Here at Donation4Charity we have had the pleasure of working with Cancer Research UK for over a year now and this year we introduced their Send and Give charity gift store to our charity gift site. Cancer Research are one of a growing number of charities that have really embraced the online community when seeking new donations and they have published a podcast to let supporters know how their money is being put to good use to help beat cancer which is definitely worth a listen.

Their Christmas E-cards are also worth a mention as they were a real life saver for people (like me) who have not had a chance to get to the shops to do their shopping in time, as you can customise them online and send them on the same day!

A friend of mine sent me a link to Lottoaid (run by ActionAid) which is an innovative way to make money for charity by offering donaters a chance to actually win some money! This is the lottery where everyone’s a winner!

If you sign up for Lottoaid today, each Thursday you could be one of the five lucky winners who receive a cash prize of up to £2,000. The odds of winning are much better than the National Lottery! With 75p from every pound you spend going to help people in developing countries gain the power they need to end their own poverty you are helping others, whilst also helping yourself to getting closer to the £2,000 star prize!

Money raised through the LottoAid programme helps fund ActionAid’s worthy schemes such as helping to register children in schools and providing them with  the enrolment fee, and free books - basically providing children the opportunity to go to school - something that is not accessible to all children in Africa. So you see, by playing Lottoaid, it won’t just be your luck that could change. Poor children and families throughout the world will have the chance of a better life too.

Lottoaid is the weekly fundraising lottery of international development charity, ActionAid. Each entry into the lottery costs just £1.00 - 25p of which goes into the prize fund.

So what are you waiting for – play Lottoaid today!

Briefly describe your charity and which areas it works in.
FARM-Africa transforms the lives of poor rural people in Africa. Our work over more than 20 years has proved with just a little assistance, Africa’s farmers can dramatically improve their lives. FARM-Africa works in Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, South Africa and Southern Sudan. 

Through grass roots projects we help rural communities to grow more food; keep their livestock healthy and manage their natural resources more effectively.  Each and every project aims to transform the lives of African farmers and helps them find a way out of poverty.

How are donations via charity gifts spent by the charity?
When you buy a gift from FARM-Africa Presents you are making a donation to support all of FARM-Africa’s vital work to provide a better future for rural African communities.

Our work includes providing animals to rural people so they have essential products like milk and eggs – not only can they improve nutrition, any surplus can be sold to boost the family’s income.  Our community animal health workers help keep the animals healthy, and our cross breeding programmes help farmers improve the quality of their livestock, and size of their herd.  We also help farmers develop new ideas and technologies – such as using fermented cows urine as a pesticide. 

What percentage of the money goes directly to the cause e.g. no admin costs etc?
71% of the money raised through FARM-Africa goes directly to our work to help African farmers to produce more food for their families so that future generations don’t have to depend on handouts of aid.

What are your top gifts for Christmas?

Chicken £10.00
A brood of chicks from FARM-Africa can transform life for a poor African family. The chicks will grow up to provide protein-rich eggs to eat and any extra can be sold to buy essential supplies like medicine or schoolbooks. We also provide training on how to build a protective chicken coop and give proper care to these life-saving birds.

Smokers for beekeepers £15.00
Beekeeping equipment from FARM-Africa – such as smokers, which allow honey to be removed safely from hives – will help a family to make a living from keeping bees. The honey these furry little creatures provide can be eaten or sold at a good price to local people. And the forest will have a chance to replenish.

Fermented cow’s urine (great natural pesticide) £20.00
Fermented cow’s urine is a great natural pesticide, but you have to know how to use it! FARM-Africa can teach farmers how to keep their crops free from greedy insects and ensure yields are as high as possible. This gives them the best possible chance of feeding their family.

Banana Beer £25.00
Sweet banana plantlets from FARM-Africa will provide a farmer with high yielding banana crops that will benefit their family in two ways. Of course, the bananas are healthy food for children. However, banana beer is a big seller in the cities of Tanzania, so their extra produce can be sold to the brewery for a decent price. This money can then be used to provide schoolbooks and medicines for the family.

Goat £30.00
Through a FARM-Africa goat project, we can transform life for a poor community. We provide poor families with goats and training in how to care for them. We also give one member of the group Toggenburgs to breed with local goats, so the hardier offspring produce lots of nutritious milk. This can be drunk or sold to help pay for medicine and schoolbooks. Plus, the goats’ manure is a great fertiliser for the family’s crops.

What makes your charity gifts unique?
FARM-Africa PRESENTS is a new way to buy your charity gifts this Christmas. With three ways to send your gifts (movie, e-card and photo gift pack) featuring your very own personal message - there is something to suit everyone. And the best thing is that you are also helping farmers in Africa build a brighter future for themselves.

To find out more information about FARM-Africa to buy your unique Christmas gift visit http://www.farmafricapresents.org.uk/ and let the movies work their magic on you!

>> Buy a Charity Gift from FARM-Africa Presents starting at just £5.00

>> Read More about FARM-Africa Presents

>> Top Charity Christmas Gifts

Briefly describe your charity and which areas it works in.
CAFOD, 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 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.

>> Buy a Charity Gift from World Gifts (CAFOD) Starting at just £7.00

>> Read More about World Gifts (CAFOD)

>> Top Charity Christmas Gifts