FAQs
We hope that this page will answer any questions you may have. If you cannot find what you are looking for then just contact us.
what is the One Percent Scheme?
what sort of charities does the One Percent Scheme support?
why don't just give money directly to a charity I know?
what are the aims of OPS?
how does OPS work?
...in more detail
getting involved
how do I become a member?
do I have to donate 1% of my income to become a member?
can I make a one off donation?
how will I donate to OPS?
what does being a member involve - what level of participation?
what feedback will I receive from the charities OPS supports?
money stuff
how does OPS donate?
how do I know all of my money is going straight to the beneficiaries?
elections explained
how do I nominate a charity for election?
who is eligible to vote?
when do elections take place?
when can I nominate a charity?
how does voting work?
how long does the One Percent Scheme donate to each cause?
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what is the One Percent Scheme?
We are a group of people who donate a small but regular amount
of our income to three charitable causes.
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what sort of charities does the One Percent Scheme
support?
*We typically support small 'grassroots' organisations, groups
that are often limited by their lack of expertise in raising
money.
*
We acknowledge the necessity of supporting domestic initiatives whilst also
aiming to tackle some of the problems resulting from abject poverty abroad,
especially in the third world. So
we support a range of causes: always 1 organisation based
in the UK and 2 from overseas.
*
OPS supports causes that empower people to improve their own quality of life.
This often involves access to education, technical/medical training, healthcare
or basic nutrition.
Details of the charities we currently donate to can be found
through the causes we support link.
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why don’t I just give money
directly to a charity that I know?
Giving to smaller, ‘grassroots’ charities, our money goes
straight to the root of the problem without the added bureaucracy and
politics that often plagues larger, ‘high street’ charities.
100% of the money that you give will go these causes, without any wasted
on advertising or promotional literature.
Donating to smaller organisations and with our money pooled together,
our donations can have very tangible results. You will receive
concise but informative quarterly feedback about the impact your
money is having
rather than an overbearing booklet of generic information and further appeals.
Your donation will not only help to support a charity but a range
of causes both from the UK and abroad. Back to top
what are the aims of OPS?
We aim to provide the maximum benefit from the money we donate.
In doing so we hope to raise awareness of
the work carried out by the kind of small but very effective NGO's & initiatives
that don't normally get in the mainstream press and improve peoples' understanding
of the plight of the people they support.
We hope to change the culture of
charitable giving in the UK and eventually abroad. We want to move away
from the idea of 'blind giving' by encouraging awareness of a range of interesting
domestic and worldwide initiatives. We want to facilitate a degree of involvement
in the process of giving, the extent of which is simply up to you and can
be anything from merely voting in the elections to helping administer our
partnership with one of the causes we support. Back to top
how does OPS work?
Members of OPS pool around 1% of there income into a central ‘pot’ (For
students or those with crippling debts it is possible to set
up a nominal sum, ie £5/mth, until you are earning regularly) .
This money is then distributed to the causes we support and members
will receive feedback as to the impact our money is having. Every
year our members have the opportunity to nominate a cause that
fits within the OPS mandate to be considered in the annual elections.
We then decide via a democratic vote which causes we support
for the following year. Back
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how do I become a member?
Get in touch! Once you have set up a regular donation you will
become a member, receiving regular feedback and having the chance
to get as involved as you wish. Back
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do I have to donate 1% of my income
to become a member?
Usually members donate 1% of their net income to the scheme,
however the amount will ultimately be at your discretion. For
those on a limited income this may not always be possible and
we are happy to review this on an individual basis - please contact
us if this is the case. Back to top
can I make a one off donation?
Any support is gratefully received so,
Yes! See the get involved page. Back
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how will I donate to OPS?
For members, subs will usually be transferred monthly by standing order. You
can go into any high street bank and set up a standing order although it may
be easier to either do it over the phone or through your online banking. Please
send an email to daniya@onepercentscheme.org if
you have any queries.
'One-off' payments can be either made online or by cheque. To set up an order
on-line of find out where the post a cheque to please contact Daniya.
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what does being a member involve – what
level of participation?
As little or as much as you would like, see get
involved. Back to top
what feedback will I receive from the charities OPS supports?
Although we aim to keep all our members 'in the know' we also understand how
annoying and wasteful it is to have booklets clogging up your email account
or dropping through your letter box every day. Therefore, in addition to brief
e-mail updates about any important OPS News or events, we send 4 quarterly email
newsletters detailing the progress our causes are making. Back to top
how does OPS donate?
Donations to our beneficiaries are made quarterly, on or around
the end of March, June, September and December. Back to
top
how do I know all of my money is
going straight to the beneficiaries?
As well as OPS being a ZERO EXPENSES outfit, we aim to work
with causes that keep admin costs to an absolute minimum. We
also aim to make the scheme as financially transparent as possible.
For this reason bank statements detailing all transactions (with
personal information blanked out) for our account are posted
on the website. Click here to view statements. Copies of receipts
can also be obtained upon request.
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how do I nominate a charity for election?
There are two options. If you happen to a hear about a cause
that sounds good and would like OPS to look into it, then
just drop us an email and tell us about who you had in mind.
If you feel particularly passionate about a specific cause then
we would invite you to get in touch with somebody from that organisation,
find out a bit more and then mail us with a brief piece about why you think
it is a worthy cause. In partnership with one of the trustees (for legal
reasons obviously) you would then help draft the nomination and should it
be successfully elected (as was the case with Josie Kay and VGlob last year!)
you would then jointly administer the partnership and be the main contact
person with the cause.
In addition to helping a cause you feel particularly strongly about this
would be a great opportunity to gain a practical insight into the workings
of the charity sector and should everything run smoothly, eventually get
more involved with the OPS project and perhaps joining the board of trustees.
Back
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who is eligible to vote?
All members of OPS are eligible to vote
when can I nominate a charity?
Nominations can be made throughout the year with a cut off date usually a month
before elections. Back to top
when do elections take place?
Election of causes we support will take place on or around the
31 January of each year. We aim to put together a shortlist of
nominated causes about a month before this to give everyone sufficient
time to mull over the options. We will always notify you in advance
of any upcoming vote. Back to top
how does voting work?
The trustees will compile a shortlist of nominated charities.
After these final nominations have been announced, there will
be a period of around 2 weeks for you to view the selected causes and
cast your votes. Voting is usually done by email, with a points system
used to reduce the chance of a tie. Back to top
how long does the One Percent
Scheme donate to each cause?
Generally each cause will be supported for a minimum one-year
period in order to facilitate the development of good working relations
and provide the kind of sustained commitment that charities require.
After this time the slot becomes free to either be re-elected or
replaced. Back to top