How to give

How to give

Donate online

Make a single gift online to your selected fund via the University's eStore.

Donations from overseas

If you'd like to make a gift from outside the UK, please contact us.

Complete a donation form

Make a single or regular gift. Download this form, complete, sign and return to us using the freepost address.

Just Giving

Make a single gift to one of our causes through our Just Giving page, or raise funds for the University by undertaking a sponsored event.

Donation acceptance policy

Plymouth University is committed to operating under a fair and ethical fundraising policy.

Leave a legacy

A legacy is a gift made to charity through your will. Leaving a legacy to Plymouth University is one of the greatest gifts we can receive, whether it's a sum of money, part of your estate or a named item.

Today’s students have to make a huge financial commitment and, if you'd like to consider making a charitable donation to assist them, please consider leaving us a legacy.

If you'd like more information about leaving a gift in your will, please read our legacy pack, visit our legacy giving page, or email giving@plymouth.ac.uk.

“We make a living by what we get; we make a life by what we give.” Winston Churchill

Payroll Giving

If you're a member of staff at the University, you can support our funds by making a tax-efficient gift through your monthly payroll.

Payroll Giving for Plymouth University staff

In the current economic climate it's becoming clear that the Payroll Giving scheme is the most sustainable form of charitable giving. Reported increases of five per cent per annum of the amount of Payroll Giving funds distributed to charities over the last five years serve as proof.

How does Payroll Giving work?

It's simple. As a member of staff, you can sign up so that a donation is automatically deducted from your pay-giving charities a regular and reliable income each month. All you have to do is decide how much you want deducted each month (the minimum is £5), and which the charities to which you'd like to donate. Either you or your charity can benefit from the tax relief.

For example, since your contribution is deducted before PAYE is calculated, £5 per month deducted from your gross pay only actually costs you £4 at the basic rate of tax - or £3 at the higher rate of tax. Alternatively, you could pass the tax benefit on to your charity by 'grossing up' your contribution. So, a Payroll Giving deduction of £6.25 at the basic rate of tax, and £8.33 at the higher rate of tax, will cost you just £5.

Who can I donate to?

Through Payroll Giving, you can donate to any registered UK charity or HMRC-recognised religious or charitable organisation. When you opt to give to one of the University's preferred charities – Children in Need or The Drake Foundation – we'll pay the administration fee.

How can I get involved?

Charitable Giving (registered charity no 1128013) administers the Payroll Giving scheme for the University of Plymouth.

You can join the scheme by selecting 'join now', or join and manage your donations by visiting the Charitable Giving website. Once on the site, click on the Payroll Giving tab, select 'for employees' and click on the 'Payroll Giving @ Your Employer' facility in the right-hand corner. Type 'University' in the search box and follow the 'Join Scheme' link against the University of Plymouth.

To find out more or obtain a Donation Choice Form, visit the Charitable Giving Website, or phone Charitable Giving on +44 1822 611180. Alternatively, contact Laura Worth, Payroll, Human Resources on +44 1752 588181 or at payroll@plymouth.ac.uk.

Tax-efficient Giving and Gift Aid

Gift Aid

You can use Gift Aid to boost the value of your donation by as much as 25p for every £1 that you give. Gift Aid allows us to recover the basic rate income tax paid on any gift. For example, if you give £10 to a charity and you are a basic-rate taxpayer (20 per cent), you will have paid £2.50 in tax on the gross donation (to take home £10, you will have earned £12.50 before tax). Charities are able to reclaim this £2.50 from HMRC.

Gift Aid can be applied to any UK, EU, Norwegian or Icelandic charity that is registered with HMRC. You can qualify for this as long as you are a UK taxpayer and have paid enough UK income or capital gains tax to cover all of your charitable donations. Please note that other taxes, such as council tax and VAT, do not qualify.

If you’d like your donation to be treated as Gift Aid, you'll need to sign the Gift Aid Declaration, which is part of our donation form.

Gifts of land and property 

Another tax-effective way you can give is by donating land or buildings – either in their entirety or a proportion of the holding – to charity. There could be generous Income and capital gains tax relief available to you if you give in this way to a UK, EU, Norwegian or Icelandic charity registered with HMRC.

Any land or buildings are eligible for this relief as long as the whole of your interest in the property is handed over to the charity. So, you couldn't donate your family home, claim the tax relief and continue to live in it – you'd be retaining an interest in the property.

The relief works in much the same way as gifts of shares. You'll receive tax relief for the market value of your property as a deduction from your income tax liability – for the tax year in which the gift is made. Additionally, you could be exempt from capital gains tax on the appreciation of the property value that you'd have to pay if you'd simply sold the property.

For more information, visit the Institute of Fundraising tax effective giving website.

Stocks and shares

Want an alternative to giving money to your favourite charities? Donate shares or securities. You can donate shares to any UK, EU, Norwegian or Icelandic charity that is registered with HMRC.

This is a very tax-effective way to give and can make a significant difference to your tax bill. Giving shares can actually cost you less than giving cash – a double tax benefit is available for those giving quoted shares.

There are two types of tax relief that are potentially available when you give shares: income tax relief on the value of the shares, and exemption from capital gains tax. With the higher rates of income tax at 40 per cent and 50 per cent, and capital gains tax at 18 per cent (or 28 per cent for higher-rate tax payers), this can amount to a substantial tax break.

Information pages at IR178 on ‘Giving land, buildings, shares and securities to charity’ are available on the HM Revenue and Customs website under ‘Tax Relief for Donors’.

If you decide to donate some shares to Plymouth University, the first thing you need to do is contact us at alumni@plymouth.ac.uk to let us know. We'll then be able to make the necessary arrangements for your gift and help the transfer go as smoothly as possible.

Gift Aid for higher-rate taxpayers 

If you pay a higher rate of income tax – either 40 or 50 per cent - you can claim the difference between the basic rate of tax reclaimed by the charity and your highest rate. This can be done via your self-assessment tax return. For more information about how to do this – and the amount this relief could be worth to you – visit the Institute of Fundraising tax effective giving website.

For full and up-to-date information about tax-effective giving, please visit the tax effective giving website. 

The information here aims to provide a synopsis of some of the tax-efficient methods of giving to Plymouth University and other charities. For more information, always seek professional advice.