FAQs

All the gifts in this catalogue are regularly provided by Send a Cow.

As you would expect, we work hand in hand with communities to make sure that we give livestock and training according to their changing needs.

In some cases this means that it would not be appropriate to provide the exact gift chosen. Put simply: if our supporters have all chosen goats, but a community needs cows then we will provide cows for that community.

This common sense approach makes sure that your donation is used in the most effective way possible to enable families to leave poverty for good – something we have been achieving for over 20 years.

Unfortunately not. If we were to match donations to gifts it would significantly increase our administration costs. This would mean less of your donation would go to the families you want to help. However, Send a Cow does keep in contact with all the families we help through our African offices. All beneficiaries get regular visits from extension workers and other staff.

However, Send a Cow does keep in contact with all the families we help through our African offices, and all our beneficiaries get regular visits from extension workers and other staff.

This means that we are able to send you news of the number of people that we’ve been able to help thanks to Send a Cow gifts, along with some case studies of families that have benefited. To hear even more news from Send a Cow you could sign up to our email newsletter.

Another way to learn more about the impact of our work is to consider becoming a Family Friend. By giving at least £10 a month, you will be able to share a journey out of poverty with a family in urgent need. We’ll keep you updated on the amazing effect that regular giving has on this family by sending you regular updates on how they are progressing – both the highs and the lows. Find out more here.

With Christmas gifts, none of your money goes on administration. All proceeds, less the cost of producing the catalogue, go directly to our work in Africa.

You can find out more about how we spend your money in our annual report.

We don’t give a whole farmyard to any single beneficiary. The farmyard gift is a symbolic one – it’s designed to show what £2,000 can do for several poor families. If you donate a symbolic farmyard, we spend your donation on gifts for families in the various countries where we work.

We can’t give you details of all those individuals who receive your gift. But we will send you a photo of a farming family who’ve recently been helped by Send a Cow, along with the story of how their lives have changed.

To identify which group or community your donation would help would significantly increase our administration costs. This would mean less of your donation would go to the families you want to help.

We will send you news of the number of people that we’ve been able to help thanks to Send a Cow gifts, along with some case studies of families that have benefited. You can hear even more news from Send a Cow by signing up to our email newsletter.

You can also consider becoming a Family Friend. By giving at least £10 a month, you will be able to be part of the journey out of poverty with a family in urgent need. We’ll keep you updated on the amazing effect that regular giving has on an example family by sending you regular updates on how they are progressing – both the highs and the lows. Find out more here.

For a donation to quality for Gift Aid, you must be a UK taxpayer. You must pay enough income tax or capital gains tax to at least equal the amount of tax Send a Cow will claim on your donations made in that tax year. A tax year runs from 6 April to the following 5 April. This means that if you have given a donation of £100, you will need to have paid £25 tax.

The Inland Revenue does not allow us to reclaim Gift Aid on your donation if you told us that the donation was on behalf of someone else or a group of people.

• You can only make a Gift Aid declaration on your own donation;
• You cannot make a Gift Aid declaration on behalf of someone else, even if they are themselves a UK taxpayer;
• The only way around this is to ask each person to complete a declaration on the amount they have donated. We can supply collection envelopes, which do make provision for Gift Aid.

If you wish, you can cancel your declaration at any time. Please let us know if you no longer pay sufficient tax to cover the tax that we reclaim. The cancellation will take effect from the time we receive your letter.

If your circumstances change and you no longer want to give Gift Aid, please let us know.

No, we can only reclaim Gift Aid on the donations you make. This includes any virtual gift you buy or additional donation you add to your order. Bag Gardens are part of our merchandise range and so we cannot claim Gift Aid on the value of your Bag Garden purchase.