The business community plays an important role in helping The Canterbury Gift preserve Canterbury Cathedral's standing as one of the most important buildings in Britain.

Along with the history and beauty of Canterbury Cathedral, comes its position as one of the most architecturally significant and iconic buildings in the world. As part of a World Heritage Site, it is also one of the UK's biggest tourist attractions.

The Cathedral is also spiritual home to more than 70 million Anglicans across the world and the seat of the Archbishop of Canterbury.

There are many opportunities for your business to be a part of the work being carried out by The Canterbury Gift. To find out more phone 01227 865346 or send an email requesting more information to info@thecanterburygift.com.

Benefits

Establishing a link between your business and a charity can be beneficial to both parties. The benefits often depend largely on which charity you choose to support. What could be better than supporting one of the country's best loved and important heritage sites?

Businesses are able to increase brand awareness and create positive publicity through their association with Canterbury Cathedral thanks to the million or so tourists who visit each year. Linking your company to Canterbury Cathedral can also help to create a caring, community image for your business.

It is also worth considering the sense of wellbeing and satisfaction you can create within your business by being involved with such a worthy cause.

There is also the option of tax relief when donating, using the Gift Aid system.

Whether it is through a donation or by organising a fundraising event, there are lots of ways you and your business can work with The Canterbury Gift.

Employer fundraising

The regular support of businesses is very important to The Canterbury Gift, as it enables us to plan in advance which important conservation and development projects we can undertake.

There are many ways your business can help provide this invaluable support to The Canterbury Gift, including:

1. Our Corporate Friend Scheme

The Canterbury Gift's Corporate Friend Scheme is the perfect way to support the development of the Cathedral. It also allows your clients and staff to benefit from a number of exclusive opportunities.

The benefits of the scheme include:

Special tours of the Cathedral and the Precincts including the Bell Harry Tower and educational tours focusing on the ongoing conservation work.
Strong links between The Canterbury Gift and your company; opportunities to sponsor events and invitations to selected events.
Discounted accommodation at the Canterbury Cathedral Lodge and its banqueting and dining facilities.
Free entry to the Cathedral and the precincts for a selected number of your staff.

The Canterbury Gift offers three schemes to suit all budgets. Gold, for donations of more than £10,000 per annum; Silver for more than £5,000 per annum; and Bronze for more than £1,000 per annum. To find out more phone 01227 865346 or send an email requesting more information to info@thecanterburygift.com.

2. Give as you earn

Payroll giving is a tax-efficient way of donating to The Canterbury Gift from your gross salary. Just decide how much you want to donate each month and you could save 20%, as the HM Revenue and Customs makes up the rest at the basic rate of tax. Quick, easy and everyone benefits - most importantly the Cathedral.

3. Employee volunteering

Encouraging your staff to take part in volunteering activities could be very good for their morale as well as the wider community. More and more organisations are now giving their staff the opportunity to undertake community activities. The Canterbury Gift is always keen to welcome donations of time and we recognise the value of a wide range of skills. To find out more, please see our section on volunteering.

4. Other ways to support us

There are many other ways you can support The Canterbury Gift without donating financially. We aim to spread awareness about the pivotal role the Cathedral plays in people's lives and the need to preserve this magnificent building for future generations.

You can help us to achieve these goals with simple gestures such as putting up a poster or leaflet display, placing a collection box in your workplace, or by giving customers a leaflet at the point of purchase.

To find out more about how your business could support the work of The Canterbury Gift call 01227 865346 or complete our contact us form. (link to contact us form)

Employee fundraising

Fundraising in the office is a great way to create team spirit and morale and can also be an excellent tool to motivate staff to achieve. It can also help to raise some serious money for good causes.

Whatever you are thinking of doing to raise money, let The Canterbury Gift know and we'll do our best to offer our full support. We can also offer advice and guidance if you are thinking of planning a fundraising event. See our fundraising tips for more details. (link to GI1)

Make sure you check with your employer before circulating any material via the company mailing list, as this may be against company policy.

Ready to start fundraising?

Once you have decided how you are going to raise money, contact the fundraising team at The Canterbury Gift and they will provide you with an Authority to Fundraise form. This is an official document which tells people that you are raising money for The Canterbury Gift.

Fundraising can really be of benefit to all involved and The Canterbury Gift would like to thank you for your efforts in advance and wish you good luck.

Payroll giving

Payroll giving is a quick and easy way to donate money in a tax-efficient way. By payroll giving to The Canterbury Gift each month, you can help us to plan which conservation and development projects we can achieve in the future.

Simply choose an amount to donate from your gross salary each month. If this were to be £10 for example, only £8 would be deducted from your salary and the remaining £2 would be given by HM revenue and Customs at the basic rate of tax.

Payroll giving benefits both you and The Canterbury Gift and ensures we can do our best to preserve the Cathedral and develop it further for the community.

Call us on 01227 865346 or visit the Give As You Earn website to find out more.