If you’ve landed here, it probably because you’ve decided you want to donate to Sight Life’s work. Thank you!
Sight loss doesn’t respect age, gender or religion. Sight loss can happen to anyone and it can be devastating. It can lead to social isolation, poor physical and mental health, anxiety and depression. However, that need not be the case. Sight Life’s dedicated staff and volunteers work tirelessly to provide a wide range of services and support for blind and partially sighted people. We help them learn to adapt to living with their sight condition. We can help them get out and about, meet people and live as fully and as actively as possible.
Without the kindness of both individual donors and organisations, we wouldn’t be able to do any of these things. Donations of money, gifts and other valuable items (such as shares, land and products) fund our work. Gifts and prizes that we receive are used in raffles and auctions. Can you help us to be there for people with sight loss? Why should you help us? Some of our service users would like to tell you:
“The support I have had has been tremendous – I don’t know how I would have managed. It is lovely to have a friendly phone call just asking if you are ok.”
“Sight Life workshop groups are brilliant and I have learnt a lot. The guest speakers are good and I am enjoying keeping in contact with everyone. I like to hear everybodies voices it cheers me up and makes me feel less isolated. Everyone is so wonderful and great.”
“It was lovely to have someone enquire as to how you are managing. Only a few people from organisations have contacted me. It’s nice to know someone cares. We are all in the same boat, but it can feel very lonely and isolated.”
What’s the best way to help?
One of the most effective ways to donate to Sight Life is through a regular monthly donation. By choosing to give a regular monthly donation, you will be helping us to plan ahead; we can ensure funds are available when they are needed the most. Regular donations give us a consistent income that we can predict. They give us the security and confidence to fund essential services for the blind and visually impaired people we support. Longer term donations are also more cost effective for us as a charity. There are:
Fewer administrative and bank charges
More savings on the cost of marketing to attract new donors
More of your funds spent supporting Sight Life’s services
A regular donation of £10.00 per month is roughly the cost of a takeaway coffee a week (or 33 pence per day or about half the price of a bag of crisps!). But your regular donation could help us do so much. If you’d like to make a regular donation to our work, please click here for a Regular Donation form.
A word about Gift Aid
Gift Aid is a UK Government scheme that allows charities to reclaim the basic rate tax back from HM revenue and Customs on donations people make to charity. If you make a donation to us, we could claim Gift Aid on your donation. Once you have indicated to us that you’re happy for us to claim Gift Aid on your behalf and that you pay sufficient Income Tax and/or Capital Gains Tax in that particular financial year, we can reclaim this money at no extra cost to you thereby increasing the value of your donation. We are able to reclaim 25 pence in every pound back – so your £1 donation is worth £1.25 to us. Click here to download a Gift Aid form.
If you would like to make a one off donation to help Sight Life’s work, please read below and choose the option that is right for you. For more information, please call us on 029 2039 8900.
Send us a donation
If you’re old school (and you still have a cheque book) you can send us a cheque, made payable to Sight Life, by post to:
Sight Life,
Jones Court,
Womanby Street,
Cardiff. CF10 1BR.
Donate Online
It’s quick and easy to support our work by making donations online through safe, secure websites such as Just Giving.
Please note: if you request for your details not to be passed on to Sight Life from JustGiving, then we are unable to send you a letter of thanks and a receipt.
Donate by Phone
If you’d like to donate by phone, please call 029 2039 8900.
029 2039 8900
Donate with Pinko
Pinko is our pink elephant collection box. He’s a smiley little chap! He can be found in selected shops, public houses and restaurants across our operating area. Pinko and his brothers are always looking for a new home! If you would be interested in having Pinko come and stay at your shop or workplace, please contact us on 029 2039 8900.
Donate with Payroll Giving
Payroll Giving is a tax efficient scheme that allows you to make regular donations to Sight Life straight from your salary – and because your donation is taken out before tax, a £10 a month donation will actually only cost you £8. Talk to your Human Resources or Payroll department to ask them to set this up for you.
Gifts in Wills
No matter the size of legacy you choose to leave, your kindness and generosity will enable Sight Life to make a difference to the lives of people who are blind or have impaired vision in South Wales. We’re thankful for any gift you leave to us in your Will, however big, small or unusual. Donations in your Will can include:
A share of your estate. After you have provided for your family and friends, you can leave a share, or the remainder, of your estate to us. This is called a “residuary gift”.
A cash gift. Known as a “pecuniary gift”, this is when you leave an exact sum of money to charity.
A specific gift. Over the years we’ve received everything from antique jewellery to a stream.
A gift in trust. You can leave a gift for someone to use over a period of time. When the time has ended, the money can be allocated to other causes, such as a charity.
Leaving us a gift in your Will is a great way to support our work. Please get in touch with us for further information – you can email [email protected] or give our Jones Court headquarters a call on 02920 2039 8900.
There are many special and personal ways to give a gift in memory of someone you love. Donations in memory are often gifts of money made in lieu of funeral flowers or funeral plate collections. Some people choose to set up JustGiving pages or use a tribute site like Muchloved.com to commemorate their loved one. Some people ask the funeral director to arrange for donations to be sent to Sight Life on their behalf.
Choosing to celebrate the life of someone special by donating to a charity is such an important moment. Every donation made in memory of a loved one is a lasting tribute, helping Sight Life to support blind and partially sighted people across South Wales. Funds raised in memory of your loved one will help us provide valuable services and support.
It’s important to know that bereavement affects everyone in different ways, and it’s possible to experience any range of emotions. If you’re going through a difficult time, you may find Mind’s information on bereavement and grief useful. You can also call Mind’s information line on 0300 123 3393, for information on where to get help.
Become a Major Donor
Whether you’re a trust, foundation or individual, you can make a significant donation to help support our vital services. Please contact the Sight Life Director of Operations to discuss further.
Share Giving
Donating shares to us is one of the most tax-effective ways you can give money.
You won’t have to pay any capital gains tax on the shares you donate and you can claim income tax relief too.
If you are a higher rate (40 per cent) taxpayer you will be able to claim income tax relief equal to 40 per cent of the value of the gift.
If you are a highest rate (45 per cent) taxpayer you will be able to claim income tax relief equal to 50 per cent of the value of the gift.
In order to qualify for the tax relief, the shares or securities must be:
listed or dealt on a recognised UK or foreign stock exchange
units in authorised unit trusts
shares in a UK open-ended investment company
holdings in certain foreign collective investment schemes.
