As a charity, much of our ocean-saving work is funded by our incredible supporters, members and donors. These regular donations fuel record-breaking beach cleans, industry-shaking sewage pollution campaigns, ocean activist training, and so much more. Truly, the list goes on.

And there are lots of ways you can donate. But this week, as it’s National Payroll Giving Week, we want to highlight a unique way of donating: Payroll Giving.

If you haven’t heard of Payroll Giving before, it’s pretty much as it sounds. It’s a way to make regular donations to a charity like SAS, straight from your salary. And it comes with a whole heap of benefits.

Ready to find out more? Here are five of your biggest questions, answered.

What exactly is Payroll Giving?

Put simply, it’s when you commit to donating a certain amount each month, straight from your salary. Your donations come out of your gross pay, before tax.

To donate through your pay, your company will need to enroll in a Payroll Giving Scheme. This means applying for a scheme like Charities Aid Foundation’s (CAF) Give As You Earn. But don’t worry – it’s very straightforward to apply and set it up, and thousands of organisations already use it. If your employer doesn’t, you can ask your HR or Finance team to apply!

All you have to do is ask your HR or Payroll Management team to set up your donation to a chosen charity. CAF will process your donation each month, and send it to us.

What makes it a great option for regular donations?

One HUGE benefit is that you pay less tax.

Payroll Giving donations are taken from your salary before tax is applied. We then receive your donation, plus the tax you would have paid. As a result, you can donate less money, and we still receive more of your donation.

And the higher your tax rate, the more you save. For example, if you donate £10 to a charity, it will cost:

£8.00 if you’re a basic rate taxpayer

£6.00 if you’re a higher rate taxpayer

£5.50 if you’re an additional rate taxpayer

Want to see how much you could save? Use CAF’s handy calculator.

Can I donate as an individual?

To donate through your salary, your employer will need to be set up on a Payroll Giving scheme. CAF Give As You Earn is the most popular platform, and you can check here to see if your employer is involved. If it is, you’ll just need to email your HR team or Payroll Manager to get set up.

Alternatively, your company may be set up on a different scheme, so it’s always worth asking.

If your employer isn’t involved yet, why not ask them to sign up? The CAF page for employers provides all the information needed.

How will it benefit me, my company, and SAS?

For you, tax-free donations mean that your giving goes further, so you can shout even louder for the ocean. It’s super flexible, and you can change donations at any time. Plus, you may find that your employer is happy to match your donation.

For your company, it creates positive engagement and is an ideal way of showing it takes its social responsibilities seriously.

As for SAS, it means we can continue our campaigns to protect the ocean. By 2030, we want to end single use plastic on UK beaches, put a stop to sewage discharges, reach net zero, and ensure that 30% of the ocean is highly protected. With you, we can.

How can I find out more?

CAF have a whole host of useful resources:

The CAF Give As You Earn webpage for employees: Here, you’ll find case studies, a donation calculator, and a searchable list of companies that already have Payroll Giving schemes in place

The CAF Give As You Earn webpage for employers: A useful page to share with your employers, highlighting the benefits of joining a Payroll Giving scheme

Email template to start using your companies CAF Give As You Earn scheme: An email template for you to send to your employers, to sign up to your companies existing Payroll Giving scheme

Or get in touch with [email protected] to find out more.