BORIS Johnson asked JustGiving to “reflect” on the £308,000 sum the pocketed from the heroic NHS walk of Colonel Tom Moore.
The spokesperson for the PM said that during the coronavirus outbreak, the media, corporations and associations made “extraordinary gestures” and encouraged the website to reconsider its fee.
Before his 100th birthday Captain Tom set out to walk 100 laps of his garden in Marston Moretaine, Bedfordshire, with an initial fundraising target of £1,000.
He generated over £32million, closing the JustGiving page on his birthday on April 30.
The fundraising page-owned by US corporation Blackbaud-had received over £300,000 in gift-aid payment processing fees.
Following the story, the PM’s spokesman said: “Thanks to Col Tom Moore’s heroic effort, an unbelievable amount of funding has been raised for hardworking NHS personnel.
He further added, “The public, businesses and organizations have made extraordinary gestures toward our fantastic NHS and the voluntary sector.
Tory Grandee Iain Duncan-Smith has asked the organization to send back the funds after putting on the five percent premium for contributions to the war veteran’s sum of £39million for coronavirus-fighting NHS staff.
“I understand that while in any operation there are always legitimate costs, given that this is such a bizarre public fundraising exercise by this remarkable man, Colonel Tom, I believe that Just Giving must now make a reasonable offer to donate the money they have received into the fund, Former Tory leader Mr Duncan-Smith said.
He added, “It would be understood absolutely, because that will be the best thing to do.”
According to JustGiving the company has raised a £100,000 contribution-the biggest it’s ever raised.
A JustGiving spokesperson said: “We were all inspired by Colonel Tom and are very proud to have given away £100,000 directly to NHS Charitable organizations Together. This is the most significant donation in our history.
“Claiming Gift Aid back to scale is a complicated process that is made straightforward by JustGiving for all charities who want to use our service.
By helping organizations like NHS Charities collect additional cash even while significantly reducing their management expenses, we are ensuring millions meet good causes faster than was historically possible.”
Its website says: “We can offer charities a much cheaper and faster way to claim Gift Aid because of our size and expertise than if they had to employ accountants or extra staff to do it for them.
“We charge five per cent of the total Gift Aid to cover the costs of claiming it.”
What do you think? Is it justified to ask JustGiving to hand back the money?