Workplace Giving DIY Guide

Tool: Frequently Asked Questions

BENEFITS

Q.What is the benefit of donating through Workplace Giving?

A. Workplace Giving offers a number of advantages both to you and the recipient charities:

  • Your donation is tax effective – instead of having to collect a receipt from the charity and file a claim for a refund at the end of the tax year, your refund is effectively made automatically at the time of your donation. At the end of the financial year, you just need to record the amount of your donation on your tax return. <Company Name> will provide your donation amount to you at the end of the year on your PAYG Payment Summary (Group Certificate).
  • Because your donation is made each pay period, you simply have to make one decision about how much to give and then you don’t have to worry about it for the rest of the year.
  • The cost of fundraising for charities in Australia averages over 25%, donating through your workplace giving is a cost-free way for charities to raise funds.
  • Because your donation is sent to the charity as a lump sum along with the donations made by your colleagues, the charity is able to reduce their administration costs by only having to process one combined donation versus lots of individual ones.

Q.How much of my donation does the charity actually get?

  1. 100% of your donation goes to the charities you select. The cost of fundraising for charities in Australia is approximately 25%. Donating through Workplace Giving is a cost-free proposition for the charities.

Q.Is <Company Name> making a donation?

  1. Yes. In support of employees participating in workplace giving, <Company Name> will match employee donations up to $XXXXXX per annum. Additionally, the company will cover all the administration costs associated with the development, implementation and ongoing support of the program, ensuring that 100% of employee donations can go directly to the beneficiary charities.

OR

  1. The company will cover all the administration costs associated with the development, implementation and ongoing support of the program, ensuring that 100% of employee donations can go directly to the beneficiary charities.

Q.How much should I give?

  1. The appropriate amount of charitable giving will be different for every person. Deciding how much to give to charity can be influenced by many factors including your financial position, your family situation, retirement goals and personal values.

Workplace Giving tries to bring regular giving within the reach of most Australians. Our suggestion is to start with something affordable, say $5 to $10, a pay and review your level of giving each year.

PRIVACY

Q.Will I be added to the mailing list of the charities I support?

  1. No. In accordance with privacy laws, <Company Name> will not pass your name or personal contact details on to the charities that you support, unless specifically requested by you.

Q.Will the charity acknowledge my donation personally?

A.No. As your donation is made from pre-tax income and you receive an immediate tax refund, the charities simply acknowledge your donation directly to <Company Name> who will keep track of the donations you have made and provide you with a summary at the end of the financial year on your PAYG statement.

TAX

Q.Can I still claim a tax refund on my donation?

  1. No. Your donation is made from pre-tax income and you receive a tax refund at the time of your donation. For this reason, you will not receive a receipt for your donation and cannot claim a further refund in your annual tax return.

Q.Do I need to do anything at tax time?

  1. Yes. You just need to record the annual amount of your donations on your tax return so the Australian Taxation Office knows that you are participating in a workplace giving program and no further tax liability is calculated. <Company Name> will provide your donation amount to you at the end of the year on your PAYG Payment Summary (Group Certificate).

MAKING CHANGES

Q.Can I change my donation after I have submitted my pledge form?

A. Yes, you can change your donation simply by resubmitting the donation form. The form is available <insert form location, eg from Payroll> Changes will take effect from the next pay period or a date specified by you.

CHARITIES

Q.How do I get more information about the charities?

A. The program brochure provides more information about the charities. You might also wish to visit their website. Additionally, you will receive regular updates telling you about the work of the charities and how they are using your donations.

Q.A charity that I want to support is not on the list; can I still donate to them?

A. The selected charities have been chosen through an employee consultative process and attempt to cover a broad range of community issues. However, you may wish to donate to other charities that are outside of the program, and this can be done through each charities normal donations process.

Q.Can I add a charity to the list?

  1. Initially we are asking employees to focus donations on an agreed list of charities in order to really make an impact on those chosen. As participation in the program grows it may be possible to add further charities to the list.

The Australian Charities Fund. Copyright 2015 | 1