How can we help?

Sign in and list your item in the marketplace. Include details like the description, estimated value, any restrictions, and any recognition preferences (e.g., social media tag, a newsletter acknowledgement). Schools and charities browse the marketplace and claim items they want. During our MVP phase, everything is completely free - no costs or fees for businesses.

Yes! During our MVP phase, CommuniTie is completely free for everyone - both businesses and charitable organisations. There are no subscription fees and no hidden costs. We want to build a thriving community of givers and receivers first. You can donate as many items as you'd like at no cost.

Review the request and agree collection or delivery. Keep a record of the donation. The recipient can choose to share a thank-you or an update about how the goods helped.

Yes. Choose how many items you can provide. The remaining quantity stays available for other donors.

After receiving donations, many schools love to share their success on social media (Facebook, Instagram, etc.) and tag supporting businesses. This genuine community endorsement is visible to all parents, supporters, and followers. While entirely voluntary, donors really appreciate this recognition.

Yes! Browse the marketplace to see what other businesses are donating. You can also view the supporter board to see businesses supporting your community. Their profiles show their donation history, badges earned, and the schools they've supported.

Yes. Every gift gets a donation certificate for your HMRC records, and you can export all your records as CSV or PDF for your accountant.

Illustration: a £200 purchase including 20% VAT has a £125 after-tax cost where the £33.33 VAT is fully recoverable and the £166.67 expense is deductible at 25% corporation tax. Your accountant confirms the treatment. Donation value is not an automatic tender score. The 2026 donation relief and purchase VAT recovery are separate. CSV and PDF records are available from your dashboard.

VAT relief applies when donating to organisations that hold an HMRC charity reference. QUALIFYING: Registered charities that hold an HMRC charity reference, Academies and Free Schools (once they hold an HMRC charity reference), Voluntary Aided/Controlled Schools (with an HMRC charity reference), and PTAs that hold an HMRC charity reference. NOT QUALIFYING: Community Schools (Local Authority controlled), non-charitable Private Schools, charities that are registered with the Charity Commission but do not hold an HMRC charity reference, and any school or PTA that holds only a URN or Charity Commission number but not an HMRC charity reference. The key is whether the recipient holds an HMRC charity reference — a school URN or Charity Commission number alone is not sufficient. If you're unsure about a specific school or charity, ask them directly for their HMRC charity reference.

Public thank-yous are entirely voluntary on CommuniTie. Most schools genuinely appreciate donations and naturally want to thank their supporters publicly - CommuniTie just makes that easy to do. If recognition matters to you, you can mention this when schools claim your items, but there's no formal requirement or penalty system.

As you donate items, you earn badges and achievements - like 'First Gift' (your first donation), 'Regular Giver' (10+ donations), or 'Community Hero' (supporting 5+ schools). These appear on your profile, showcasing your community impact.

Yes! In your profile settings, you can add a custom CTA button that appears on your supporter board entry. This could link to your website, booking page, special offer, or contact form. You can customise the button text (up to 30 characters) and track how many people click it.

CommuniTie brings your donation records and delivery confirmations together to support CSR reporting and tender submissions, with CSV and PDF downloads. Our CSR Dashboard showcase uses illustrative business scenarios, not real customer results. Check the evidence and outcomes required by each tender; recorded donations are not an automatic social value score.

Absolutely! Many organisations both donate items and claim them. For example, a local restaurant might donate meal vouchers while also claiming items for their community projects. When signing up, select 'Both' as your role and fill in details for both sides. Admin will verify you separately for each role.

Businesses earn the Local Supporter rosette after a confirmed gift. Every supporter gets the same rosette, with no tiers by amount. It links to the business's public supporter page so people can see what they have done. Find the website code, downloads and email signature in Badges and sharing on your team dashboard. Your supporter page must be public; we never change that setting for you.

Browse the marketplace to see available items from local businesses. When you find one you want, click 'Claim'. You'll provide details about your intended use. Many schools choose to share their appreciation publicly after receiving donations.

Absolutely nothing. CommuniTie is completely free for schools and charities. No sign-up fees, no subscription, no hidden costs. Just browse, claim donations, and support your organisation. Many schools choose to share appreciation on social media.

Schools and charities can choose to thank donors in a newsletter, on their website or on social media. Public recognition is voluntary.

If you'd like to share your appreciation with the donor, you can upload a screenshot or link showing your social media post. This is optional but donors really appreciate seeing the impact of their generosity. You can also add a message and impact metrics (like 'Raised £500 for new sports equipment') to showcase the real difference donations make.

Social media is the most common way to show appreciation on CommuniTie, but it's not required. If you prefer, you can thank donors in other ways - like mentioning them in your newsletter, or website. The important thing is genuine appreciation, however you choose to express it.

Yes! You can claim as many items as you need for your organisation. Browse the marketplace and claim donations from different businesses to build a great collection.

After claiming an item, you'll receive the donor's contact information. Reach out to them directly to arrange collection or delivery. Most local businesses are happy to work with you on convenient pickup times.

You can reject the pending delivery with a reason. The quantity becomes available again so the donor can resubmit or another donor can help.

Before claiming, you can see the donor's recognition preferences (usually just a social media tag). If their expectations seem unreasonable, simply don't claim that item. Most donors just appreciate genuine recognition - and remember, showing appreciation is always voluntary on CommuniTie.

Confirm when goods arrive and share an update about how they help your organisation. Donation records and thank-you messages help show the difference local support makes.

Yes! When schools and charities upload proof of posting, they can include a message and impact metrics. Donors can see these impact stories on their dashboard, showing exactly how their donations made a difference - like '£500 raised for playground equipment' or '200 families received essential supplies'.

No - CommuniTie grows the pie rather than dividing it. We tap into money that wasn't going to charities before: business surplus stock heading for disposal, procurement budgets for tax-efficient giving (the 1.6x multiplier), and CSR funds for local visibility. This is new giving, not redistribution. A platform with many charities is more attractive to businesses than individual relationships, so every charity that joins brings more businesses to the platform. Your choice isn't between 'all the pie' and 'sharing' - it's between 'a slice of a much bigger pie' and 'no pie at all'.

After your first wish is published, open Badges and sharing on your team dashboard. Copy the website button code and send it to whoever looks after your website, or use Email this to our website person. The button links straight to your public wishlist. You can also download the button and copy the newsletter text.