Benefit category
Online fundraising and donation platforms for UK charities
Fundraising platforms should be judged by the full supporter journey, not only a headline platform fee. This category groups online giving, event fundraising, Gift Aid, CRM, email, communications, design, and search-demand tools that affect donation conversion and reporting.
Platform decisions
- Use JustGiving when peer-to-peer fundraising, campaign pages, regular giving, and fundraiser familiarity are central.
- Use Enthuse when branded donation journeys, owned supporter data, event registration, and transparent fee modelling are central.
- Use Donorbox when embeddable donation forms, hosted donation pages, recurring giving, peer-to-peer campaigns, and lighter setup are central.
- Use Givebutter when free fundraising tools, donor tips, events, auctions, CRM, and supporter engagement are a better fit than a UK-specific platform.
- Use GoFundMe Pro when Classy-style branded donation forms, peer-to-peer campaigns, recurring giving, events, auctions, and GoFundMe Pay are being compared; confirm country and entity eligibility first.
- Use Meta, Facebook, or Instagram fundraising when social sharing, birthday fundraisers, and PPGF-supported donation routes fit the campaign; confirm current Meta and PPGF eligibility first.
- Use Charity Digital as a UK-focused route for technology, payments, training, and local charity context.
- Connect donation journeys to CRM or email only when consent and reporting ownership are clear.
Cost checks
- Model subscription fees, payment processing, Gift Aid service fees, event or ticketing fees, VAT, and paying-in rules.
- Do not assume a 0% platform fee means the charity receives every pound before other deductions.
- Check whether optional donor tips, voluntary contributions, or Gift Aid fees affect supporter trust or reconciliation.
- Record who reconciles donation reports, Gift Aid, refunds, and campaign attribution each month.
Conversion checks
- Donation pages need clear impact, accessibility, mobile usability, and trust signals.
- Campaign pages should have a measurable goal, deadline, and follow-up journey.
- Email and SMS follow-up must respect consent and opt-out handling.
- Design assets should be reusable, source-checked, and consistent across fundraising channels.