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Raising money for Island community groups and charities is being made easier following the launch of an online fundraising website.
Localgiving.com, which is an on-line fundraising website managed locally by the IWCF, supports those small voluntary and community groups who are often excluded from other online giving websites if they are not a registered charity. The Localgiving website will also enable these small groups to claim gift aid on donations made through the site
In a move to help Isle of Wight groups get online, the Isle of Wight Community Fund has set aside money to pay the initial twelve months fees for the first fourteen groups who join. That’s a saving of £72. All they require is that the groups sign-up to the site for 2 years.
Another big benefit of the site is the match funding opportunities. The beginning of March saw £375,000 being made available nationally to double donations. Every £1 donated on the site was doubled with a further £1 from the match challenge pot set aside by the government. Hampshire charities raised in excess of £50,000 in less than 24 hours. Local groups signed up to the website can look forward to a similar challenge specifically for the Island later this year.
The IW Citizens Advice Bureau, Ryde Historical Society and 2nd Cowes (St Marys) Sea Scouts have all registered for the website and are online and able to receive donations.
IWCF chairman Chris Martin explains “Through Localgiving we hope to provide Island groups with the technology to raise their profile to a wider audience and attract donations from the Island and beyond. Many small groups simply do not have the spare funds to create their own website so Localgiving can help by providing them with a simple and user friendly online presence. Even more importantly it gives them the ability to claim gift aid and opportunities to double their donations through the match funding challenges.”
The Isle of Wight Community Fund will be holding a free workshop at the Riverside Centre in Newport on Tuesday 24th April at 1pm. To book a place or simply find out more about this great opportunity contact Krissy Lloyd on 07563 594307 or email krissy.lloyd@hantscf.org.uk.
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