Frequently Asked Questions

Who can use Sponsor Me?

Any individual can use Sponsor Me to raise money for charity and good causes. There is also the option to create team events so that you can work with others to increase the donations in support of your cause.

Please note that Sponsor Me cannot be used to raise money for an individual. All funds raised using Sponsor Me must be paid to a registered UK charity or recognised good cause such as schools or churches if they have registered with HRMC which makes them eligible to receive tax effective donations.

Companies can also use our corporate Sponsor Me option, which can help get results from their fundraising campaigns. Companies interested in a corporate Sponsor Me account should contact us for more information.

Which charities can I support with Sponsor Me?

Sponsor Me is open to all UK registered charities and recognised good causes. We have a database of thousands of verified UK charities and good causes that can receive donations as soon as you've set up a Sponsor Me page. If we do not have a charity listed, you can complete a ‘Request Charity not listed’ form and, once validated, they will be added to our database.

How many charities can I raise money for?

You can raise money for up to six charities for each page you set up. You can also decide how the money is split between the charities.

Is there a minimum donation?

Yes, if you are donating via a credit or debit card the minimum donation is £5. This enables Charities Trust to cover the bank charges applied to any online transactions. If you are donating from a My Giving account, the minimum donation is £1.

I’ve forgotten my log in details

You will log in using your email address, and can re-set your password here: https://sponsorme.charitiestrust.org/forgotten

Usernames are only applicable for initial sign ins for profiles from the old-look Sponsor Me. Your email address is used for future sign ins.

My event is no longer accepting donations

If your page is no longer showing the option to make a donation, it will be because your page has now closed. Your page will close at 23:59:59 on the date you selected.

Can I re-open an event?

Once a page has been closed it cannot be reopened. We suggest keeping your pages open for a month after the event has taken place to ensure all donations can be made.

I can’t upload my image onto my profile/event

Your banner image should be a minimum of 1600px x 800px in JPEG format.

If you’re having issues, please contact us via info@charitiestrust.org or 0151 286 5129.

When will my funds pay out?

We make fundraising payments to charities once a month, around the 15th of each month.

Please note, this is not a bulk donation that pays once the page has closed, it5 but is paid across in stages during the life of the event.

My link is not working

Please contact us via info@sponsorme.org or 0151 286 5129.

How do I create a Sponsor Me event?

Once you have created a profile you will be able to create an event. Select ‘Create Event’ and you will be able to:

1. Add the name and date of your event.
2. Add a closing date for your fundraising. No further donations can be made once your page has closed, so please ensure the event close date meets your requirements.
3. Choose whether this is a private event and add the location if you wish.
4. Add your target fundraising amount and tick the box to show your fundraising summary as a totaliser, if you wish.
5. Set what charities you are going to raise money for: you can choose up to six charities. Use the search option to find the charity/ies that you want to support. Once you have started fundraising you cannot change your charity selections.
6. Choose how the money you raise will be divided between your chosen charities; this is shown as a percentage and must add up to 100% split of your funds.
7. Add an image to be shown at the top of your fundraising page. If you do not select your own image, a standard image will appear.
8. Add a description about your event - what are you doing and why? This will help to engage donors and encourage them to donate.

How do I edit my Sponsor Me event?

Follow these easy steps to edit your Sponsor Me event:

1. Once you have logged in, go to ’Events’.
2. Select the event that you wish to edit.
3. Press the 'Edit ' button. This will give you the option to edit the information you have added. You cannot edit your event on the closing date.
4. Make your changes.
5. Press the 'Update Event' button at the bottom of your page.

Once you have started fundraising and received a donation you cannot change your charity selections.

Can I create a Sponsor Me event to raise funds for more than one charity?

You can split your money between up to six charities - the split must add up to 100% of the donations you receive. This is all done in your event set up process. You can change the split or the charities using the edit function prior to starting to fundraise. Once you have started fundraising and received a donation you cannot change your charity selections.

Can my Sponsor Me event be used in conjunction with colleagues?

Sponsor Me lets you create a team event and invite other team members via email. They can choose whether to accept their place in your team.

Team members share the event page and the fundraising target, meaning that you can set bigger targets and raise more funds for your chosen charity/ies. Please see ‘creating and editing a team event page’.

How do I add a photo to my Sponsor Me event?

You can add an image during the setup of your page, as described above. Images are subject to size limitations.

You may change your image at any time using the 'Edit ' function of 'Event'.

Can I add a fundraising summary to my Sponsor Me page?

When adding an amount to the ‘Event target’ during the event creation process, there’s a tick box which, if ticked will make a totaliser appear on the page showing the percentage of funds raised towards your target.

If you prefer, you can also leave this tick box unticked so you only see how much you have raised so far.

How do I edit a comment that a donor has left on my Sponsor Me event?

Please contact us on info@charitiestrust.org or 0151 286 5129.

Can I change the charity I am supporting?

Before your fundraising commences, you can change your charity by following the instructions for editing your page (listed above).

Once you have started fundraising and received a donation to your page you cannot change your charity selections.

If you are supporting more than one charity you must allocate the percentage split of funds at the start of your fundraising and this cannot be amended later.

What if I cannot find the charity I want to support?

If you cannot find your chosen charity, you can complete a ‘Request Charity not listed’ form within your Sponsor Me event and they will be added to our database once they have been validated.

You will need to know:

• Charity name
• The Charity Commission / OSCR / HMRC registration number
• Charity address, including website and email

How do I change the date of my event on my Sponsor Me event

In the 'Edit ' function of 'Events’ you will be able to change the date of your event (must be a date in the future). If you have entered an incompatible date, you will not be able to save your edit and will need to correct your entry. Once your page has closed you cannot change the date.

My event has been cancelled; can I get my donors' money back?

If an event is cancelled or you have pulled out for any reason, we recommend that you update your event to confirm the cancellation. This will prevent any further donations to your event.

We would also suggest that you update the summary of your event with an explanation of why your event has been cancelled, and state that any money you have received will be given directly to the charity.

Any money already donated to an event will be paid directly to the charity. We cannot refund any donations made to your event since we are holding the donations in trust for the nominated charity.

If your donors wish to receive a refund, they will need to contact the charity directly.

I have finished my event - what do I do next?

Once the close date for sponsorship for your event has passed, it will no longer be able to receive donations and will be automatically shut down.

Funds raised using your Sponsor Me event will be paid to the charity automatically in the form of a BACS transfer each month for the duration of your event and not once the event has closed.

How do I claim Gift Aid?

Charities Trust will claim Gift Aid on all eligible donations and pass the funds to your chosen charities (minus a 4% admin fee) after we have received the claimed funds from HMRC.

Further applications of Gift Aid will be processed once the event has been closed, where applicable.

When will my charity receive the donations?

To ensure charities receive their money quickly, and do not have to wait until the end of your event, donations to your page are paid out on a monthly basis using the BACS payments service.

Will my charity/charities know the funds have come from my fundraising event?

We provide a monthly charity statement facility where charities can log in and securely download details of the funds we have transferred to them. The details of your individual sponsors will not be passed to the charities. This is a free service that your chosen charity can use to find your donation.

My charity has not received the funds I have raised.

Please ask your charity to ensure they are looking for a payment from ‘Charities Trust’ - this can appear in their account mid-month. We may not have received bank details from your charity. These details must be provided to us on official bank stationery in the name of the organisation with the sort code and account number clearly displayed. This can be scanned and sent to us, or posted, in the form of a voided cheque, paying in slip or bank statement.

How do I set up a fundraising team event?

You will need to set up your event through the My Events tab. This is the same process as creating your event and you can find additional information in ‘creating and editing an event’. During the set-up process you can add members by entering their email address and they will receive an email invitation to join your event.

How do I add/remove team members to my event?

Once you have created your event or during set up you will be able to add and remove team members to your page:

• Head to manage events
• Select the members tab on the page
• Invite members to your event; add their email address and click ‘invite’
• The additional member will then receive an email to join your event
• To remove a member, go to the members tab on your event, you will see all members have a blue button, please click this to turn it grey and remove the member from your event.

How do I find a team page?

To find a team page please go to the search bar and select ‘events’ from the drop-down list. Type in the fundraisers name or name of the event and search. The page will then appear. Select the link to head to the event.

How do I become a team member?

The fundraiser will add you to their event and you will receive an email notifying you that you have been added to the event. You will then need to go to the invitations area on your dashboard and accept the invitation. You will then be a member of the event.

Can I sponsor someone from My Giving Account?

Yes. To sponsor someone via their Sponsor Me page, you can use funds from a My Giving account.

You will first need to log into your My Giving account; once you have logged in, visit the Sponsor Me page that you wish to support and the option to donate directly from your account will clearly appear in the donation section of the page.

How much does Sponsor Me cost?

There is no cost associated with setting up a Sponsor Me page, and charities do not pay to be listed in our database.

Our costs are covered by a small administration fee of 4% of funds raised which is deducted before the monies are transferred to charities.

This fee covers all costs of providing the Sponsor Me service including bank processing charges for credit and debit cards.

Donation Example

*Once the money has been received from HMRC we will then pay the appropriate charity(ies).

Payments to charities

We pay charities via BACS as this is the most cost-effective way to make payments

Will I be able to choose or amend the amount that I can pay into My Giving Account?

Payroll Giving is usually offered as an 'anytime' benefit which means you can increase or decrease the value of your deduction from salary at any point during the year, please contact your payroll or HR department for more information. If you want to change your choice of charities, or the amount you are donating to a charity, you can login to your My Giving account at any time to amend these details.

How quickly will the charity receive my donation?

Charities Trust makes two pay outs each month, (mid-month and end of month). This ensures that the charities you support receive donations quickly and cost-effectively.

If you make a one off donation from your account it will be sent to your charity on our next payment day, if you have a regular monthly donation set up this will be included in our end of month pay out.

When will my deductions be processed into my account?

It can take up to 12 weeks for your first deduction to show in your account.

Deductions are processed by Charities Trust in line with the Payroll Giving regulations. For most deductions this means that the donation is processed into your account within 35 days of receipt from the employer; in some circumstances it may take up to 60 days. Charities Trust makes two regular pay outs each month, ensuring that the charities your employees support receive deductions quickly and cost-effectively.

Is there a minimum or maximum number of charities that I can support?

There is no minimum or maximum number of charities you can support through your My Giving account.

Can a charity claim Gift Aid on a My Giving Account donation?

No - if your donation is taken direct from your salary through Payroll Giving it has already received its full tax benefit. This means that no further tax allowance can be claimed on the donation.

Why is there no money in My Giving Account?

This could be due to the processing that needs to take place between your payroll department and Charities Trust. Once we have received the deductions from your employer, we have 60 days to process them into your account under HMRC guidelines.

Why does my transaction history only go back two years?

Your transaction history displays the last two years of activity because older records are archived for data management and system performance. If you need information beyond this period, our support team can help retrieve it for you.

When will my regular donations from an MGA be paid?

Monthly donations set up from within your account will be paid over to charities in our end of month pay out.

Regular donations that are set up for any other frequency will pay out at the end of the donation period you have selected. For example, if you set up a regular 12-month donation it will pay out 12 months after the initial set up.

How long does it take for a My Giving Top Up to appear?

MGA Top Ups by card can take 7–10 days to reconcile and be credited to your account. They won’t appear in your transaction history until the funds have fully cleared.

Can I claim Gift Aid on MGA donations to event fundraising pages?

Gift Aid can’t be claimed on MGA donations made to event fundraising pages, even if you select the Gift Aid option. This is because MGA funds have already received a tax benefit and don’t qualify for additional Gift Aid.

Can I use My Giving Account to donate to other fundraising platforms such as Just Giving?

Charities Trust does not have the functionality to allow for online donations to be made directly from a My Giving account to external online services. This is because funds from a My Giving account must go to charity whereas Just Giving and such other online fundraising pages take fees out of the donations.

However, donations can be made directly to the chosen charity and will be able to be added as an offline donation on the event fundraising page.

Why can’t I donate to an event using my MGA without setting up a profile first?

To donate to an event using your MGA, you must first create a profile using the email address linked to your MGA. The system won’t allow an MGA donation until your profile is fully set up.

What do I do if I have misplaced my password or log in details?

If you forget your password, visit https://sponsorme.charitiestrust.org/login and click on 'Forgotten Password', enter your email address and a link will be sent to you to create a new password.

What will happen to My Giving Account if I leave the company?

Payments from your salary will stop at the end of the month that you leave. Your My Giving Account will remain active as long as make regular donations into or out of the account, until you decide to close it. Your account will remain accessible using the same log-in details.

What if I am experiencing difficulties with My Giving Account online?

Email us on info@charitiestrust.org with as much detail as possible or contact Charities Trust's Customer Service Team on 0151 286 5129.

You can also contact us using our contact form here: https://sponsorme.charitiestrust.org/contact

When I have logged in and searched for a charity, I can't find them on the database. Can I ask for a charity to be added to the Charities Trust database?

Charities Trust has a database of thousands of UK registered charities but if your preferred charity is not listed, you can complete a ‘Request a charity not listed’ form here: https://sponsorme.charitiestrust.org/addcharity

If the charity is eligible, it will be added to our database once validated. You will need to know the full charity name, address, registration number (Charity Commission, OSCR, HMRC etc.) and add your contact details to the form so that we can inform you once it has been added.

Can I change my charity once I receive My Giving Account login details?

You can change your choice of charity at any time by accessing your account and amending your instructions.

Do you provide a charity cheque book?

Charities Trust withdrew MGA paper vouchers from 31st October 2024 to reflect our commitment to sustainability, security, and better service for donors and charities. All donations must be processed through our easy-to-use online system, where you can manage your donations securely and conveniently.