We recently collaborated with the team at Comic Relief to create a solution that makes the Gift Aid claiming process simple and easy for charities. Read on to find out what steps we took to get there.

Planning

Early conversations between the teams highlighted many areas Swiftaid could potentially help Comic Relief with challenges they face collecting and processing Gift Aid. From maximising Gift Aid on donations such as contactless and SMS, to assisting with the huge admin burden of processing Gift Aid.

For Comic Relief and many other larger charities, the mammoth mission of preparing and launching a fundraising campaign is demanding enough without the added pressure of processing and filing Gift Aid claims. So, this is where we decided to get started: Simplifying the Gift Aid claim process.

Design and Due Diligence

We got to work designing the expansion of our Gift Aid API and exploring how the two systems could align to make everything possible. Once the designs were complete, the technical teams got together to share, validate and refine assumptions in preparation for the build.

At Swiftaid, when working on new solutions we work with HMRC to ensure everything meets their requirements and is signed off before progressing.

Due diligence on Swiftaid’s data sharing and compliance was required not only by Comic Relief but also by their broadcast partner, the BBC. With our ISO accreditations, this process was completed and signed off in just a matter of days. We were then ready to start building!

Building and Marketing

With all the important prep completed, the build comes easy. Our technical team is brilliant at putting plans into action to realise the meticulously designed new features that add more functionality to our ever-developing Gift Aid API. With the build handled by the engineers; the marketing teams rallied together to prepare for launch day.

Going Live

Spreading the news about the launching of a brand new solution that we know is going to impact charities in such a positive way is always something we find really exciting. We exist to help charities with the burdens of collecting and processing Gift Aid. So, to be continuously working with amazing organisations to solve problems with technology, one challenge at a time, couldn’t be more rewarding. Each solution we collaboratively create is one step closer to ensuring more Gift Aid is claimed on donations, making more of a difference for charities big and small.

Now, instead of sorting through all the Gift Aid declarations from their Online and SMS donation channels, Comic Relief is simply feeding them into Swiftaid, ensuring they can make accurate and timely Gift Aid claims, effortlessly.

Continue Innovating

This is just the beginning of our collaborative journey with Comic Relief. We will continue to work closely with them to come up with new solutions focused on helping where they need it most.

We love creating solutions for charities, with charities, and will continue towards Swiftaid’s ultimate goal of getting an additional £1 billion to charities and individuals all across the UK.

For charities wanting help maximising Gift Aid, head to swiftaid.co.uk/charity to find out more.

For information about the amazing work Comic Relief does, please visit www.comicrelief.com.