Relief Chest

General

What is the role of the Relief Chest Representative?

The role of the Representative must be administered by only one officer. It is up to the Lodge/Chapter to decide who runs their Relief Chest. Usually it is the Charity Steward, Treasurer, etc.

The Representative:

  • is the only contact with the Relief Chest Office
  • can request the balance of the Chest at any time by email or telephone
  • is the recipient of all correspondence
  • is authorised to change any details
  • is one of the two authorised signatories to make a donation from the chest

In order to change the Representative for your Relief Chest, a Change of Relief Chest Representative form must be completed and returned to
us.

Alternatively, please contact the relief Chest office directly on 020 7395 9309 if you would like us to provide you with a copy.

Please see section 2.4 on page 5 in the Operating Manual and Rules handbook.


Payments In (Donations)

How can the donor change the amount and/or term on a Regular Donation (Direct Debit)?

If your Regular Donation has already started, we would advise you cancel your Direct Debit with your Bank and complete a new Regular Donation form.

However, if the first payment hasn’t been collected then changes can be made.

Please contact the Relief Chest Office on 020 7395 9246 to do this.

How can a donor amend their account details?

The donor will have to contact their bank or building society to change these details and the bank will notify us.

When making a donation, who is the cheque made payable to?

Relief Chest Scheme is operated under the registration no. 281942 of the Grand Charity. All cheques must be made payable to The Grand Charity which is the legal entity that holds the funds administered by the Relief Chest Scheme.

Why has Gift Aid not been reclaimed on a donation?

This is likely to be because we do not hold a valid Gift Aid declaration for the donor that enables us to reclaim tax.

How do I find out about Honorifics?

Please contact the Provincial Office and/or Masonic Charity. The Relief Chest does not deal with Honorific’s or Jewels.


Payments Out

Who are the authorised signatories on the Relief Chest Voucher?

We require two signatures from two officers of the Lodge. One of these signatories must be the Relief Chest Representative.

Can a donation to a non-registered or overseas charity be made from a Relief Chest?

The Relief Chest Scheme can only make payments to registered charities or organisations recognised by HMRC and the Charity Commission as ‘Charitable’.

Please see section 5.1.1 on page 11 in the ‘Operating Manual and Rules’ handbook.

Can a transfer be made to the Lodge’s Benevolent
Account/Association?

Donations cannot be made back to any Chest holder even if their benevolent fund is a registered charity.

Which Voucher (Blue or Green)?

Once a donation to a Charity has been approved in open Lodge (or equivalent), the Relief Chest Representative must complete and submit an appropriate Voucher. These Vouchers are uniquely numbered and issued to each Relief Chest.

Please see section 5.3.1 on page 13 in the ‘Operating Manual and Rules’ handbook.

Blue Voucher

This Voucher is to be completed for donations to the Central Masonic charities,
as listed on the Voucher.

Green Voucher

This Voucher is to be completed for donations to all non-Masonic charities and Masonic charities that are not listed on the blue Voucher. They may also be used to transfer funds to a Festival with a Relief Chest.

I have received a letter stating that my Relief Chest account has become Dormant. Why is this?

A dormant Chest is one in which no payment has been made out of the Relief Chest for two years.

To meet the expectations of HM Revenue & Customs that a Relief Chest has been opened for collecting and donating money to charity, it is important that we can demonstrate activity. A two-year period during which no charitable donations have been made requires investigation to confirm that the Chest is being maintained according to the principles of the Relief Chest Scheme.

For more information of dormant Chests, Please see section 9 on page 18 in the
‘Operating Manual and Rules’ handbook.

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