Help

To help with all things World Gifts, we've put together this list of our most frequently asked questions for you.

If you can't find an answer to your question, please call our friendly team on 0808 14 000 14.

Your website isn't working properly!

We're very sorry you're experiencing difficulties with our website. Please don't let that stop you ordering a lovely World Gift, give us a call on 0808 14 000 14 or email us on worldgifts@cafod.org.uk and we can process your order manually.

 

I've made a mistake! Can you help?

Yes we can. If you've ordered the wrong gift, the wrong type of gift card, or anything else, please call us so that we can help on 0808 14 000 14

We're open from 9.30am - 5.30pm but you can send an email to worldgifts@cafod.org.uk at any time. Please tell us your name, address and your order number so we can fix the problem as soon as possible.

 

My gifts haven't arrived...

It can take up to two weeks for posted gift cards to arrive with you, but on the rare occasions when gifts don't arrive on time, we will do whatever we can to help.

You should receive an eCard or Print at home gift within 20 minutes of placing your order. If you don't receive an e-mail please check your spam/junk folder as sometimes they can end up in there!

Please call us as soon as you can so that we can sort things out.

 

I have a delivery question

What do I receive?

If you order a gift card via the post - you will get a gorgeous gift card that describes how this amazing gift will change lives for the better! There is also room for you to personalise the card before passing it on. 

If you order an eCard - you can instantly send an animated gift via email directly to a loved one. You can include a personalised message with this card. 

If you order a certificate to download and print at home - we will email you the link to your chosen gift card once you have completed your purchase. We have recently updated our Print at home pdf's to ensure that they are easy to print and use less paper and colour and are therefore even more eco-friendly! 

If you order a card to be sent directly to a friend – your loved one will receive a beautifully illustrated card explaining how your gift will change lives. All of this with a personalised message that you filled in online so that it doesn’t arrive anonymously! 

Some gifts don't come with a gift card and can only be sent to you in the post, such as our stickers, Fairtrade chocolate or fun sheets. (Virtual chocolate is no fun at all.) 

These gifts are all ethically sourced and proceeds from their sale go towards CAFOD's work, wherever these funds are most needed. 

 

How do I choose the gift cards? 

It's simple - as you choose your World Gift you'll be asked how you want to receive your card and what design you want. It's choosing between our gorgeous card designs that's the hard part!

 

What's this about free delivery?

Whatever you order through World Gifts, we can post it to you for free. That warm and fuzzy feeling you get when you place the order is free as well.

If you'd like to make a top up donation to cover delivery costs that would be completely lovely of you. You can add a donation to your basket before you check out with one easy click.

 

How long does delivery take?

If you choose standard delivery -  Orders received with free Standard Shipping are normally dispatched using Royal Mail 1st class postage (2nd class after Christmas period) within 3 working days and should arrive within 10 working days but can take longer during Christmas postal rush. On the rare occasions when gifts don't arrive on time, we will do whatever we can to help.

Order by 14th December for a free standard Christmas delivery. As always, our advice it to order early and avoid the Christmas postal rush and disappointment. 

CAFOD regrets it is unable to guarantee that orders received after 14 December will be delivered in time for Christmas.

If you choose express delivery - On posted gift cards and presents, we offer express delivery for £5 (Royal Mail Special delivery) which should reach you in 1-2 working days. Please note, if you place your order after midday on Friday we will not be able to dispatch your order until Monday, so you will not receive your order until Tuesday or Wednesday. 

Please make sure to place your order by 12 noon on 19 December for a guaranteed Express delivery in time for Christmas. 

Please do get in touch if your order hasn't arrived after 10 days for standard delivery and 5 days for express. 

If you choose eCard or Print at home -You should receive an eCard or Print at home gift within 20 minutes of placing your order. If you don't receive an e-mail please check your spam/junk folder as sometimes they can end up in there!

 

I can't wait that long! Can I get my gifts quicker?

For those last-minute present solutions, you can order an eCard or print-at-home card and your gift will arrive instantly! 

On posted gift cards and presents, we offer express delivery for £5 which should reach you in 1-2 working days. Call us by midday on Monday to Friday or order by noon online to get your gifts by signed for delivery the very next working day.

Please note, if you place your order after midday on Friday we will not be able to dispatch your order until Monday, so you will not receive your order until Tuesday or Wednesday.

Please do get in touch if your order hasn't arrived after 10 days for standard delivery and 5 for express. 

 

Can you send the card directly to my friend/family member/pet?

Yes! We now have an option to personalise your card online and send it directly to your loved one. Unfortunately, we can only send to one address per order, but we hope this still helps to speed up your Christmas present buying! 

You can still order World Gifts cards directly to the person who orders them so that you can personalise the gift card before handing it on. The perfect choice if you want to hand-write your cards, give them as part of a bigger parcel, or if you want to order lots of World Gifts at once before distributing them to your loved ones. 

Remember, eCards are sent directly (and instantly) to the email address you choose and you can send a personalised message too! 

Please note: Unfortunately at this time, we are only able to print characters used in the English and Welsh languages, on our cards, in respect of the names, messages and addresses you provide for personalisation. Characters used in other languages, such as accented characters, may not be printed correctly.

 

I live outside the UK. Can I buy World Gifts?

Yes, of course!

Sadly, we can't guarantee delivery times or offer the next day delivery service for non-UK addresses. The eCards and print at home options can be a perfect choice as your gift arrives instantly, they're also the green option! 

How do Referrals work? 

Refer a friend and you and your friend will receive a free gift on us!  

Once you have placed an online order with us (minimum spend £10) you should see a Referral box pop up after the checkout. The Referral box will include a unique link which you can copy and send to your friend or loved one via email or through a messaging service. Your friend will then need to use the link and purchase a World Gift that’s £10 or over to qualify for a free gift. Once they have completed their purchase, we will email you to let you know that your friend has successfully completed their purchase and have qualified for the free gift.   

What do I need to do to qualify to get a free gift if I refer a friend?  

You will need to place an order with us in order to get your unique referral link and share that link with a friend. Once they have placed an order, you will both receive a free gift on us.  

How do I get my free gift?

Once your friend has placed their order, we will send you an email containing a link to claim your free gift.

How many people can I refer?  

The code that you access at the checkout can be shared with as many people as you like and they can all get a free gift when they spend minimum £10. However, if you are the referrer then you should only receive one email telling you that you can claim your free gift though, we've limited that to one per customer.  

What if I recommend someone but I don't want to claim my free gift once they've made a purchase? 

That's fine too! You can just ignore the email you receive from us letting you know your friend has claimed their gift. 

What if I want to recommend someone but they don't want to claim a free gift? 

First off, thanks for being so enthusiastic about World Gifts! You don't have to use the code generated at the checkout to recommend us, we're just encouraging people to spread the word. Also, if your friend doesn't want a free gift, they can still follow the link and place the order, but remove the free gift from their cart. Once they complete their order you'll still be able to access your free gift, but we won't force your friend to take one! 

Is there a minimum spend for the referee to receive the free gift?  

Your friend will need to spend at least £10 with us in order for you both to qualify for a free gift.  

Why are you giving anything away for free? 

We want to say thank you! We hope a free gift will persuade some of you to recommend us who might not remember to otherwise (everyone loves a free gift after all). If you don't want to claim the free gift then you don't have to and don't worry, nothing will go to waste!  

My free gift hasn’t arrived yet. What do I do?  

If you and your friend have placed an order with us and have qualified for a free gift, you should receive your free gift in the post via standard delivery (which can take anywhere from 2 weeks to 4 weeks to arrive especially during the Christmas and Easter rush) but if it’s been more than 10 days since we emailed to confirm your free gift, then feel free to contact us and we can check if it has been dispatched. You can call us on 0808 14 000 14 or email us on worldgifts@cafod.org.uk.  

Are referrals available offline as well? 

No, this promotion is only available online.  

 

How do World Gifts work?

What are World Gifts?

World Gifts are an amazing way to make a difference! You buy a virtual gift, get a gift card to pass on and your donation will then change someone else's life.

For more details on how your purchase funds our work visit How it works

 

Are the gifts real?

You betcha! World Gifts are real examples of CAFOD’s life-changing work from our projects around the world.

When you buy a gift, your donation will go into one of five funds that cover different types of work so that we can reach those most in need with practical help.

For instance, when you buy Teach someone to read, the money from your gift will go into our Education fund. It will then fund all kinds of CAFOD education projects that provide training, school supplies and safe places to learn.

Head over to Gifts in action to find out more.

 

What's CAFOD?

We're so glad you asked! CAFOD is a charity that works with local experts to reach people in poverty throughout the world. We help families in Africa, Latin America, Asia and the Middle East to change their lives for the better.

To find out more, mosey on over to cafod.org.uk. Remember to come back when you're done!

 

Why are your prices for some World Gifts different to other charities?

The short answer is that we don't know! It's difficult for us to say how other charities come to price their virtual gifts and what is included in that cost.

We do know that all of our charity gifts are priced from real examples of our life-changing projects and include essential extras like training or tools.

 

My question is more about fundraising

I want to use World Gifts in my school. Can you help me?

Thank you, hooray and of course we can!

Please check out cafod.org.uk/schoolsworldgifts for special fundraising ideas and free resources.

If you would like Christmas catalogues to give out at your Nativity play please call us to order some for free, or order here.

 

I want to support World Gifts in my parish. Can you help me?

A huge thank you and hooray to you too! Please check out our blog on special fundraising ideas and free resources. 

If you would like more catalogues to give out at a carol service or after Mass then please call us to order some for free or order here. 

We know that trying to fundraise in parishes is very different at the moment. We hope you can still find a way to come together to buy some World Gifts! 

 

How much money do you spend on promoting World Gifts? 

We know how vitally important it is to be good stewards of the money donated to us and we work to lower costs where we can. Our Christmas catalogue costs less than 6p to print.

For every £1 we spent on promoting World Gifts, we raise more than £4 for our life-changing work overseas. 

 

Other

Are World Gifts environmentally friendly?

Absolutely. Our eCards are sent by email and are therefore the greenest option, but rest assured that all of our printed items use paper that comes from sustainable sources.

 

How can I order a Christmas catalogue?

Why not order more than one? They're free and they will surely surprise and delight your friends and family!

You can order online or call 0808 14 000 14 to speak to one of our lovely Supporter Care team.

 

Does Gift Aid apply to World Gifts?

The brilliant news is YES. We can claim Gift Aid on all virtual World Gifts along with any top-up donations.

Orders of tote bags, colouring pencils and the like aren't eligible for Gift Aid and neither are orders made by organisations like schools and parishes.

If you can, please tick the Gift Aid box when you make your order as we can do so much good with the extra money we claim!

Please note that although Gift Aid can be claimed on the donations towards World Gifts, due to the way in which Gift Aid is claimed, we are unable to attribute it to additional World Gifts.

 

What are your terms and conditions?

Congratulations! You've read all of our frequently asked questions. (Or you've quickly scrolled to the bottom of this page.)

However you got here, your reward is a link to the World Gifts Terms and Conditions