Big Give Christmas Challenge
The Big Give Christmas Challenge is now CLOSED
Our Big Give Christmas Challenge has ended with an incredible £44,622 raised from 342 donors, smashing last year’s total!
We can’t thank you enough for this outpouring of support. Your kindness and generosity this week will make a huge difference in our plans to support the UK cleft community in 2025.
The Big Give may only last a week, but CLAPA needs your support all year round to ensure no one affected by cleft in the UK goes through their journey alone.
From special baby bottles to our Adults’ Conference, your donations and fundraising means CLAPA can be there where it matters the most. Learn more about our impact.
Check out our Christmas Hub to learn more about how you can support our work in December and beyond. You might even get one of our limited edition blue Santa hats!
What is the Big Give Christmas Challenge?
The Big Give Christmas Challenge is the UK’s largest 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, ShareGift and other CLAPA supporters for kindly providing CLAPA’s Big Give match-pot to double every donation!
To take part in the Big Give Christmas Challenge:
- Make a Donation of any amount through the Big Give Christmas Challenge portal. The portal will be live from midday on Tuesday 3rd December for exactly one week.
- 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]
Resources
Supporters’ Choice Award
From midday on Friday 6th until the Big Give closes on midday Tuesday 10th December, you can help CLAPA to win an extra £1,000 just by posting on social media!
To enter, post on X/Twitter or Instagram and:
- Use the hashtags: #BigGiveChoice and #ChristmasChallenge
- Tag: @clapacommunity AND @BigGive on X/Twitter or @BigGiveOrg on Instagram
- Explain: Why CLAPA should win the Supporters’ Choice Award.
Example posts for the Supporters’ Choice Award
Use one of the examples below and edit it to make it your own.
@clapacommunity should win the @BigGiveOrg Supporters’ Choice Award because they were an incredible support to me and my family when my son was born with a cleft three years ago. The information on CLAPA’s website made us feel so much more prepared for his birth. #BigGiveChoice #ChristmasChallenge
@clapacommunity should win the @BigGiveOrg Supporters’ Choice Award because the information they have for adults born with a cleft helped me get the treatment I needed, and the community I’ve found through them has been a huge confidence-booster. #BigGiveChoice #ChristmasChallenge
X/Twitter:
@clapacommunity should win the @BigGive Supporters’ Choice Award because they were an incredible support to my family when my son was born with a cleft. The information on CLAPA’s website made us feel so much more prepared for his birth. #BigGiveChoice #ChristmasChallenge
@clapacommunity should win the @BigGive Supporters’ Choice Award because the information they have for adults born with a cleft helped me get the treatment I needed, and the community I’ve found through them has been a huge confidence-booster. #BigGiveChoice #ChristmasChallenge
Donations in lieu of Christmas Cards
Post this image to let your family and friends know that instead of sending cards this festive season, you’ll be making a donation to CLAPA’s Big Give Christmas Challenge.
Use the post template below or write your own post to explain the Big Give and why you support CLAPA.
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 Post
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 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 10th 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/CLAPABigGive24 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.
Should you wish to make a bank transfer this can only be done with donations of £500 or more. Find out more about BACS donations.
Is there a limit to the donations that will be matched?
We have a ‘pot’ of £31,000 to use as match funding for donations received during that week. If we get over £31,000 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 a VERY ambitious target, so we’ll be delighted if we hit it!
Where does the Match Funding come from?
We have secured a pot of match funding from The Patrick & Helena Frost Foundation, ShareGift and other CLAPA supporters. They have pledged to match every eligible donation this week.
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]