Raising money to assist a relative

Q: My relative has sustained a spinal cord injury and at the moment he is still in hospital. He won’t get any compensation for his accident. I’d like to raise funds so his home can be made accessible and to buy a car for him as his family can’t afford to do it themselves.

What is the best way to do this? Can people who contribute to my appeal use their donations as tax deductions?

A: A Tax Office ruling sets out situations where tax deductible donations can be made to people in “necessitous circumstances”. CLICK HERE to view the full document. It gives examples of such circumstances which includes the scenario of Geoff, who is 17 years old and was permanently incapacitated while playing football. It also outlines what formal requirements there are to document the charity.

SCInfo recommends that you discuss with a solicitor or accountant about what structure you need to set up to proceed with this.

Activities that might raise funds include approaching friends/family directly, and running events in the local areas where your relative is known … any sporting club he is involved with, his school, church or other community group. Also approach the local hotels to see if they will host a trivia night or other activity—a raffle, sausage sizzle etc.

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