure that your wishes are carried out.
Two ways to give to Help and Care in your Will
1. Pecuniary gift - you can choose to give a gift of a fixed amount of money
2. Residuary gift - you can choose to leave a share, or the whole, of what is left in your estate once you have provided for your loved ones.
Where can I find out more?
If you think you could help with a gift in your Will, please print and complete our legacy enquiry form or contact our Head of Corporate Services on 0845 4500 418.
In Memory giving
You can commemorate the life of a loved one by sending a donation to Help and Care in place of funeral flowers.
If you would like to remember a relative, friend or colleague in this way simply telephone our Head of Corporate Services, Gail Brittain. Alternatively email us with the details of your request or complete a legacy enquiry form. Once we have your full details one of our staff will contact you to confirm the practicalities. We will ensure that a letter thanking you for your kind gift is sent to either you or the next of kin. Thank you for remembering Help and Care at this difficult time.
Inheritance Tax
Any gift, large or small, helps. However, a gift to Help and Care could also help reduce the inheritance tax on your estate (what you own when you die).
Your estate includes your house, stocks and shares, pensions, insurance policies, annual service benefits, PEPs/ISAs, and savings accounts.
From April 2007,your beneficiaries only stand to receive £6,000 out of every £10,000 left in your estate above the inheritance tax threshold of £300,000. As property values rise more and more people are finding themselves liable; but a well thought-out Will can help.
You may think that if you add up your investments and savings and the sum is less than £300,000, inheritance tax isn’t going to affect you; but beware, your estate also includes the value of your home - not what you paid for it, perhaps decades ago, but the full market value at today’s prices.
Most people don’t realise that inheritance tax can also apply to large gifts you make up to seven years before your death. However, any gift made to your spouse or civil partner, or to a charity you care about, is free of tax. Such gifts are deducted from your estate before inheritance tax is calculated. So if these gifts reduce the value of your estate to below the threshold, it should no longer be liable for any inheritance tax. This means many people can make a significant contribution to Help and Care with less of an effect on the value of what they leave to other beneficiaries.
Of course, everyone’s financial situation is different, so twe can only provide a general outline of how inheritance tax might affect you. There are other issues that could affect the level of your inheritance tax, so you should ask your solicitor about your particular circumstances. If you have any other questions, please contact our Head of Corporate Services, Gail Brittain on 0845 4500 418.