Carmarthenshire Association of Voluntary Services (CAVS) has launched a Carmarthenshire Payroll Giving Partnership which is an innovative approach to fundraising which aims to keep the ‘giving’ in Carmarthenshire.
The member charities will create a partnership which offers donors and businesses a larger return on their donations. Supporters will be aware that their investment will be shared equally among a range of charities in the county, thus maximizing the impact on local communities.
The consortium member charities will each invest in the project, benefiting in the longer term from contributions made by employers and their employees who participate in Payroll Giving and other forms of fundraising.
CAVS has been successful in drawing £60,000 of funding from the Carmarthenshire County Council Hidden Dragon grant scheme to kick-start and develop the programme over the next two years. CAVS are appointing a full time fundraiser and part time administrator to develop the exciting project.
CAVS Business Manager, Cris Tomos, noted “CAVS is ideally positioned as the county voluntary council for Carmarthenshire to drive forward the project and develop links between employers and local charities”.
The consortium has been launched in time for local businesses and member charities to make the most of the Home Office Payroll Giving grant scheme and earn up to £500 as a one-off grant for setting up a Payroll Giving scheme. But business and groups will have to enrol quickly as the grant scheme closes end of December 2006.
“Payroll Giving is becoming more and more lucrative as businesses enthusiastically offer community support through fostering a culture of giving within their workplaces. Gifts from the employee’s payroll are tax effective, which is a real incentive to give, as it costs them less, and fundraising in this way often leads to new donors and further fundraising opportunities,” said Iestyn Evans, WCVA.
Further information about the Carmarthenshire initiative is available on CAVS’ website www.cavs.org.uk with additional national information about payroll giving on the WCVA website www.wcva.org.uk.
Picture: [From back left] Cris Tomos (CAVS), Iestyn Evans (WCVA), Peter Loughran (CAVS), Dot Griew (Institute of Fundraising), Helen Watts (Hidden Dragon Scheme), Mary Lythgoe (Swansea Charity Partnership)
