When is the best time to ask donors to add Gift Aid?

The sooner the better. Research shows that when donors are asked to add Gift Aid at the end of a donation flow they are less likely to do so. That’s why we recommend asking as early as possible. Click here to see our example.

Should we include the ‘Gift Aid it’ brand or not?

The ‘Gift Aid it’ brand was introduced in 2002 and is still used by many charities today so it’s likely donors using your service will find it familiar. For this reason, we recommend using it in your flow, but, if you decide to leave it out, make sure you have a clear call to action to add Gift Aid so it’s not missed!

Use email validation if you can

Swiftaid uses a donors’ email to match Gift Aid to their online donations, so it’s important they are valid and error-free. For this reason, we highly recommend using some kind of email validation within your flow. Jana, on Medium, has written a great post on the subject.

Ask for first name and last name separately

Because of the way Gift Aid works, HMRC need the donor’s first and last name separately.

Pre-fill where possible to save your users time

If you already have information, such as the donor’s first name, last name and address, you have an opportunity to speed things up for them by pre-filling this information.

Use an address lookup if possible

Address lookups are great at saving time and cut down on donors entering address details incorrectly.