Big Give Christmas Challenge

Update: Monday 4th December 2023

You did it – in just five days, we reached our target of £30,000 raised through the Big Give Christmas Challenge!

We’re overwhelmed with gratitude for this amazing show of support; a huge THANK YOU goes to everyone who donated, shared our posts, or supported this campaign in any way.

It’s not over yet!

Every pound you donate will still go towards helping CLAPA improve the lives of people affected by cleft all over the UK. We’re a small charity with no NHS or government funding; to keep our services going, we need you to continue to fundraise, donate, share our posts, and tell the people you know about CLAPA and why you support our work.

Support our work by:

• Becoming a CLAPA Champion by signing up to make a regular donation of any amount. You’ll be helping us to build a brighter future where the UK cleft community can always count on our support.
• Making a donation. Your donation won’t be matched, but it will still go towards supporting our vital services.
• Visiting our Christmas hub to buy your CLAPA cards and our special ‘Sponsor a Bottle’ cards to give in lieu of gifts.
• Spread the word on social media and beyond about why you support our work.

Thank you for helping us Raise a Smile this Christmas!

The Big Give Christmas Challenge

The Big Give Christmas Challenge is back, from 28th November to 5th December.

Help CLAPA to Raise a Smile this Christmas by donating any amount during the Big Give week, and watch your donation be doubled!

With your support, CLAPA can be there from the moment of diagnosis with reassurance, information, and a welcoming community for families, children, and adults born with a cleft across the UK.

What is the Big Give Christmas Challenge?

The Big Give Christmas Challenge is the UK’s biggest match-funding campaign, where for one week only, all donations are doubled, meaning that every pound you give has twice the impact.

We are so grateful to The Patrick & Helena Frost Foundation and the Reed Foundation for kindly providing CLAPA’s Big Give match-pot to double every donation!

To take part in the Big Give Christmas Challenge:

1. Make a Donation of any amount through the Big Give Christmas Challenge portal. The portal will be live from midday on Tuesday 28th November for exactly one week.
2. Share your story and tell friends, family and colleagues why you support CLAPA. If they donate, their gifts will be doubled too! Use our resources below to help.

Visit the Big Give Christmas Challenge Portal

To find out more, check our Frequently Asked Questions below or email our team at [email protected]

Messages from CLAPA Patrons and Ambassadors

Messages from CLAPA Patrons YolanDa Brown and Carol Vorderman, and CLAPA Ambassador Jennie Longdon.

Resources

Instagram Story Template: Download this image onto your phone and share it to your Instagram Stories. Make sure to fill in the space with the reason you’re supporting CLAPA, and add a link to our Big Give Christmas Challenge portal.

‘Share Your Story’ Template: Use the simple template below to share why you support CLAPA’s work. Fill in the parts in bold and add photos to illustrate your cleft journey so far.

 

Three babies are born with a cleft every day in the UK, and already they face a 20-year treatment pathway, with many having their first surgery at just three months old.

 

This week, I’m helping CLAPA to ‘Raise a Smile for Christmas’ by making a donation so this charity can support families like mine for years to come. 

 

I’m doing this because [explain your connection to cleft and CLAPA, e.g. ‘my son Alfie was born with a cleft lip and CLAPA supported my family with special feeding bottles’]

 

The Cleft Lip and Palate Association (CLAPA) is the national charity for people affected by cleft in the UK. They support people from the moment of diagnosis with reassurance, information, and a welcoming community. They make sure no one affected by cleft in the UK goes through their journey alone.

 

CLAPA needs your help to continue to reach hundreds of families and adults in need each year. Thanks to the Big Give Christmas Challenge, any donations made until 5th December are DOUBLED! As a small charity, every pound counts, so please give generously to help fund their life-changing services.

 

Visit https://bit.ly/3Gk1zne to make your donation and watch it be doubled.

 

Thank you for your support!

 

Would you like to share why you support CLAPA with our team? Send us a quote and a photo using this simple form for us to share on social media to help inspire others to donate.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will all donations to CLAPA be matched during the Big Give Christmas Challenge week?

All donations made through the Big Give portal will be matched. During that week, all our donate links will redirect to the Big Give portal so you can be sure you’re using the right link.

Regular donations (including those from CLAPA Champions), donations on fundraising platforms like Just Giving,  CAF account, cheques, etc., will not be matched during that week.

What methods can I use to make my donation?

The Big Give portal accepts the following card types:

Mastercard | Visa | Maestro | Switch | Solo | Delta | American Express | CAF Bank Business cards displaying the Mastercard logo.

Is there a limit to the donations that will be matched?

We have a ‘pot’ of £15,000 to use as match funding for donations received during that week. If we get over £15,000 in donations that week, those extra donations won’t be matched. We’ll make sure to announce if this happens.

As a small charity, this is an ambitious target, so we’ll be delighted if we hit it!

Can I Gift Aid my donation?

Yes, if you are a UK taxpayer and your donation qualifies for Gift Aid you will be able to select this during the donation process.

Does the Big Give Christmas Challenge website charge any fees on my donation?

Yes, the website charges:

• EU Visa and MasterCard donations = 1.5% of donation amount (without Gift Aid) + 20p + VAT
• Non-EU and American Express donations = 3.2% of donation amount (without Gift Aid) + 20p + VAT

These fees are similar to other payment processing platforms. To find out more, visit this page. When making your donation, you will also be asked if you would like to make a voluntary contribution to support the running of the platform. If you would prefer not to, make sure to select other from the drop-down menu and enter 0.

What if I have trouble using the Big Give Christmas Challenge platform?

If you have trouble using the donation platform, please contact [email protected]