Donating Shares
This is usually a simple process but please read the notes below carefully before sending us your share certificates, as shares can be held in many different ways. For this reason it is not possible to donate to ShareGift directly from this site, as we will need to see the shares you wish to give before we can prepare and send you the correct forms to sign. For information on how ShareGift can help with large donations please click here.
Donating Shares with a Share Certificate
Lost Certificates
Deceased Estates
Foreign Shares
Shares held for you by a Stockbroker in a Nominee Company
Shares held for you in a Corporate Nominee Account
If you are a Stockbroker/Nominee Company acting on behalf of a Client
If you are a Solicitor/Professional Adviser acting on behalf of a Client
Invalid Certificates
Uncashed Dividend Cheques
ShareGift’s Share Sale Policy
ShareGift’s Charitable Donation Policy
Data Protection
Donating Shares with a Share Certificate
If you have a share certificate in your name, you will need to fill in the Donation Coupon and send it to us with the share certificate(s) that you wish to give to ShareGift. Please do not send dividend tax vouchers only: we will need the share certificate(s) in order to make the transfer. When we receive your share certificate(s) we will prepare and send you the relevant transfer form(s) with the details filled in for you. All you need to do is to check the details, then sign and return the form(s) for us to complete the donation. If you are unable to print the Donation Coupon, send the share certificate(s) to us with a covering note, making sure we have your current address and the registration details for the share certificate(s) you enclose. You may make a charity suggestion to us at this point if you wish. Please note that we cannot accept responsibility for share certificates sent to us in the post, but your shares will still be registered in your name until the transfer is completed.
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Lost Certificates
In most cases you can still donate your shares even if you do not have your share certificate. Please send us full details of your shareholding, including your full registered name, address, the number of shares that you hold, and your shareholder reference number. You will find this information on most correspondence sent to you by the company- for example on dividend tax vouchers.
Deceased Estates
If a sole shareholder has died, please also send a sealed copy of the grant of probate. If a joint shareholder has died, please send a certified copy of the death certificate. If there is no probate on the estate, you will need to contact the company’s registrars who will explain how to proceed.
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Foreign Shares
ShareGift can accept many foreign shares as well as UK listed shares. It depends on how difficult it is to arrange the transfer, but we always do our best to help. Australian and South African shares are usually acceptable. All Australian shares are now held electronically, so all we need is a copy of your statement giving details of the holding and SRN (Shareholder Reference Number). We can transfer many US and Canadian shares, though there are complications if the shares are held by a company or in a deceased estate; we are glad to advise you – please send the certificate(s) so we can investigate if necessary. Certificates for shares registered in certain countries are not easily transferred, especially in small numbers; because of this we cannot currently accept shares registered in Malaysia or most other Far East markets. If your non-UK shares are already held in a nominee account, transferring them is likely to be an easier process – please contact ShareGift. Please note that we cannot accept responsibility for share certificates sent to us in the post, but your shares will still be registered in your name until the transfer is completed.
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Shares held for you by a Stockbroker in a Nominee Company
You will need to instruct your stockbroker or financial adviser to contact us to arrange to transfer your shares to ShareGift. Each nominee company has its own procedure for transfers. This sometimes involves a fee, which is out of ShareGift’s control, but we do work with most nominee companies and many will waive their fee if you explain that you are donating to ShareGift.
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Shares held for you in a Corporate Nominee Account
If you have shares in a corporate nominee account you will need to fill in the Donation Coupon and send it to us with your statement (or a copy of it) and we will send you the appropriate form to sign. In some cases we can arrange for a direct transfer, but sometimes it is necessary to get an actual certificate issued for your shareholding so that the transfer to ShareGift can proceed. We can help with this.
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If you are a Stockbroker/Nominee Company acting on behalf of a Client
Click Here
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If you are a Solicitor/Professional Adviser acting on behalf of a Client
Click Here
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Invalid Certificates
Some certificates are invalid and not all shareholdings can be easily transferred. You can find out by contacting the registrars, whose details will be on the certificate or other papers relating to your shareholding. If you have sent us a certificate which is invalid or a transfer is otherwise not possible, we will return the certificate and explain the reasons.
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Uncashed Dividend Cheques
Unfortunately ShareGift can only accept these if you write to the company’s registrars asking for the funds to be redirected to us; this is because we cannot cash cheques made out to you, even if endorsed.
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ShareGift’s Share Sale Policy
Our policy is to sell donated and aggregated shares as soon as practicable, although larger holdings of shares are sold without delay. We do not carry out instructions on when to sell and we do not take an investment view on our holdings. The value of shares can change rapidly and without warning, both up and down - this is not something that ShareGift is responsible for. If you give a share donation to ShareGift it is important that you do not have fixed expectations about its value when sold.
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ShareGift’s Charitable Donation Policy
Donations to charities are made at the discretion of our Trustees, informed by suggestions from share donors and other supporters who help us to create our income. This policy means that applications for funding are not entertained. ShareGift is cause-neutral and there are no restrictions on the kind of charitable work we may support, or where in the world it takes place, so long as the charity receiving the donation is UK-registered. Donations are made as unrestricted funding and charities may choose to put donations received toward their core costs if they wish. We believe this to be the most effective way in which we can support the work of charities to which we donate.
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Data Protection
ShareGift will only use the information you give us (and any information you may provide us with in the future) to carry out the transfer of your shares. We will not disclose this information to any other person or organisation except in connection with the above purposes. ShareGift will only contact you about your donation of shares.
For this reason we do not give out the names of ShareGift’s donors to beneficiary charities. However, if you would like to let a charity know that you have made a donation to ShareGift, mentioning them to us, you are of course welcome to do so.