WORKPLACE GIVING
Workplace giving or payroll deductions are a simple and effective way for employees to donate to the Epilepsy Foundation of Victoria on a regular basis. Put simply, under a workplace giving program, your donation is deducted from your monthly (or fortnightly) pay and is sent to the Epilepsy Foundation of Victoria by your employer. All donations made in this way are tax deductible.
HOW DOES WORKPLACE GIVING OPERATE?
Workplace giving operates through your employer’s payroll system. You can give to Epilepsy Foundation through workplace giving in one of two ways:
- Through a formal workplace giving program that your employer has set up and which includes Epilepsy Foundation (see below); or
- In a less formal way, by simply requesting that your employer make a deduction from your pay which is then sent to Epilepsy Foundation as a donation (details on this option are also set out below).
Under either option, employees can choose to donate a specified amount from each pay to Epilepsy Foundation. If you choose to donate to Epilepsy Foundation through a workplace giving program, your employer will deduct your specified donation from each pay. Your employer will forward your donation direct to Epilepsy Foundation, along with any donations made by other staff at your workplace.
THE TAX BENEFITS OF WORKPLACE GIVING
All donations to EFV through workplace giving are tax deductible.
If a formal workplace giving program has been established, your employer may reduce the amount of tax that is taken out of your pay in recognition of your donations. So you may see the tax benefits of workplace giving immediately!
However, it is still important for you to identify your donations in your annual tax return. Your employer should give you a summary of your donations at the end of the financial year. Epilepsy Foundation will co-ordinate this with your employer.
WHAT IS THE BENEFIT OF WORKPLACE GIVING PROGRAMS TO CHARITIES LIKE THE EPILEPSY FOUNDATION OF VICTORIA?
The advantage of formal workplace giving programs is that the charity - in this case, Epilepsy Foundation - receives regular income but does not have to issue individual receipts for each donation. The employer provides a summary of donations to each employee. This saves time and money. So the charity incurs little or no administration costs and 100% of donations go directly to the charity.
SETTING UP A WORKPLACE GIVING PROGRAM
To set up a formal workplace giving program, which might offer staff the opportunity to support one of several charities (including Epilepsy Foundation, of course), you should talk to the relevant person in your organisation. This will normally be the head of human resources or sponsorship. Detailed information on such workplace giving programs is available on the Australian Taxation Office website.
Alternatively, you can set up a giving program that is focused only on Epilepsy Foundation. This would involve the following steps:
- Identifying a group of staff members who are interested in people living with epilepsy and who may wish to support Epilepsy Foundation. We can assist by providing promotional literature on Epilepsy Foundation and visiting your workplace to give a presentation on our work.
- Each staff member who wishes to make a regular donation to Epilepsy Foundation then needs to sign a letter authorizing the payroll office to deduct a specified amount from each pay. Epilepsy Foundation can provide a pro forma letter. The amount deducted will be sent by the payroll office direct to Epilepsy Foundation.
- Epilepsy Foundation will liaise closely with your payroll office to assist in the establishment of the giving program.
- At the end of each financial year, Epilepsy Foundation will issue tax receipts for each staff member, identifying the amount donated during the year.
Employer information
If you are an employer and thinking of setting up a workplace giving program in your organisation, we can help. Call us on 1300, or contact the following agencies:
For further information, please contact Epilepsy Foundation’s Direct Marketing Manager, Gail Breen. Email: gbreen@epilepsy.asn.au
More >> Australian Taxation Office website
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Community Events run by the Epilepsy Foundation or our supporters - eg. Run Melbourne
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