For Gurdwaras

Claim 25% more on daswandh and sangat giving - straight from HMRC

Every Sikh who pays UK tax and gives through daswandh is eligible for Gift Aid - 25p extra for every £1, from the government, at no cost to the donor. Trust Alma makes it simple: a tablet in the langar hall, a 30-second declaration, and no more spreadsheets.

25p

Extra from HMRC on every £1 donated by a UK taxpayer

30 sec

Time for a returning donor to confirm their declaration

0%

Commission Alma takes from your Gift Aid - ever

Most gurdwaras in the UK collect significant regular income through daswandh, standing orders, and sangat contributions - but Gift Aid awareness and capture remains low. Manual paper forms, incomplete records, and time-consuming admin mean many gurdwaras claim only a fraction of what they’re entitled to. Trust Alma gives your committee a single, simple system: capture declarations at the door, log standing order payments in seconds, and export HMRC-ready claims in a few clicks. Bilingual English and Punjabi kiosk out of the box. No managed service, no percentage cut, full committee visibility.

Capabilities

Built for how gurdwaras give

Every feature designed around how Sikh communities already give - daswandh, sangat collections, and festival offerings.

Bilingual English and Punjabi kiosk

The kiosk welcome screen, prompts, and thank-you messages are available in English and Punjabi out of the box. Committee members can switch languages per device or let donors choose themselves.

Daswandh tracking

Log regular daswandh payments against each donor and reclaim Gift Aid on every single one. Returning donors are recognised by phone number and their declarations stay on file for four years.

Vaisakhi-ready

Big events like Vaisakhi, Gurpurabs and Nagar Kirtans bring large one-off collections. Alma's Campaigns feature lets donors choose which cause they are giving to on the kiosk, so Vaisakhi donations are tracked separately from regular giving with their own fundraising goal and progress bar.

Standing order capture

Log received standing order payments in seconds or import a bank statement. Every regular sangat donor's Gift Aid is captured automatically, claim after claim.

Full control, no commission

A flat monthly fee. A gurdwara recovering £20,000 a year pays Alma £990 total - less than 5% - and keeps every penny of what's claimed from HMRC. No percentage cut, ever.

Transparency for the sangat

Your committee sees every declaration, every claim, every audit entry. Export full reports for your AGM. Your sangat trusts you to be accountable - Alma helps you stay that way.

How it works

A typical day at the gurdwara

1

Set up in the langar hall

Mount an Android tablet near the entrance to the langar hall. Add your gurdwara's logo, colours, and a bilingual welcome. Total setup: 20 minutes.

2

When the sangat arrives

Donors tap the tablet, enter their mobile, and - if they're a UK taxpayer - confirm a Gift Aid declaration in Punjabi or English. Returning donors are recognised instantly and just confirm the amount.

3

Monthly claim

Your secretary or treasurer logs in to the Donation Hub, downloads an HMRC-ready CSV, and submits through Charities Online. Around 5 weeks later, the Gift Aid arrives in the gurdwara's bank account.

“We were doing daswandh claims by hand with a spreadsheet and we knew we were missing donors. Alma found them in the first month and our Gift Aid doubled.”

— Committee member, a London gurdwara (placeholder testimonial - real quote to follow)

FAQ

Common questions from gurdwara committees

Is Gift Aid allowed on daswandh?
Yes. As long as the donor is a UK taxpayer and gives of their own free will, daswandh is an ordinary charitable donation for Gift Aid purposes. HMRC doesn't care what the donor calls it - what matters is that it's a gift to a registered charity from a taxpayer.
What about donations in the golak?
Anonymous cash donations in the golak can't usually be Gift Aided because HMRC requires a named declaration. But the Gift Aid Small Donations Scheme lets you claim up to £8,000/year in top-up on small cash and contactless donations without a declaration. Alma tracks this automatically.
Can the kiosk show Punjabi?
Yes - the kiosk welcome screen, prompts, and thank-you messages are available in English and Punjabi. Committee members can switch at any time.
Does our existing spreadsheet still work?
Yes. Alma can import your existing donor data so you don't have to start from scratch. Once imported, every new declaration adds to the same donor record and builds a full giving history.
Can other committee members see everything?
Yes. Alma supports multiple admin users on the Team plan and unlimited on Business. Every action is logged in a full audit trail so your committee and trustees have complete visibility.

Ready to maximise your Gift Aid?

Join UK charities already using Alma to capture more Gift Aid declarations and reclaim 25% on every eligible donation.