FAQs - Running the appeal

To qualify, a public appeal must meet the following criteria:

1. It must inform the public about the work which a UK based not-for-profit organisation wants to undertake in a developing country, and seek to raise funds for this work from donations which come from members of the public (rather than corporate donors).

2. It must use, as one of its fundraising approaches, a partnership (referred to in the context of UK Aid Match as a “communications partnership”) with an organisation/s that can confidently achieve a minimum of 400,000 opportunities to view appeal information among the UK public.   Examples include: UK newspapers with a circulation of over 400,000; broadcasts that achieve viewer ratings greater than 400,000; on-line channels that receive more than 400,000 hits from unique users, private sector corporations which communicate with a wide public (e.g. a supermarket).

3. It must have a fixed duration of 3 months or less. Funds must be raised during this period.

4. It must be expected to raise at least £100,000 from public donations.

5. It must carry the DFID (UKaid) logo, a link to the DFID website and the message “Your donation will be matched by the UK Government pound for pound” (or an agreed variation).

6. The organisation(s) running or benefiting from the appeal must provide feedback to the UK public within an agreed period on how the money received from the public and the Government have been spent, with a focus on the results that have been achieved for poor people.

A communications partnership is an agreement between the not for profit organisation responsible for delivering support in the developing country (which will be the organisation that receives funding from DFID) and an organisation that publicises the appeal to the general public (e.g. a newspaper, broadcast company, internet company, major UK retailer with significant public reach).  A strong communications partnership will be one which is able to provide at least 400,000 opportunities to view information about the appeal for a UK public audience, and can be expected to generate individual donations totalling at least £100,000.  A communications partner should be committed to playing an active role in explaining and supporting the appeal, and to reporting back to the public on how the funds raised are being / have been used.

A communications partnership should not be based on a commercial arrangement such as paid-for advertising.  However some paid-for advertising is permissible as part of the appeal, providing i) no UK Aid Match funds are used to pay the costs of such advertising, and ii) it represents a small element in an overall communications plan.

Corporate partners can be involved in the partnership, but any financial contribution made by a corporate partner cannot be match funded by UK Aid Match.  However, funds raised by the employees of a corporate or communications partner can be match funded, providing they do not include any corporate donations.

More than one communications partner can be used to publicise the appeal and to report back to the public on the use of funds raised.

Applicants must have a provisional agreement with the communications partner/s when they submit their application. . If DFID agrees a provisional award of match funding, the communications partnership must be developed into a full communications plan, and the applicant must confirm agreement from the communications partner/s to their involvement in the appeal before DFID commits to a grant agreement for a UK Aid Match contribution. DFID will provide guidance on what to include in a Communications Plan.

You must be able to produce an exchange of letters that demonstrate a shared understanding and intent to run an appeal that will be publicised through a media outlet or organisation with the ability to reach a wide UK public audience (e.g. a major supermarket, or a private sector corporation). This does not need to be a formal exchange in the legal sense.

Yes. The appeal can include direct marketing to an organisation’s existing supporters provided that this represents just one of the communication methods. Overall, the appeal must be aimed at and accessible to  a UK general public audience. The number of existing supporters reached through direct marketing will not count towards achieving the 400,000 opportunities to view.

DFID will only match fund public donations which are given in response to the appeal. These donations must be:

1. Financial (gifts of goods or donations in kind cannot be matched); and

2. From individuals residing in the UK (i.e. not from corporate sponsors or philanthropic organisations). DFID requires that the recipient organisation is able to identify the source of any donation, and that for donations of over £5,000, the organisation provides DFID with evidence to support the identity of the donation. Any donations which do not come from members of the public must be excluded from the amount to be match funded by DFID.

3. Demonstrably given in response to the appeal, i.e. where the donor has made an informed decision to donate to the appeal.
DFID will not match any Gift Aid element of donations