How to make a donation

1. I would like to give WaterAid a regular donation. How do I set this up?

2. What are the other ways that I can donate to WaterAid?

3. What is Gift Aid?

4. Can I buy a well or fund a specific project?

5. Can you put a plaque on a well in recognition of our support?

6. I would like to leave a gift in my Will to WaterAid. How do I do this?

7. Who can I contact with any other queries about donating to WaterAid?

1. I would like to give WaterAid a regular donation. How do I set this up?

To set up a regular gift by direct debit, simply visit our donate page. Giving a regular gift is a great way to support our work as it means that we can plan our future programmes safe in the knowledge that we have the funds to reach our commitments. Your regular gift really can make a huge difference, helping us enable the world's poorest people to gain access to clean water, sanitation and hygiene education.

2. What are the other ways that I can donate to WaterAid?

There is a wide range of ways in which you can make a donation to WaterAid. You can give a one-off gift online, by phone, by CAF Card or by sending us a cheque. You can sponsor someone in an event, give in lieu of presents for a wedding or occasion, leave us a gift in your Will, give through your payroll or even send us your old mobile phone. To find out more about the many different ways that you can make a donation please visit the donate pages on our website.

3. What is Gift Aid?

Gift Aid is a UK Government scheme that allows charities to reclaim the basic rate of income and/or capital gains tax already paid on donations by UK taxpayers, at no extra cost to you. If you are a UK taxpayer simply complete a Gift Aid declaration, that will be offered to you on every donation form and on the website donate page, and the value of your gift will automatically get a boost of 25%.

You just have to make sure you pay as least as much income and/or capital gains tax as we will reclaim in any tax year and keep us informed of any change in address. It's as simple as that, there is no extra work or cost involved for you.

One declaration can cover all donations you have made in the past four years and all future donations until you notify us otherwise. If you have given to WaterAid in the last four years and haven't completed a Gift Aid declaration, please fill out the Gift Aid declaration form on our Gift Aid web page.

If you are a higher rate taxpayer you can also claim back the higher rate of tax paid on the donation through your tax return and either keep the money yourself or select a charity for HM Revenue and Customs to give it to.

4. Can I buy a well or fund a specific project?

Rather than asking supporters to fund individual items, we much prefer to direct funds to our work in general. A resource of unallocated money allows us to respond quickly when situations change, as well as giving us the security to plan future projects. We do however give cost examples on our website and resources to show the types of things that your money can buy. We hope these give a good example of how we spend some of our funds.

Our project funding methods reflect the way in which we work and we provide funding to whole projects that address the integrated water, sanitation and hygiene needs of whole communities, rather than funding individual items. All income streams are traced via our rigorous audit systems, so linking relatively small amounts of money to specific items of hardware would be a very costly exercise. Working this way helps us to keep our administration costs to a minimum as we have fewer income streams to trace, so ensures that more of your vital donation reaches those in need rather than being tied up in administration.

Donations over £50,000 can be linked on request to a particular country programme or project. Once the donation has been linked, we can provide updates showing how the money has been used. For further information please contact us.

5. Can you put a plaque on a well in recognition of our support?

As a rule, we do not allow signs from our supporters at our project sites. WaterAid involves the community at all stages of the project to help ensure the community feels ownership of the project and assumes the responsibility for actively maintaining the facilities long after WaterAid and our project partners have left the area. We feel this sense of community ownership would be undermined by displaying supporters' names on the wells or other items of hardware.

6. I would like to leave a gift in my Will to WaterAid. How do I do this?

A gift in your Will helps to improve more vulnerable communities' access to safe water, hygiene and sanitation, transforming lives and benefiting future generations. Opting to leave a share of your estate (residuary gift) is particularly valuable to us, as it maintains or increases in value over time, as opposed to exact figures (pecuniary gifts) which are eroded over time by inflation.

No matter how you choose to give, legacy gifts to charities are tax-free and are deducted before inheritance tax is applied. Please ask a legal professional to check your Will to ensure it is valid and give you peace of mind. If you have already made a Will, you can still include WaterAid by completing a codicil. Again, a solicitor can tell you how to do this. Unfortunately WaterAid is not able to provide legal advice.

Please see the A gift in your Will webpage for further information. 

7. Who can I contact with any other queries about donating to WaterAid?

Please call our Supporter Services team on 020 7793 4594 with any questions or queries. Lines are open 9am to 5.30pm, Monday to Fridays. Or email us at supportercare@wateraid.org.