Briefly describe your charity and which areas it works in.
CAFOD charity gifts, the Catholic aid agency is a member of Caritas International, a worldwide network of Catholic relief and development organisations. We work with more than 500 partners in some of the poorest communities of the world, listening to their needs and helping them to find their own solutions. We work with all people regardless of race, gender, religion or nationality.
How are donations via charity gifts spent by the charity?
Each World Gift belongs to one of five funds we’ve created, each covering different types of work: Education and skills training; Livestock and agriculture; Water and food; Health including HIV and AIDS; Emergency, conflicts and rehabilitation fund. For example, if you have received the gift of a school starter pack, the money from your gift will be spent on projects related to education and skills training. But each and every gift bought will transform the life of someone fighting against poverty.
What percentage of the money goes directly to the cause e.g. no admin costs etc?
CAFOD strives to be good stewards of the money entrusted to us, keeping the overall costs of generating funds and governance (managing and administering the charity) to less than 10% – low in comparison to other aid agencies and charities. So that means 90% of the funds we raise go towards CAFOD’s mission to reduce poverty.
What are your top charity gifts for Christmas?
There are many great gifts to choose from – something to suit everyone, but here are some ideas :
- Give Worms for composting – perfect for children who love creepy crawlies
- Give Water – a life-saving essential gift
- Give a Pair of piglets – to a couple!
- Give a Bicycle – for a keen cyclist
- Give a Beehive – for someone with a sweet tooth
Three gifts (School starter pack, Worms for composting and a Pair of piglets) are also available as children’s gifts. This means that they come with a FREE activity fun sheet, which is full of interesting facts, puzzles and colouring in to help children learn about the developing world in a fun an educational way.
What makes your Christmas Charity Gifts unique?
CAFOD’s World Gifts are a great way to support relief and development projects in poor countries and is also true to the spirit of Christmas – giving something back to those who are most in need.
World Gifts come with a beautifully illustrated Christmas card and certificate which describes the gift that has been bought, along with a real case study on that gift in action. New this year, is a bookmark which the gift recipient can use as a keepsake, reminding them of how their gift is making a long-term difference to someone in need.
Any further comments?
Many of our supporters like to fundraise in order to buy World Gifts so that they can create their own virtual village. They may fundraise on their own or get together with family, friends, church group, school or workplace. They decide what goes into their virtual village… maybe a few pigs, a greenhouse… whatever they like. However large or small their village is they can make a real difference to the lives of our global neighbours.
