As a charity, being able to collect Gift Aid is a significant revenue stream for retailers. An extra 25 pence for every pound donated can be claimed through Gift Aid which is estimated to be worth over £48 million to the charity retail industry according to Charity Finance in their most recent annual Charity Shops Survey.
The three most important things charity retailers want to achieve when processing Gift Aid are:

1. Control and accuracy

1. 2. Ease of use

3. Optimise revenue

Sadly, this is not always easily delivered for many charity retailers. Sometimes paper driven, inconsistent or slower processes can result in customers or those making donations being put off and, ultimately a loss in that all-important Gift Aid revenue stream.

When we are talking about millions of pounds worth of potential charity revenue, retail teams want to know that Gift Aid is being captured accurately and efficiently. This control can be found in a new single scan barcode software module created by Bolton-based retail software developers and Charity Retail Association members, Nisyst.

These multi-award-winning technology wizards are the brains behind charity retail ePoS software CHARiot and have collaborated with their charity retail clients to tackle the big challenges facing the industry, developing an innovative and more streamlined way to capture Gift Aid to ensure not a single penny is missed.

“We designed this new functionality in conjunction with HMRC and our charity retail clients so we’re 100% confident that our charity clients can be sure they’re getting the most out of Gift Aid contributions and HMRC can be 100% confident that all the claims are correct,” Dave Chunilal, Technical Director of Nisyst, explained.

“The most important part for us has been creating a software that made the day to day working life of volunteers easier which, at the same time, offers pinpoint accuracy and tighter control for retailers when processing any Gift Aid. Our Single Scan Barcode update does just that, and our clients’ retail teams already love it.”

It’s not just about driving an improvement to their customer’s bottom line for Dave and his technical team. They also value the importance of putting people at the heart of their service. “We have always measured the success of our service by how happy our clients are,” Dave continued. “Offering hands-on in-house support 7 days a week is something that our clients really appreciate and which we are more than happy to deliver. Even those who avoid new technology at all costs can be provided with user-friendly training so everyone on the shop floor can get the most out of the software.”