If you’re thinking about raising money for a worthy cause, using an online fundraising platform can simplify the process and make it much easier to collect donations.
Here we run through some of the most popular fundraising platforms and some ideas for fundraising that you might not have considered.
Why should you use a fundraising platform?
The days of sponsorship forms and collecting cash from your friends and family are long gone, as fundraising platforms have become an increasingly popular and straightforward way to manage donations.
Some of the reasons that you might want to use a fundraising platform include:
- They’re easy to set up and personalise
- You can link your fundraising directly to your chosen charity and it’ll be paid automatically by the platform
- Your fundraising page can be shared easily
- They come with a variety of payment options, making it easier than ever for people to donate
- You don’t need to worry about sending cash or making deposits for your chosen charity
Another reason for using a fundraising platform is that the platform will usually sort out Gift Aid for you, which boosts the amount your chosen charity receives.
What is Gift Aid?
Gift aid is a form of tax relief that can be claimed on certain charitable donations on behalf of eligible UK taxpayers. When applied, Gift Aid means that charities can earn an extra 25p for every £1 donated, without the person donating having to spend a penny more.
You can claim Gift Aid on donations from individuals who have paid the same amount or more in Income Tax or Capital Gains Tax in that tax year and have made a Gift Aid declaration that gives you permission to claim it. You can read more about this in our guide Giving to charity – how to make your donations go further.
A useful feature of raising money through an online fundraising platform is that your donors will manage the Gift Aid options themselves, so you don’t need to worry about what can or can’t be claimed.
How do online fundraising platforms work?
Most fundraising platforms allow you to set up your own page within minutes and personalise it for your particular cause. You can then share your page with friends, family and colleagues so they can donate online if they wish to do so.
Fundraising platforms take away the administrative work of collecting and sending donations to a charity, but they do charge a fee for this service. Most platforms apply a small percentage charge plus a fixed fee against each donation. Each platform charges slightly different rates, so it’s worth comparing these when thinking about which platform to choose.
Some charities offer their own fundraising platforms to get around these fees, so if you plan to raise money for a specific charity, check if there’s a preferred one that you should use.
What are the best online fundraising sites?
GoFundMe and JustGiving are two of the biggest and most popular fundraising platforms. You can also set up a fundraising page through Facebook, and there are other, smaller platforms available too.
JustGiving
JustGiving is one of the most popular options globally for online fundraising, helping people worldwide raise over £5 billion for good causes since the site was launched. It’s a great option if you’re looking to raise money for a charitable cause or nonprofit organisation.
What features does JustGiving offer?
JustGiving is a user-friendly option, with a simple set-up process.
When setting up your fundraising page, you’ll be guided through multiple-choice questions to easily set up your fundraiser. You’ll be asked if you’re raising money for a charity or for your own cause. You can link your page to your chosen charity and JustGiving will send the money you raise on your behalf, along with Gift Aid on donations. You are also able to raise money in memory for someone who’s passed away, too.
You can easily personalise your fundraising page by adding details of why you’re fundraising, photos, and a fundraising target. You are also able to create a personal website address for your page.
What fees does JustGiving charge?
JustGiving doesn’t charge fees for using their platform, but they do charge fees on donations before passing the money to your chosen charity.
The fee applied depends on the way the donation is made and whether the money is going to a UK charity. If you’re donating to a UK charity in GBP, a fee of 1.9% of the amount donated + £0.20 is applied. For contactless or text giving, this fee rises to 5%, but the extra 20p isn’t charged.
GoFundMe
GoFundMe is another of the biggest fundraising platforms in the world and enables you to easily raise money for many different causes. You can raise money for charities, nonprofit organisations, yourself, friends, family, or anyone you wish.
What features does GoFundMe offer?
GoFundMe has a simple five-step set-up process, which asks you which charity you’re fundraising for and your fundraising target. You can then customise your fundraising page by adding a photo, and description about why you’re fundraising.
GoFundMe will transfer any money you’ve raised directly to your chosen charity, along with any Gift Aid.
What fees does GoFundMe charge?
There aren’t any platform fees for GoFundMe, but it charges 2.9% + £0.25 for each donation made.
Facebook fundraisers
If you’re a regular social media user, you can set up a fundraising page on Facebook through Facebook Fundraisers. It’s a good option if you’re raising money for a UK charity, but you can’t raise money for personal causes on Facebook.
What features does Facebook fundraisers offer?
It’s easy to set up a fundraising page on Facebook, all you need to do is click on the menu on your Facebook home page and choose the fundraiser option.
You’ll then choose which charity you want to fundraise for and Facebook will automatically create a draft fundraising page for you with a standard description and image for the charity.
You can amend the description and image to whatever you want and then invite your Facebook friends to start donating.
What fees does Facebook fundraisers charge?
Facebook doesn’t charge you anything for setting up your fundraising page, but it does charge a fee of 1.4% + £0.20 per donation.
Charity fundraising ideas
Whether you’re seeking a physical challenge, bringing people together for a fun event, or sharing your skills, there are plenty of ways you could raise money for your preferred charity. Here are some examples:
Throw a party – Why not organise a get-together and ask people to buy a ticket or make a donation for your worthy cause? You could throw a themed party for everyone you know, or you could host an intimate dinner with a small group of family and friends.
Host a quiz night – Quizzes can be great fun and a popular way to raise money for charity. You could host your own quiz night, either online or at home. Lots of pubs all over the country host weekly quiz nights, and your local might even be open to having it as a sponsored event and charging a little more so you can collect donations.
Organise a sweepstake – If your fundraising coincides with a big sporting event or a television series, like Strictly Come Dancing, you could turn it into a sweepstake, and ask your family and friends to place bets on who they think will win.
Volunteer to sell friends and family’s old clothes to raise money – If you’re familiar with Vinted or eBay, you could offer to take unwanted items off your friends and family’s hands to sell and give the proceeds to charity.
Take on a physical challenge – You could choose your favourite sport, whether that’s running, tennis or golf, for example, and find a challenge related to it.
Host a class or workshop to share your skills – Most of us have something we could teach a group of people, whether it’s how to mend clothes, yoga, or even cooking. You could organise an event to share your particular skills with friends, family and colleagues. If you can’t find a venue, consider whether you could host this online instead.
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