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

money stuff

elections explained

what is the One Percent Scheme?

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.
Here are details of the we currently support.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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can I make a one off donation?

Any support is gratefully received so, Yes! See the get involved page.

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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.

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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.

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how does OPS donate?

Donations to our beneficiaries are made quarterly, on or around the end of March, June, September and December.

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how do I know all of my money is going straight to the beneficiaries?

OPS is run with help from its members and the trutees on a voluntary basis. We have very few regular expences, infact hosting this website is it, and so we make sure that all members donatons go straight to the causes we support. As a registered charity in the UK our accounts are inspected annually by the Charities Commision and a copy of these can be downloaded in Finances.

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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.

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.

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.

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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.

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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.

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