Gift Aid enables registered charities throughout the UK to reclaim from the Inland Revenue the tax previously paid by donors, on the contributions they have made to the charities.  In the case of the Masonic Order our registered charities are the individual District Charity Funds which every Brother should be contributing to, and it is the role of the District Gift Aid Treasurer to record all Gift Aid donations and prepare the reclaim forms which are submitted to the Inland Revenue.  Non-taxpayers cannot use Gift Aid.   

Holywood Charity Committee have been running a Gift Aid scheme (formerly Covenanting) since 1959, though the post of Covenanting Treasurer (later Gift Aid Treasurer) was only formalised in 1996. 

The envelope scheme is now in use across all 9 Charity Districts within the Province of Down.   Envelopes allow tax paying Brethren to contribute to the Masonic Charities without having pre purchased vouchers.  Cheques or cash from such Brethren can be placed in the envelope, the relevant details written on the front of it, and then sealed before placing it in the collection plate.  The Treasurer then credits the cash and cheques to the Lodge's bank account, writes one for an equal amount, made out to the local Charity Committee, lists all envelopes collected on the appropriate forms, and sends those to the Gift Aid Treasurer, along with the cheque, thus allowing the Charity Committee to reclaim the relevant tax from the Inland Revenue.  Further information is available by clicking on the links shown below in red.

At the end of each tax year the Gift Aid Treasurer combines all of the Lodge returns for the year and submits a claim to the Inland Revenue for the overall total of tax being reclaimed.  Once the claim is agreed by the Inland Revenue, the cheque for the claim is lodged to the General Fund of the Committee, and disbursed to the various Benevolent Institutions according to the wishes of the members of the Committee.  Each contributing Lodge, Chapter, Council or Preceptory is then credited pro rata in the accounts of the General Fund, as included in the annual Down Charity Report.

For further information on the use of Gift Aid, or to request a visit to explain how your Lodge can maximise the potential of their charitable giving, please contact the Gift Aid Treasurer -

          W.Bro. Jim Kilpatrick

          7 Edgewater Cove

          Donaghadee

          Co Down

          BT21 0EG

          Tel : 028 9188 8987