We’re the representative body of nearly 300 local charities with almost 50 years’ experience of supporting the sector through grants, training and development initiatives.  We’re a registered charity with a voluntary committee, made up of local professionals, and a paid Administrator.   You’ve found our website, please feel free to check us out but please come back and make a donation.

Charity fundraising events scheduled from spring to autumn this year have been decimated by forced cancellations due to Covid-19. Local charities have by and large been pragmatic in how they’ve navigated these unprecedented times but there’s no doubt that they have struggled along, relying on their reserves to deliver essential and complementary community services, protect the vulnerable and provide environmental and cultural benefits. Through this appeal, we are hoping to raise funds to compensate in some way for the cumulative effects of the pandemic on the sector.

All islanders are about to receive a £100 Spend Local card – which we absolutely encourage them to spend as intended – but if each recipient who could afford to, then donated just £10 to charity from their own funds it could raise over £1million for the sector.

We recognise that some islanders are struggling financially and we are only asking those who can afford it, to make a donation.  Don’t forget that charities help those very islanders with practical, financial and particularly following Covid, emotional support.  Those causes are not glamorous and they often struggle to attract funding.  A donation to the AJC appeal will help us support their work.

The cards cannot be used online and your transaction will be blocked.  Please use your Spend Local card as intended to support local businesses and donate from your own funds, using your own debit or credit card, if you can afford to.

The cards are non-transferable and you will invalidate them if you give them away.  The Spend Local scheme is designed to support local commercial enterprises which have been closed during lockdown putting the livelihoods of their staff at risk. 

Charities don’t spend their funds in cafes, corner shops or with small businesses.  Please use your card as intended to boost the local economy – on something essential or something frivolous but guilt-free - but please consider whether you can then afford to donate a sum of your own money to support local charities. Doing so would give the local economy the boost it needs, whilst having the double benefit of supporting local charities too.

You can – the cards can be used anywhere that accepts card payments except for online purchases.  However, not every charity has a retail outlet and those most in need of financial support at this time are the least likely to attract funds through sales of merchandise or entry tickets.  Don’t forget that the Spend Local scheme is there to support island businesses and the economy and accordingly we encourage you to use your card in the commercial sector and support charities with your own funds if you can afford to do so.

Our appeal is intended to support any and all charities on the island.  You can go directly to the website of your favourite charity and donate there if you prefer.  You can also donate to us by cheque if you don’t want to use PayPal.  Make the cheque out to “Association of Jersey Charities” write the cause you want to support on the reverse (e.g. “Community”) and send it to PO Box 356, St Helier, JE4 9YZ.  We cannot accept donations by cheque for other charities.

Absolutely, yes!  The AJC only makes awards to charities providing services in the island which benefit the local community.  That includes national and international charities who will only receive awards for local projects, irrespective of their valuable work overseas.

Appeal donations are being collected through PayPal which retains 1.4% plus 20p from every transaction.  If you donate £10, that charge is 34p so £9.66 goes to the charity or sector of your choice. This is the lowest cost option available to us.

If you donate directly to a charity of your choice through our website, the £9.66 will be passed on to that charity in full.  Don’t forget you can also donate directly to your chosen charity through its own website or by cheque.  See also “Does the AJC benefit from the appeal?”.

The AJC is a registered charity in its own right and exists to support the activities of its members and the wider charitable sector.  It too has seen an increase in demand for its services, particularly grant funding, the majority of which are managed and administered by professionals giving their time and skills voluntarily.  The AJC is covering the costs of establishing this appeal, including all costs of promotion and the future administration of awards.  If the appeal is successful (by which we mean the aggregate value of the sector funds reaches £100,000) the AJC may make a charge of up to 5% of the sum donated up to a maximum of £25,000 which it will use to support its own charitable activities.

The amounts donated will be accumulated in a segregated, restricted fund for each of the 6 “causes” available on the donation page.

Charites will be able to apply to us for an award from the relevant appeal fund.  We expect to manage this through our normal grants process however, if the appeal is very successful (by which we mean raises over £500,000 in aggregate) we may run special application cycles.  By mid-October, we will know how successful the appeal has been and make a final decision then, which we will publicise.  Our intention is to distribute the funds as quickly as possible to eligible charities.

Only registered Jersey charities or members of the AJC will be eligible for awards.

The maximum per charity will be £30,000 – which is consistent with our normal grants programme – and we will only allow one appeal application per charity, so they won’t be able to apply for £30,000 from, say, both “children” and “health”.  The AJC will use its discretion to set a lower maximum if there is insufficient money in a particular fund to allow for an equitable distribution across potential applicants.  There is no minimum amount that can be applied for and applications for £5,000 or less will be handled using our small grants process 

We will use our standard grant application process and criteria – but with a particular emphasis on evidence of financial need.  That means applicants will be expected to demonstrate how their fundraising efforts have been curtailed or their costs increased as a result of the pandemic.  We will not use appeal funds simply to bolster charities’ reserves.  Conversely, we will not use appeal funds to support charities which are in serious financial difficulties as a result of the pandemic unless they can demonstrate that they have an achievable plan to return to sustainability.