Regular giving event sign up

What is regular giving?

Regular giving is a great way to donate to Mary’s Meals – it simply means that a supporter has chosen to create a Direct Debit, standing order, recurring card payment or recurring payroll gift to support our work. Most commonly this is organised on a monthly basis but it can also be set up for other frequencies and at any donation value.

Not only do small gifts accumulate over time into huge acts of generosity, but regular giving also gives Mary’s Meals the ability to plan ahead.

Regular giving helps us to keep our promise to the children we feed, reach the next child waiting with our nutritious school meals and is key to realising our vision that every child has enough to eat and can go to school. 

We know that having a Direct Debit, or similar method of regular giving set up, also gives our supporters the convenience of spreading their donations over the year.

How does the regular gift matching work?

During 2025 the kindness of new regular givers will go three times as far – meaning your donation can feed even more hungry children with Mary’s Meals. 

If you set up a regular gift to Mary’s Meals, through this webpage in 2025 your first three donations will be tripled by a generous donor who has promised to make match funding available, up to £250,000.  Your generosity can help us to access all the available funding.

Will existing regular gifts be tripled?

If you already have a regular gift to Mary’s Meals, any increase made to its value will be tripled for the next three payments when increased in 2025.  

Will all donations to Mary’s Meals qualify for tripling?

The match funding only applies to regular gifts set up 2025 (which we recognise as a new Direct Debit, standing order, recurring card payments or payroll gift), and increases in donation value for existing regular givers.

Regular gifts can be set up at any time in 2025 and will be tripled for the first three payments.  

What kind of donations can be tripled?

• New regular gifts (Direct Debits, recurring card payments, standing orders or payroll gifts) set up in 2025: the first three donations made will be tripled.
• Existing regular gifts: if a supporter chooses to increase the value of their regular gift in 2025, the additional amount will be tripled for the next three payments.
• There are no upper or lower limits on gift amounts.
   

I have a Sponsor A School Direct Debit set up. Can this be tripled?

Any increases to Direct Debits for Mary’s Meals made during 2025 are eligible, including those which go towards Sponsor A School projects.

However, the additional (tripled) amount will not count towards your Sponsor A School goal and will instead go towards our work feeding children around the world. Only your increased regular donation will count towards your Sponsor A School fundraising target.

What is payroll giving?   

Payroll giving, workplace giving or Give As You Earn (GAYE) is a fantastic scheme for employed UK taxpayers to donate money to Mary's Meals.  

A payroll giving scheme allows you to make donations directly from your gross pay before tax (but after National Insurance deductions). This means that your donation will cost you up to 45% less than if you simply made a one-off donation after tax.  

Your first step is to find out if your employer currently offers payroll giving. If they do, it’s as easy as letting your employer know you’d like to donate to Mary’s Meals, and how much you’d like to give each pay period. 

If your employer is not yet set up for payroll giving, you can speak with them to encourage them to set up a scheme. It’s really easy for them to do, and you can provide them with a link to our dedicated payroll giving page to provide all the information they need.  

New payroll gifts set up in 2025, will be tripled for the first three payments.   

If an existing payroll gift to Mary’s Meals is increased in 2025, the additional amount will be eligible for tripling for the next three payments. To increase your payroll gift, speak to your employer. 

What donations will not qualify for matching?

• Regular gifts set up after the end of 2025. These donations will, however, still make a big difference to our life-changing work.
• Existing regular gifts. An exception applies if the supporter decides to increase their donation, with the increased difference being tripled for three donations.
• Only regular giving donations will be tripled – not single donations, funds raised, digital gifts, gift cards etc.
• If you are unsure if your donations are eligible to be matched, please contact us at info@marysmeals.org or on 0800 698 1212.
   

How will the money be spent?

Donations from our regular givers will help us to continue reaching more than 2.4 million children every school day with our nutritious meals and give us the ability to expand our work where we are most needed.  

How do I become a regular giver?

• You can sign up on our website  
• Call us on 0800 698 1212
• Or email us at info@marysmeals.org 
   

How do I increase the amount of my existing regular gift?

To increase your Direct Debit or recurring card payment, contact us on 0800 698 1212 or info@marysmeals.org To increase your standing order, please contact your bank. To increase an existing payroll gift, please contact your employer.

How will I be kept up to date about the impact of my regular gift?

You will receive an exclusive monthly newsletter, called The Promise, which will show the huge impact of your generosity.

To receive this, please ensure you’re signed up to receive our emails. You can do this by phoning us on 0800 698 1212 or visiting marysmeals.org.uk/subscribe.