★ FAQ ★
You've got questions,
We've got answers!
Donations - Section 18A
If you are a South African taxpayer, your donations (of up to 10% of your taxable income) can be deducted from your taxable income on your annual tax return.
Detailed information from SARS:
“A taxpayer, that may include an individual, trust or company, making a donation in cash or of property in kind is entitled to a deduction in determining that taxpayer’s taxable income provided the donation is actually paid or transferred during the year of assessment to the section 18A-approved organisation….
…the allowable deduction may not exceed 10% of the taxable income (excluding any retirement fund lump sum benefit, retirement fund lump sum withdrawal benefit and severance benefit) of the taxpayer as calculated before allowing any deduction for donations under section 18A or a deduction for foreign taxes under section 6quat(1C).”
Sparrow Society is also a 501c3 registered charity in the USA. While you can make donations in USD via our South African website, we do also have a USD based website accepting USD donations and set up for US tax receipts at www.sparrowsociety.org. To continue on this site, we can still issue your 501c3 tax receipt as long as you make your donation using the USD converter on our portal and we will email your donation receipt separately. The default receipt on this site is for South African tax payers. If you experience any issues or do not receive your US receipt, please let us know at hello(at)sparrowsociety.org
If you process your donation through the online form above, your Section 18A certificate that you will need for tax deduction will be automatically emailed to you. If you process your donation offline, please email proof of payment to hello (@) sparrowsociety.co.za and we will populate your certificate manually for you.
The section 18A certificate may only be issued in respect of donations received in cash or kind (other than services). A misconception is that if the donation consists of free services rendered to the PBO, the PBO must also issue a section 18(A) certificate to the provider of the service. This is not the case.
Donations that do not qualify, for a deduction:
- Donations of a service, such as time, effort, or skill to an approved organisation;
Amount paid for the attending of a fundraising event/charity event; - Amount paid for the successful bid of goods auctioned at a fundraising/charity event by an organisation (and which goods have been donated for the event);
- Sponsorship and advertising;
Investing in Sparrow Society is investing in the future of female entrepreneurship and upliftment, over 90% of our beneficiaries are women and this investment helps build a better future for African women, historically one of the most marginalised demographics globally.
Absolutely. Please contact us at hello (@) sparrowsociety.co.za.Â
Sparrow Society with a Board of Directors who meet once a year to review programme management and financial reports, identify key risks and opportunities and ensure that we remain true to our mission. The Board holds the organisational leadership accountable for the year’s goals and budgets which are approved annually. The organisation is also audited annually by external auditors who present their reports to the Board of Directors.
Our quantitative measurement of our activities is recorded via our Customer Relationship Manager (CRM) Salesforce, here we capture all the activities of our training programs and economic empowerment activities.
Branded & Bespoke
You can call or whatsapp us at +27 66 242 5698 or send an email to hello (at) sparrowsociety.co.za with details of the products you need. You can also send us a message via whatsapp that is the left icon on your homepage or contact form on the contact page.
Yes! All our products are locally and ethically manufactured in Cape Town, South Africa.
Yes, absolutely! Our workshop and Branded Showroom is based in Wynberg, South Africa. We would love to welcome you to show our product samples, discuss your concept and show you where the magic happens! Alternatively, our Partnerships Manager can also come and present the samples to your team at your workplace or via Teams Meeting and discuss your concept.
- Branded and Promotional items for corporates, conferences, churches, organisations, events
Gift With Purchase (GWP) : we team up with brands who offer - Gift with Purchase (usually in the form of a cosmetic bag or tote) to offer customers in major retailers across the country.
- Bespoke/CMT: We help designers make their product dreams come to life and help companies create the perfect product to match their needs. We offer standard CMT as well as Fully Factored Design service (product development).
- Retail Stores in South Africa and International , we have our own line of products featuring Afri-Mod prints and inspirational typographic prints. Wholesale options available.
We are here to help you! Contact us by phone, whatsapp (left icon on your screen), or email to book a visit to our Branded Showroom to see examples of our Promotional Product Offerings. We can basically make anything textile.
Yes, branded and unbranded samples can be arranged. These will need to be paid for in full. Please contact us to discuss your product.
Yes, we certainly can! We offer this free of charge on basic mock ups – for example your logo or design on one of our products. If you would like for us to assist in your design process ie. assist in design of your quote or layout and font options, this would be charged at an hourly rate.
Yes. We offer full-service design and R&D (research and development) to assist you in creating completely new and unique products.
All our products are locally and ethically manufactured by our amazing team in Cape Town. We offer a full solution from product development and design to final product or you can just add your logo or design to our existing offerings. Our vision is to empower women through job creation and skills development partnerships and initiatives in South Africa. Every time YOU partner with us, you join our mission to Change The World One Really Cool Product At A Time.
Absolutely. Bulk orders are where our team thrives. Our Sewboss network has grown to over 250 women, highly-skilled seamstresses all over Cape Town, and our logistics systems work like clock work. We are able to produce high quantities while still maintaining our high quality standards. Our current capacity is 30,000 units per month, though this can easily be increased if required.
We manufacture a range of high quality branded and bespoke products, made ethically and locally in South Africa. You can add your logo or design to our existing offerings, or we can offer a full solution from product development to final product. We can basically make anything textile – send us an image and details for more information.
Our product range and services include:
Textile based products – 100% cotton totes & zip pouches, cosmetic bags, coin purses.
Fabric Face Masks
We offer customizations using screen printing and digital printing
Recycled leather bracelets for conferences and events
Leather bags
Clothing – Fully Factored Manufacturing service that includes Technical drawings, pattern making, grading and sampling.
Our MOQ for bespoke products from our standard product range is 100 (eg- adding your logo/brand to a standard product). Any product that requires new product development outside of our standard product range (for example a custom shape or size, or added accent) is a minimum quantity of 500.
Our production capacity is very flexible. Currently we are able to produce 30,000 standard units (cosmetic bags) per week. This can easily be increased if you have a large order or short timeline.
Production time varies depending on current production levels, availability of materials, quantity ordered, and customisations required. Please note that orders are only put next in line in the production schedule once 50% deposit is received (or PO depending on payment term agreement), at which time our team will provide you with an ETA.
The estimated time table below is only an estimate and can vary according to the above mentioned specifications.
Please contact us for a more accurate indication on your specific product and our current production schedule.
Yes, rush orders may be accommodated for an additional fee depending on current production capacity. Please inquire to confirm if your order qualifies. We do always recommend the standard lead time to ensure your product is of the highest quality.Â
We are ready to assist you in selecting the product specs best suited for rush orders to maximize success.
To proceed with your order we require a 50% deposit. No materials will be ordered and your order will not be placed in production line until this deposit is received. We cannot accept responsibility for late delivery due to late payment. We also require the balance of the order to be paid before we dispatch the order to you. Please note that we can only release your products once the full order has been settled.

