Just giving

Our village recently hosted a weekend of fundraising in aid of the local hospice a registered charity desperately in need of funds. Events included a sponsored bike ride a barn dance a ‘silent’ auction and a not-so-silent auction which took place at the barn dance.

When the time came for the successful bidders in the two auctions to pay for their bids they were requested by the event organiser to go to his ‘JustGiving’ website page pay by debit card and mark the section to confirm that they were eligible to donate under the gift aid scheme.

It was pointed out that the money was changing hands in return for something acquired at the auction and by definition could not therefore be a gift. The organiser’s reply was that each item put into the auction had been donated by way of gift and...