What £5 or £10 a month does for a local group

Plenty of people would happily help a local group if there were a simple way to do it, but they do not have £20 a month spare, or they are not sure a small amount makes a difference. Here is how small amounts work in the Supporting Communities pot.

Every amount goes in the same pot

When you give, your monthly payment goes into one shared pot, along with everyone else's. A £5 sponsor goes in just like a £50 sponsor. There is no need to find neighbours to split a bill.

How the amounts add up

A community website costs £20 a month. Each week I check the pot, and every £20 a month of unused support funds one more website. So the maths is simple:

• Four people giving £5 a month add up to £20, which funds one website
• Two people giving £10 a month add up to £20, which funds one website
• An extra £60 a month across several sponsors funds three websites

Those are examples of how the amounts add up, not a record of what has happened so far.

What it does for a group

A working website is a small thing that makes a big difference to a volunteer-run group. It helps people find the group and join in, and it saves the committee answering the same questions over and over. The weekly update round means the group never has to learn a new system or remember a password.

How you are thanked

• Listed by full name
• Listed by first name only
• Not listed at all, if you prefer to stay anonymous

The list is on the Our supporters page, and every website the pot funds links to it.

Things worth knowing

• It is a sponsorship, not a donation. I am not a charity, so there is no Gift Aid.
• No contract. You can stop at any time and payments stop.
• The pot is shared. You can tell me a preference for a type of group or an area, but I cannot promise your money reaches one particular group.
• You pay by card through Stripe, in set amounts of £5, £10, £20 or £50 a month. Other amounts can be agreed.

When you are ready, the individual sponsor page explains the steps.