- How does Projects Direct work?
- Who supports Projects Direct?
- Why do we need your help?
- Where are the Projects Direct projects happening?
- When do the projects take place?
- What happens if the project does not get fully funded?
- Why not just give directly to Oxfam's partners in the area?
- How do you choose the Projects Direct?
- When do you choose new projects?
- How much should I give?
- How will I know how my money is spent?
- Can you tell me exactly what my money has funded?
- How much of a project’s costs goes on admin?
- What is Gift Aid and is my gift eligible?
- What happens to my Gift Aid?
- What if there isn’t anything in the country I’m interested in?
- What if my money can’t be spent on the project I donate to?
- What if the project I’m interested in is showing as fully funded?
How does Projects Direct work?
Projects Direct are carefully chosen from projects submitted by Oxfam regional offices around the world. We chose a variety of locations and themes, but all projects help local communities to improve their daily lives.
All the Projects Direct projects fit into Oxfam’s strategy for their region. Oxfam offices across the world let us know about important projects which they need funding for and we put this information on the Projects Direct website. We then need your donations to make them happen. Local organisations, local communities and Oxfam work together on these projects and we report back to you on their progress.
Who can support Projects Direct?
Everyone! We welcome donations from individuals, groups, companies, trusts and foundations. Contact us to talk it through. Your donation goes directly to the project you select.
Why do we need your help?
Your donations make positive change in developing countries possible. Oxfam is connected to local organisations and we work with them to respond to the local context. We also have good links with local and national governments, but we need your money to make change happen.
Where are the Projects Direct projects happening?
All around the world - we try to keep a good range of locations where projects are happening. Projects are taking place in 2009 and 2010 in: Democratic Republic of Congo, India, Honduras, Kenya, Zambia, Haiti, Mali, Thailand, Tanzania, South Africa, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Viet Nam, Gaza, Ethiopia, Georgia, Zimbabwe, Bolivia, Uganda, Malawi.
When do the projects take place?
In general, the projects start in April and continue until the following March. Some projects take place over a few years; this should be clear from the project description.
What happens if a project doesn’t get fully funded?
Each of the Projects Direct has a total budget which is worked out by their project manager. Our goal is to raise enough money to cover all project activities during the year. To make sure that the project can go ahead Oxfam acts like a bank, providing money from our general funds to keep work going. We aim to raise enough money to pay back our general fund, so that those funds may then go wherever the need is greatest.
Why should I not just give direct to Oxfam's partners in the area?
Oxfam almost always works with carefully chosen local partner organisations. So why should I not just donate to them directly? Choosing to support local communities through Oxfam has some big advantages:
We spread learning
Oxfam nurtures and builds the skills and abilities of local individuals and communities, so they can do more for themselves.
We’re responsible
Oxfam makes sure that project implementation is monitored and evaluated. We track how money is spent and expenditure is audited.
We’re experienced
Oxfam works in over 70 countries across the world. This means that we can learn what works and use successful methods in other locations and we share what we’ve learnt.
We look at the big picture
All Oxfam projects are in the context of a long-term plan to develop a region, and we always 'plan to leave'. Our goal is to build local skills and experience so that communities can be in control of their own lives.
How do you choose the projects?
Suggestions for projects are submitted by project officers and funding co-ordinators in our regional offices. They are part of Oxfam’s wider strategy for the region.
We always receive more suggestions than we can possibly use and choosing between them is incredibly difficult. We therefore select projects with a range of locations and themes, which show best practice that we can apply in other places.
When do you choose new projects?
Oxfam updates Projects Direct at the end of March, the end of our financial year. At this point we show you our new projects and also update our multi-year projects.
How much should I give?
You can give any amount to Projects Direct, although our projects are aimed mainly at donors who wish to make a larger gift of £10,000 and over. Talk to our team and we’ll help you decide what to give. Contact us to make a donation.
How will I know how my money is spent?
When you support Projects Direct you can request reports to update you on how your money is being spent and how work is going. Project reports are written by staff in the field who have first hand experience of how your money is being spent.
We produce an interim report at 6 months from when work starts – this year it will be between 1 May and 31 October. We aim to send this out by the end of December.
A final report including financial details is available at the end of the year, which ends on 30 March. We aim to send this out by the end of June.
We try our best to get reports to you within 6-8 weeks, but they can be a little delayed because of circumstances in the field.
Can you tell me exactly what my money has funded?
Your donation goes towards the budget for the whole project you have chosen. We won’t be able to tell you specifically which items your donation funded, but we will tell you what the whole project achieves.
How much of a project’s costs goes on administration?
This varies from project to project. You can always find out how much of a particular project’s costs are for administration or running costs by looking at the Budget section, where you’ll find a pie chart showing a breakdown of the budget. We do our best to predict expenditure, but please note that this can change.
What is Gift Aid and is my gift eligible?
Gift Aid allows charities to reclaim the basic rate of tax on donations received from UK taxpayers. This means that for every £1 donated, we are able to increase the value of donation by 25 pence.
Higher-rate taxpayers may also claim tax relief for themselves (the difference between the higher rate of tax paid (40%) and the rate reclaimed by the charity (20%). This amount is 25p for every £1 given through gift aid. Alternatively,if you are a higher rate tax payer, you can nominate Oxfam to receive this reclaim by ticking a box on your self assessment tax return form, and using the relevant code for Oxfam, which is MAE66TG.
For a donation to qualify for Gift Aid, you must be a UK taxpayer and have paid enough income tax or capital gains tax in the same year to at least equal the amount of tax reclaimed by Oxfam from Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs.
We cannot Gift Aid a donor’s donations when:
- income or capital gains tax is not paid or insufficient has been paid to cover what we will reclaim
- there is no valid Gift Aid declaration
- donations are already tax-efficient such as those from a Charities Aid Foundation (CAF) account or similar agency or where a gift is made through a payroll giving scheme
- the donation is from a collection, as the money is not from a single donor
- the donation is a legacy
- the donation results from transferring shares to Oxfam (although the gift may be eligible if the shares are sold first)
- the donation is from a company. For more information on claiming the tax back that the company paid on the donation refer to the Inland Revenue website - http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/charities/
If you can gift aid your donation, you just need to declare it to Oxfam. You can make this declaration over the phone or in writing. Please contact us to find out more.
Oxfam can only reclaim the basic rate of tax if you have paid enough tax in the tax year to cover the amount reclaimed on your gifts. The tax year runs from 6 April one year to 5 April the next.
What happens to my Gift Aid?
Gift Aid reclaimed by Oxfam from HMRC will help fund the whole of Oxfam's work.
What if there isn’t anything in the country I’m interested in?
We try to get a range of locations in our projects, and we choose countries that most need your support. If you’re not having any luck finding something in a location that interests you, contact us and we can tell you more about our work in that region.
What if my money can’t be spent on the project I donate to?
We endeavour to ensure that the information showing how much funding a project has received is up to date. If a project is fortunate enough to become fully funded before you make a donation, we will contact you to ensure that you are happy for your donation to be spent on a similar project.
What if the project I’m interested in is showing as fully funded?
If a project on the Projects Direct website shows as ‘fully funded’ when you open it, we already have all the funds we need for that work in that financial year.
We refresh the list of projects in April each year, and if a project continues over a few years you may have a chance to support further similar work at that point.
Please consider the other projects in the same region or with the same theme that still need support.
"We appreciate the way Oxfam works through and strengthens local. Oxfam's continual support, monitoring and reporting gives us a feeling of confidence that our money has been well spent, none of it has disappeared and that it's all gone to the right people.
"Oxfam has a great ability to turn a good project into a real success story. It models best practice and does all that it can to spread that wider by influencing governments and others working to improve education in their countries."
Patrick and Stephanie Bromley
