Frequently Asked Questions
About Us
Why have we set up Coventry 4 Good?
Along with other areas in England we have undertaken research and found that local charities and community groups are really struggling to secure funding, to connect with businesses and to fundraise. They often don’t have the time, skills or marketing budget compared to large, national charities to be able to raise their profile and work with businesses locally or to fundraise in their local communities.
Businesses said to us that they are keen to support local causes, but often don’t know what local charities do, or how they can work with them. Recent national reports have found that there is a low awareness with the public of how to give time / money to local charitable causes.
We looked at what was happening in other areas and identified Tameside 4 Good had been set up to tackle the same issues we have in Coventry and provide a strong, local brand and a local tax efficient fundraising vehicle. We approached Tameside 4 Good for further information about their approach and decided to become a licensee of the 4 Good brand.
Who are you?
Coventry 4 Good has been set up as an initiative of Voluntary Action Coventry (VAC) a registered charity (no.514518) and established in Coventry for over 50 years. VAC is the leading support and development agency for voluntary and community groups in Coventry, our overarching mission is to build and support a strong and vibrant voluntary and community sector in Coventry.
How is Coventry 4 Good funded?
Coventry 4 Good is currently delivered by Voluntary Action Coventry without any additional external funding.
The funds we distribute to local good causes come from the donations we raise.
Our Business Offer
My business can’t afford to give money. Is that a problem?
Most certainly not! We’re really conscious that we are all in a difficult financial climate, and so spare money isn’t always readily available to give to good causes. We have deliberately designed Coventry 4 Good so that it is about so much more than giving money. We want to encourage businesses to give time, skills and resources to help local voluntary and community groups and charities.
Please visit the business section to see how you can get involved. You may have some unwanted materials, you might be able to offer a discount on your products or services to local causes, you may have employees that would like to give time to take on a team challenge or they could develop their skills by becoming a trustee of a local organisation.
Contact us to explore ideas that would work well with your business Tel: 024 7622 0381, Email: info@coventry4good.org
What does my business get out of it?
There are a range of ways for your business to support Coventry 4 Good, and lots of different ways your business can benefit. In general terms:
- The company image and reputation is enhanced with customers and employees
- Employees skills are developed; employees moral and motivation is increased
- Team working within and across departments is improved
- High calibre employees are attracted and retained
- A commitment to developing strong and healthy communities is demonstrated
- Networks are created with customers and partners
- Valuable insight into the local community in which you operate
- Positive publicity (although we are equally happy to keep quiet about your support if that’s your preference)
Developing and promoting an Employer Supported Volunteering (ESV) scheme will help participating staff members gain new skills and experience. Coventry 4 Good events and action days provide employees with fantastic opportunities to work together in a ‘non work’ setting and to build rapport while helping a local good cause.
By supporting the setting up of a payroll giving initiative, you will be offering your employees a tax efficient way of supporting their chosen local good cause. Through payroll giving you and your staff can make a real difference to good causes in Coventry which will help your business meet its corporate social responsibility priorities.
By offering discounts to local charities on your goods and services or by offering to donate a proportion of each sale to Coventry 4 Good, you could benefit from increased sales. Coventry 4 Good will help to promote these to the wider community and local charities.
How can my staff get involved?
There are lots of ways for staff and employees to get involved in Coventry 4 Good – taking part in a sponsored charity challenge, volunteering with a local good cause, donating to Coventry 4 Good regular donations through a payroll giving scheme.
Contact us to explore ideas that would work well with your business Tel: 024 7622 0381, Email: info@coventry4good.org
Is my business able to use the ‘Supporting Coventry 4 Good’ logo?
Yes, if your business works with Coventry 4 Good to support a local good cause we would love you to use the Coventry 4 Good ‘stamp’ on your marketing materials. We will also help promote and showcase your work on our website and through press releases. Please contact the team on Tel: 024 7622 0381, Email: info@coventry4good.org to get information on branding usage.
General Questions
Why should I give to/through Coventry 4 Good as opposed to going direct to a local charity or good cause? You can, of course, give direct to local good causes, and we would encourage you to do so.
However, from our research we know that many small good causes aren’t able to reclaim gift aid (increasing the amount of any donation made by 25p per £1) and people often don’t know about the fantastic work that small, local charities and community groups undertake. Coventry 4 Good provides a ‘shop window’ to help good causes in Coventry, not just with money but also by encouraging people to give time, skills and resources.
How do I know my money is safe?
We have a number of safeguards in place. Firstly, Voluntary Action Coventry is running Coventry 4 Good and is governed by the Charity Commission. VAC has an independent board of trustees, and the organisation has strong financial controls and systems in place. VAC has extensive experience of managing grant programmes.
MyDonate is a not-for-profit service from BT. It provides a secure and easy-to-use platform for Coventry 4 Good to generate online donations. MyDonate is completely safe and secure. It is free for charities to use as there are no set up, subscription or commission fees.
BT is one of the world’s leading experts in online security. They are trusted by security-conscious organisations including high-street banks, the UK government and the Ministry of Defence.
The MyDonate service uses an advanced encryption technology provided by Secure Sockets Layer (SSL), a recognised authentication and encryption software.
Every penny that donors contribute (excluding credit and debit card charges) is paid into the Coventry 4 Good bank account. BT even collects Gift Aid on our behalf to maximise our fundraising. Payments we receive by MyDonate, whether donations or Gift Aid, will be processed via the BT Buynet secure payment processing system.
If I donate money, how long will it be before it reaches the good causes?
If you donate online, MyDonate makes payments of donations due to Coventry 4 Good on a weekly basis which will take up to 3 working days to clear. Payments of Gift Aid received by MyDonate on our behalf will be paid on a monthly basis subject to the varying authorisation timelines from HMRC which can be from 2 to 6 weeks.
How is the money distributed to local causes?
General donations taken within a specific time period will be split equally between the VAC Members who were being profiled at that time. Alternatively individuals and businesses can indicate which of the profiled organisations they would like to donate to.
For individuals
As an individual how can I get involved with Coventry 4 Good or a local good cause?
We have lots of different ways to get involved, depending on how active you want to be, your interests and how much time you may have.
You could take part in a sponsored event, provide a gift in kind, organise your own event, mentor, and volunteer or become a Trustee with a local group or simply help with a one off piece of fundraising like a supermarket bag pack.
Please contact the team to discuss how you can get involved, Tel: 024 7622 0381; Email: info@coventry4good.org
Can I set up a legacy in my will?
Of course! Our team will be able to provide you with information on how to do this, so that it can benefit local charities and good causes that are of interest to you. Contact us on Tel: 024 7622 0381; Email: info@coventry4good.org
Why should I support Coventry 4 Good?
There are over 1000 local charities and community groups in Coventry. They do a fantastic job, and help improve the quality of life for people living in the city – everything from scouts groups to parent-teachers associations; older peoples’ luncheon clubs to sports activities.
Many are really struggling to secure funding and to fundraise. They often don’t have the time, skills or marketing budget compared to larger, national charities to be able to raise their profile and or to fundraise in their local communities. Many are too small to be able to claim back gift aid, which can boost the amount raised.
We have developed Coventry 4 Good to support local good causes, and to help people locally to support their community through the giving of time and skills, money and resources.
For Community Groups and Good Causes
How can my Coventry community and voluntary group or charity benefit from Coventry 4 Good?
There are lots of ways in which local community, voluntary and faith organisations can benefit from Coventry 4 Good:
- Time and skills – if you have the need for specialist help or have particular skills missing within your group then Coventry 4 Good can help you by linking you with businesses or individuals in the City prepared to help, whether it’s a one off activity (e.g. help setting up a new website) or the start of a new relationship (e.g. recruiting new trustees).
- Money – Coventry 4 Good can help you raise money through joint fundraising activities. If your group has little or no experience of raising money from the public and want to try it out then why not team up with us to do a joint event or share places on sponsored sporting activities. We’ve always got ideas and keen to hear how we can help you raise money as well as raise money for Coventry 4 Good. You could also apply to the Coventry 4 Good grant scheme which is generated from the money we raise.
- Resources – if you’re in need of a new piece of equipment or developing a new project but are short of some key items whether it’s sport equipment, electrical items, ingredients for hot lunches etc. then Coventry 4 Good can help you find them, by seeing if a local business can donate the resources.
How do I sign my local good cause up to benefit from Coventry 4 Good?
If you are a local charity, community or voluntary group that wants to find out how you can benefit from Coventry 4 Good, please contact Simon in the Group Development team at VAC on Tel: 024 7622 0381.
If I get help through Coventry 4 Good, do I have to acknowledge it?
Yes. We are trying to build a strong identity for Coventry 4 Good, and to demonstrate that people and businesses are passionate about helping their local community. So, we think it is important that those local good causes helped through Coventry 4 Good should acknowledge it.
We will help promote your cause, and the support you have received, on our website and in press releases, helping to raise your profile. We would also like you to acknowledge the support of Coventry 4 Good by using the ‘Supported by Coventry 4 Good' ‘stamp’ on your marketing materials.
