Our unusual name, Toybox, was chosen to capture the visual representation that every child deserves a childhood free from harm in a loving, nurturing family.
You can sign up to receive free email and/or postal updates, with regular news of our work and what you can do to support it here.
We have 11 staff and a mix of full-time and part-time hours. We also have a team of volunteers who are trained to speak on our behalf at events and community groups.
We do not sell or share any of our supporters’ details with other charities or data brokers. This is a firm and absolute commitment from us to you. Our supporters’ details are stored in accordance with the Data Protection Act.
In accordance with the most up to date fundraising regulations, we do not buy contact details from anywhere. You can read more in our Data Protection Policy here.
At Toybox we want to delight and surpass your expectations. After all, without your support we would not be able to continue to help change the world for street children. We aim to provide a consistently high level of fundraising and supporter care and love to receive any positive feedback you may wish to share with us. We also understand that there may be occasions when a supporter is not happy with an interaction or communication they have received and we would ask that you let us know this too.
You can decide exactly how you would like to get in touch with us: You can call the team on 01908 360080. Our phone lines are open Monday to Friday from 8.30am to 4.30pm. Outside of these hours you can always leave us a message and a contact number and someone will return your call as soon as possible. Alternatively you can email us at supporters@toybox.org or write to us at: Toybox, Challenge House, Sherwood Drive, Bletchley, Milton Keynes, MK3 6DP. Please include your name, address and contact telephone number in your email or letter if you would like us to respond via this method. To ensure that we can resolve your query, please make any complaint or feedback within 12 weeks of the incident or communication received.
Our income comes from the UK public with donations from individyals, groups, churches, corporates and charitable foundations.
You can find all the answers in our latest Annual Report. For every £1 that we spend on fundraising we aim to raise £5. Currently, 80p in every £1 is spent on direct charitable expenditure.
In the last financial year, Toybox and our partners supported over 12,000 street children, their families and communities across the world. We couldn't have done it without people like you – thank you for standing with us as we change the world for street children.
Donating online via our website is the most cost-effective way for you to donate, but we do love hearing from you too! You can get in touch with the Supporter Relations team on 01908 360080 or at supporters@toybox.org
You can also donate via the post by sending a cheque to Toybox, Challenge House, Sherwood Drive, Bletchley, Milton Keynes, MK3 6DP. If you have received a mailing from us, you should have a Freepost envelope enclosed. If not, please send to the address above. Thank you.
Unfortunately, this is not something we can offer to our supporters. This is due to various reasons but mainly that customs regulations, transport and communications make the process of exporting second-hand items very complicated, time-consuming and expensive – something that we, and our partners, do not feel is the best use of our resources.
Regular giving is the best way to support Toybox as it lets us plan our work more effectively. It means we have a reliable income we can always count on. You can set up a regular donation for us here or by getting in touch on 01908 360080 oy by email at supporters@toybox.org.
When you make a donation to Toybox, the money will be allocated to 'general funds' which gives us the scope to focus on where the need is greatest and respond immediately to situations street children find themselves in. It is vital that we are able to spend money where it is most needed at any given time.
Our Supporter Relations team are available to help you with any queries regarding your donations and you can reach them on 01908 360080 or by email at: supporters@toybox.org.
Our Supporter Relations team are available to help you with any queries regarding your donations and you can reach them on 01908 360080 or by email at: supporters@toybox.org.
Thank you for your support, which is extremely valuable to us, because of this we'd be grateful of the opportunity to discuss your reasons for cancelling. If you can't maintain your current level of giving, a small amount would still be very much appreciated. Our Supporter Relations team are available to help you with any queries regarding your donations and you can reach them on 01908 360080 or by email at: supporters@toybox.org.
Please note, for donations made via Standing Order, you will need to contact your bank directly as your bank will only take instruction from you. We would however be grateful if you could let us know you have done this, so that we can amend our records. Thank you.
If you would like to send us your details either by post, email or phone, we will be able to cancel your Gift Aid declaration with immediate effect.
Legacies make a very important contribution to our fundraising here at Toybox – we are very grateful to those that decide to leave one to us. Visit our legacies page for more information.
If you have a UK Bank Account, you can support Toybox by setting up a Direct Debit or Standing Order or making a one-off gift by cheque or card payment. Alternatively, we accept gifts through Paypal or by bank transfer.
Working with street children is complex and the transitory nature of many children means that sometimes, they don’t stay in the same place for extended periods of time. This makes traditional one-to-one sponsorship difficult. As a twist on traditional sponsorship, Toybox runs a Global Ambassador programme. You can find out more about this programme here.
Yes, please do write, however we would really encourage you to write to the project your Ambassador attends as many more of the children will be able to enjoy hearing your news.
We would encourage you not to send birthday cards to the Ambassador you are linked with as they represent other children in their projects, who, naturally will not receive cards from the UK on their birthdays and this can create unintentional divisions.
Whilst you won’t t receive a letter back from your Ambassador, you will receive updates twice a year including photos and videos of the child you are linked to and their progress.
Due to the complex nature of our work, the high vulnerability of the children and families we work alongside and the dangers associated with some of the areas we work in, we unfortunately cannot facilitate visits to Toybox-supported project.
One of the biggest challenges our partner’s face is gaining street children’s trust. Unsurprisingly, when children are regularly abused or beaten by adults, they learn to be distrustful of strangers. Our partners spend a huge amount of time building trust with the children they work alongside. For many children, this constant and familiar presence from a trusted adult is one of the first steps on their journey away from the streets. For a this, and number of other reasons, we are not able to support gap years or any short or long-term volunteering opportunities to Toybox-supported projects including the Child Ambassador projects
Unfortunately, this is not something we can offer to our supporters. This is due to various reasons but mainly that customs regulations, transport and communications make the process of exporting second-hand items very complicated, time-consuming and expensive – something that we, and our partners, do not feel is the best use of our resources. Where items are required for children such as school supplies or first aid items, these are purchased in country which in turn helps to support the local economy.
The safety of the children we support is our number one priority.
Toybox work closely with our specialist overseas partners, providing additional training and support to ensure that robust safeguarding policies are agreed and implemented. Our partners are responsible for training and supervising all staff and volunteers and there is regular communication to ensure that these policies are being followed.
We recognise that the children we work with are vulnerable and we must take every step we can to ensure that our interactions with children are safe, appropriate and that their participation is voluntary.
You can find our safeguarding policy here.
Whilst we completely understand your desire to know more information about the child you have helped to register, unfortunately this isn’t something we are able to facilitate at this time. As a small UK charity working with small overseas local partners, we simply don’t have the resources to monitor which child is registered by each donation for a birth certificate. Since our birth registration work began, we’ve helped to register over 10,000 children so we really hope you understand our reasoning behind this.
Toybox’s role with these children is not to proselytise (i.e. to give support based on a child hearing a religious message) but to help remove them from and prevent them getting into dangerous situations. Some of the projects that we work in are based within churches or faith environments and so the children will have the opportunity to hear a Christian message if they want to, but their receipt of help and support from Toybox and our partners is in no way dependent upon that.
No, we are a Christian organisation – our Christian faith inspires but doesn’t dictate our work. Toybox is a Christian organisation which gets its sleeves rolled up and stuck into helping street children. Toybox’s role with these children is not to proselytise but to help them remove themselves from and prevent them getting into dangerous physical situations. These are our areas of expertise. There are others who are very gifted preachers and evangelists and that is their calling. We believe that supporting these children’s most urgent, practical needs to be ours.
Some of the projects that we work in are based within churches or faith environments and so the children may hear a Christian message if they want to but their receipt of help and support from Toybox and our partners is in no way dependent upon that. Some of the countries we work in are Christian countries so faith and church are normal everyday topics - more so than in the UK, so the children do have the opportunity to hear the Christian message if they want to.
Whether you are looking for your next chosen charity partner or holding a one-off fundraising event at work - we would love to hear from you.
Take a look here for more information about corporate charity partnerships
Looking for fundraising ideas in your workplace? Visit our fundraising page.
Thank you for your interest in volunteering for Toybox. We welcome support from our Toybox community from public speakers sharing our message in schools, churches and community groups, to social media ambassadors. If you would like to give some of your time to Toybox please get in touch with us on 01908 360080 or by emailing supporters@toybox.org. You can also register your interest to become a Toybox Speaker using this online form.
Thank you for your interest in fundraising for Toybox. We have a whole host of ideas of how your school can support Toybox here.
We have speakers around the UK who can join you in person or remotely in assembly or in the classroom to talk to the children about Toybox and fundraising in school. To find out more or to book a speaker at no cost take a look here.
One great way of supporting our work, and having fun as you raise money, is to fundraise. Please go to our fundraising page for ideas. If you want any resources, please get in touch with supporters@toybox.org or give Jenny a call on 01908 360080.
Absolutely! Toybox have volunteer speakers around the UK who are fully trained to deliver presentations about our work with street children to you and your congregation. Please get in touch with supporters@toybox.org or give Jenny a call on 01908 360080 to discuss what you’re looking for and we will do our very best to make it happen!
Toybox collecting boxes are not licenced be used for house-to-house or street collection. For collecting outside supermarkets, you must have permission from the owner or manager; this permission must be obtained in writing so you have proof of your permission if challenged. You must obtain the permission of the owner or manager before leaving the box in shops, pubs, hospitals, schools, clubs, etc. Once you have this permission in writing, please contact us with the details and we will be happy to help.
Please do get in touch at info@toybox.org if you think you have the knowledge, skills and passion for street children and would be a good fit for our wonderful Board of Trustees. You can also visit our jobs page where current Board vacancies and other jobs information are listed.
Thanks so much for your interest! You can find any latest vacancies and jobs information here. You can also keep an eye on our Facebook, Instagram, and Linkedin pages for updates on any roles we are advertising as they happen. Please note that we currently do not accept speculative applications.
Thank you so much for your interest in supporting Toybox. There are a number of different ways you can get involved with us, such as becoming a Toybox speaker, a social media ambassador or simply by sharing the work of Toybox with your friends, family and communities. For all the latest ideas, please get in touch with us at supporters@toybox.org.uk or give Jenny a call on 01908 360080 and we would be happy to help.
We have a sister organisation in America. The Toybox USA Foundation is a registered 501c3 with a mission to change the world for street children. You can find out more at www.toyboxusafoundation.org
To help ensure that your donations are used in the best way possible to have the most impact directly on street children’s lives, a number of years ago Toybox made the decision to stop selling crafts and Christmas cards as it was no longer a cost-effective activity for us.
Our current commitments to our carefully chosen local partners meaning we are not looking for any new partnerships at the moment.
One of the biggest challenges our partner’s face is gaining street children’s trust. Unsurprisingly, when children are regularly abused or beaten by adults, they learn to be distrustful of strangers. Our partners spend a huge amount of time building trust with the children they work alongside. For many children, this constant and familiar presence from a trusted adult is one of the first steps on their journey away from the streets. For a this, and number of other reasons, we are not able to support gap years or any short or long-term volunteering opportunities to Toybox-supported projects.
No. Toybox works with a variety of local partners, some of whom are Christian organisations, and others who are not. Our role, to reach the most marginalised children, is to engage with best local organisations who are dedicated to improving the lives of street children and have the knowledge, expertise and skills to do so. Many of the local partner staff we work with are Christian, but this is not a prerequisite for working with Toybox, as we believe that God can work through any organisation or person to transform street children lives.
Toybox’s role is not to preach the gospel, but in some of the countries we work in our projects are based within churches or faith environments and so the children will have the opportunity to hear a Christian message if they want to, but their receipt of help and support from Toybox and our partners is in no way dependent upon that.
No, we are a Christian organisation – our hristian faith inspires but doesn’t dictate our work. Toybox is a Christian organisation which gets its sleeves rolled up and stuck into helping street children. Toybox’s role with these children is not to proselytise but to help them remove themselves from and prevent them getting into dangerous physical situations. These are our areas of expertise. There are others who are very gifted preachers and evangelists and that is their calling. We believe that supporting these children’s most urgent, practical needs to be ours.
Some of the projects that we work in are based within churches or faith environments and so the children may hear a Christian message if they want to but their receipt of help and support from Toybox and our partners is in no way dependent upon that. Some of the countries we work in are Christian countries, so faith and church are normal everyday topics - more so than in the UK, so the children do have the opportunity to hear the Christian message if they want to.