You know it. Volunteers know it. And most importantly, donors know it too.

Asking people about tax can be awkward and donors don’t want to be held up by the faff of filling in forms when they’re just dropping off donations.

So how can we make the Gift Aid process easier? And how do we change the perception that Gift Aid is a pain in the neck?

We had a think, spoke to charities and created Wil-U – a tablet-based form that is separate from the till that donors can either fill out themselves or volunteers can do it for them. It’s quicker, easier, provides all the required information to the donor about Gift Aid and it means no more paper forms. The data is way more accurate and it removes the need for volunteers or shop managers to spend any time transposing data onto a computer – it’s all sent to the correct place directly and securely. No more faff.

Now we’re thinking about volunteer engagement. Because, so we’ve heard, not having enough volunteers is a pain in the neck too. So how can we really engage volunteers with the work they do in shops? How can we create an environment where volunteers go above and beyond, where they encourage others to volunteer and where they really feel valued and listened to?

That’s our next big challenge. Let us know your thoughts about volunteer engagement.