Give As You Earn is one of the easiest ways for UK employees and pensioners who are paid through Pay As You Earn (PAYE) to give regularly to the Soko Fund and it is very tax efficient.

Employees choose how much they want to give each month. The donation comes off their gross pay, before any tax is taken, and is sent to the Charities Aid Foundation or the Charities Trust. These organizations then distribute the money to the Soko Fund.

Employees can give as much or as little as they like, and because the donation is taken from their pay before tax, the gift is worth more than it costs. Some employers add a matching contribution. The combination of the two means that the amount received by the Soko Fund can be far greater than the cost to the donor. For example, suppose you’re a standard rate tax payer and choose to give the Soko Fund £10 a month. This will actually bring the Fund  £12.82. But if your employer offers a matching contribution of the same amount (some employers – the Royal Bank of Scotland for instance -- contribute more), this increases the value still further, and means that in the course of the year you are giving £120, but the Soko Fund is getting £273.84.

If you are paid a salary or a pension through PAYE, find out if your employer participates in GAYE. If not, you could put them in touch with the Charities Aid Foundation http://www.cafonline.org/ who will help them set one up. If you run a small business yourself, the Charities Aid Foundation will help you get a grant to set up GAYE for yourself and other employees.