You do not need a website to collect donations as a UK charity or community group in 2026.
- Set up a free Zeffy donation page in under an hour: zero fees, auto QR code and Gift Aid handling included.
- Share your donation link via social media bio, email signature and printed QR codes at events.
- Gift Aid turns every £1 from a UK taxpayer into £1.25 for your charity, choose a platform that captures the declaration automatically.
- JustGiving and GoFundMe UK suit one-off emotional appeals; Wonderful is genuinely fee-free via Open Banking.
- For in-person giving, pair a QR code with Zeffy's Tap to Pay app so cash is never the only option at a fete or village hall.
A website is not the gating step for fundraising. A shareable donation link with an auto-generated QR code is. If you are part of a small or early-stage UK charity, community group, PTA or village hall, you have probably heard it before: "You need a website to look legitimate" or "You cannot collect donations without one." Neither is true in 2026.
In the UK, the maths matters even more than elsewhere. Gift Aid lets a charity reclaim 25p from HMRC for every £1 a UK taxpayer donates, but only if the donor completes a Gift Aid declaration on the form (Gift Aid, GOV.UK). Every 20p transaction floor, every percentage skim, and every missed Gift Aid declaration is money that never reaches the cause.
Below are 8 proven ways to collect donations without a website, ranked by how much of each gift actually reaches your cause. Every other 'free' route (PayPal, GoFundMe UK, JustGiving) still skims a percentage plus a flat per-transaction fee, which is punishing at the small-gift volumes website-less charities actually run. We will show you the trade-offs honestly, then walk through how Zeffy, social media, QR codes, email, peer-to-peer, text-to-give and direct payment options each fit into a no-website fundraising stack.
Zeffy's 2025 Donor Behaviour Trends Report suggests donors strongly prefer platforms where 100% of their gift reaches the cause. That logic is why method 1 sits at the top.
In this article:
8 ways to collect donations without a website
1. Set up a free Zeffy donation page
Zeffy offers 100% free donation forms built specifically for charities and not-for-profits who need a quick, trusted solution. Used by 100,000+ charities and non-profits globally that have collectively raised over £2 billion on the platform, Zeffy lets you have a trusted, branded link to share with donors from any online channel, or in person through a simple QR code, in under an hour.
Donors want to know how much of their money is going to the cause. A platform charging 1.4% + 20p per transaction takes approximately £34 from every £1,000 raised, and far more proportionally on the £5 to £25 mobile gifts small UK charities actually receive. That is where Zeffy makes a real difference. Unlike other platforms, Zeffy:
- Eliminates transaction fees, so nothing is taken from donations
- Skips platform fees, so setting up a donation form or running other campaigns stays free
- Auto-generates a QR code on every form, ready to print on anything
- Accepts Apple Pay and Google Pay by default for one-tap mobile giving
- Handles Gift Aid declarations alongside each donation, so your charity can reclaim 25p per £1 from HMRC
- Tracks donation data in a simple supporter management dashboard
Fees: £0 for the charity. Donors are invited to add an optional contribution to Zeffy at checkout.
Setup time: Under an hour from sign-up to a live, shareable link.
Ideal for: Any charity or community group that wants a single durable donation link plus QR code without paying transaction fees on small mobile gifts, and wants Gift Aid captured automatically.
Not yet a registered charity? Community groups, CICs and unincorporated associations often fall through the gap on fee tiers and cannot reclaim Gift Aid. Zeffy's registration process handles both registered charities and eligible not-for-profit groups, worth checking before you assume you are locked out.
2. Attract donations on social media with a link in bio
If you are already on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok or LinkedIn, you have everything you need to fundraise without a website. Your bio, stories, posts and Reels are a great way to showcase your cause and drive action. When supporters are already moved by your content, all they need is a link to donate from their phone.
How to use social media to drive donations:
- Drop your Zeffy donation form link in your bio or profile
- Post stories, livestreams and short videos that highlight your mission and impact
- Share specific outcomes with a direct call to action: "£25 funds one family's groceries for a week. Link in bio."
- For registered UK charities, check whether your platform offers a native donation feature with UK charity verification, eligibility varies by platform and can change; a Zeffy link in your bio works regardless
Pros: Zero setup cost, audience is already there, social proof drives conversion.
Cons: Algorithm reach is unpredictable; you do not own the channel.
Ideal for: Charities with an engaged social following or a compelling visual story.
3. Print QR codes on flyers, posters and event materials
You will often meet donors in person before they ever see you online. A QR code on print collateral closes the gap without forcing you to handle cash.
A built-in QR code like the one you get with every Zeffy form can be printed on anything. Donors scan with their phone and land directly on your donation page. Cash is dying at community events, village halls, fetes and coffee mornings see fewer people carrying it every year. Pairing a QR code with Zeffy's Tap to Pay app means card and mobile giving is always available, not just cash. Use the rule: Tap to Pay for staffed tables and welcome desks; QR codes for unstaffed areas.
Where to place QR codes:
- Signs at community tabling events and information stalls
- Tote bags, tea towels, stickers, notepads and bookmarks
- Posters in local businesses, libraries or community notice boards
- Postcards posted via Donor Mail for offline outreach
- Business cards in place of a formal website URL
Pair QR codes with Zeffy's Tap to Pay app, your iPhone becomes the in-person card reader at £0 fees (UK Android availability is rolling out). The auto-generated QR code on every form covers anywhere a volunteer cannot stand.
4. Run email fundraising campaigns (no website required)
Email is the highest-return channel most small charities underuse, and it works without a website. Every email you send can carry a donation link, whether it is a monthly newsletter, an event announcement or a one-line signature.
How to fundraise through email without a website:
- Email signature: Add "Donate: [your Zeffy link]" or a short QR image under every team member's signature
- Newsletter footer: Pin a "Donate now" button linked to your Zeffy form at the bottom of every send
- Dedicated appeal sends: One story, one ask, one button, written for a phone screen, because that is where 60%+ of email opens happen
- Welcome series: When someone subscribes, send a short sequence ending with a soft donation ask
You can send the donation link straight from Zeffy's email tool, which keeps your donor list, send activity and giving history in one dashboard. No separate email platform contract needed.
Pros: You own the channel, conversion is high among warm subscribers, no design or website work required.
Cons: You need a list, start by exporting contacts from your phone, Gmail and event sign-up sheets.
Ideal for: Any charity with at least 50 contacts in any form (spreadsheet, phone, paper sign-up).
5. Launch a peer-to-peer fundraising campaign
Peer-to-peer (P2P) fundraising, or sponsored fundraising, as it is traditionally known in the UK, flips the model: your supporters fundraise on your behalf by sharing their own personal donation pages with their networks. You do not need a website because each supporter gets their own shareable link.
How a P2P campaign works without a website:
- 1. Set up a parent campaign (Zeffy spins one up in minutes)
- 2. Invite supporters to create their personal fundraising page under your campaign
- 3. Each supporter shares their page link via text, social media and email
- 4. All donations flow back to your charity; donor acknowledgements go out automatically
Pros: Multiplies your reach beyond your own audience, deepens supporter commitment, works for birthdays, sponsored runs, walks and milestone campaigns.
Cons: Requires asking supporters to do some work, recruit at least five champions before launching.
Ideal for: Charities with a small but committed base of volunteers, trustees or alumni who will personally pitch friends.
6. Use text-to-give / SMS donations
Text-to-give lets donors send a donation by texting a keyword to a short code, no app, no website, no login required. The donor texts a keyword to a five-digit short code (UK providers typically use 70XXX ranges), receives a reply with your donation link, and completes the gift on their phone in seconds. It is one of the fastest, low-friction methods for in-person and event fundraising.
How text-to-give works for charities without a website:
- Choose a UK text-to-donate provider (Donr is one established UK option, verify current pricing and availability directly with the provider before committing)
- Set a keyword and short code tied to your donation form link
- Display the keyword and short code on event signage, slides, flyers and verbal announcements
- Donors text the keyword, receive your donation link by return SMS and complete the gift on their phone
Important: Under UK PECR rules, any follow-up SMS marketing requires proper consent from donors, a point UK charities increasingly raise before adopting new tools. Confirm your provider's approach to GDPR and PECR compliance before going live.
Pros: Very low friction for in-room giving during events, speeches or live appeals; no app download needed; works on any mobile phone.
Cons: Providers typically charge a monthly platform fee (approximately £20 to £80 per month depending on volume, verify live with each provider); SMS delivery rates vary by carrier; less effective for cold audiences who have not opted in.
Fee range: Platform fees vary by provider. Pairing with a Zeffy form keeps the per-transaction cost at £0.
Ideal for: Live events, faith communities, galas and any setting where a speaker can make a verbal ask and donors are seated with phones in hand.
7. JustGiving, GoFundMe UK and Crowdfunder for one-off campaigns
Fundraising platforms give you a public campaign page that supporters can discover. They suit time-bound emotional appeals well, but are less suited to ongoing charity fundraising operations.
JustGiving is the household-name UK donation platform. Brand recognition still helps with cold donors who recognise the URL. However, the platform's suggested donor tip, widely criticised in the UK fundraising press and on consumer sites such as Money Saving Expert, depresses conversion and can leave donors feeling a portion of their gift has been redirected without clear explanation. For fees, see Zeffy's JustGiving compare page for the current verified UK rates.
- Pros: Strong brand recognition with cold donors, established peer-to-peer infrastructure, direct Gift Aid pass-through available.
- Cons: The suggested tip prompt is the single most-criticised pattern in UK fundraising press; card processing fees apply on every gift.
- Ideal for: Charities that value cold-donor name recognition and can manage the tip-prompt friction with their supporters.
GoFundMe UK is dominant for personal and emergency fundraising stories. For registered UK charities, current fees are on Zeffy's GoFundMe compare page. The branding mismatch, a GoFundMe URL rather than a charity-domain page, costs trust with UK charity donors who look for a registered charity number and a Fundraising Regulator badge.
- Pros: Built-in audience browsing campaigns, strong social-sharing mechanics, well-known consumer brand.
- Cons: Per-transaction fee on every gift, branding is individual-facing rather than charity-facing, no integrated Gift Aid declaration capture.
- Ideal for: A single time-bound campaign with an emotional story, a building repair, a community emergency, a memorial fund.
Crowdfunder UK charges 0% platform fee for registered charities. The real reason to pick Crowdfunder over JustGiving for a campaign push is match funding: partnerships with the National Lottery Community Fund, local authorities and other bodies mean eligible projects can unlock free additional grant money alongside public donations. For current fees, see Zeffy's Crowdfunder compare page.
- Pros: Genuinely free platform fee for charities, match-funding partnerships, strong for time-bound projects.
- Cons: Not designed for steady-state donate buttons or monthly giving.
- Ideal for: Charities running a time-bound project campaign where match funding is available.
Wonderful.org processes donations via Open Banking (Pay by Bank), charging 0% platform fee and 0% Gift Aid fee. It is technically the best-value option on fee maths. The trade-off: older donors and those unfamiliar with bank-app authentication sometimes struggle with the Open Banking flow.
- Pros: Genuinely zero fees on Pay by Bank transactions, no tip jar, 0% Gift Aid handling fee.
- Cons: Narrower reach than JustGiving; Open Banking flow converts poorly with donors uncomfortable authenticating via their bank app.
- Ideal for: Charities whose donors skew younger and digitally confident, used alongside a primary donation page for broader audiences.
8. PayPal Giving Fund, GoodBox and other trusted payment options
PayPal Giving Fund UK is recognisable to nearly every donor. Registered UK charities get a reduced rate, see Zeffy's PayPal compare page for current verified UK fees. Near-universal donor familiarity reduces checkout friction, but PayPal is a payment button, not a fundraising platform: there is no Gift Aid declaration capture, no ticketing, no memberships and no recurring-giving control by the charity.
- Pros: Trusted checkout recognised by donors of all ages, fast setup if your charity is pre-verified.
- Cons: The per-transaction floor is unaffordable on small gifts; no Gift Aid automation; no donor management; recurring giving is donor-managed rather than charity-controlled.
- Ideal for: Charities whose donors are already comfortable with PayPal, used as a secondary option alongside a primary donation form.
GoodBox provides contactless donation hardware and apps for churches, museums, visitor attractions and street collections, a direct answer to the cash-is-dying pain point at in-person events. For current UK fees, see Zeffy's GoodBox compare page. The contrast with Zeffy: GoodBox requires hardware you buy or rent plus per-transaction fees; Zeffy's Tap to Pay app gives the same in-person card-giving capability from a phone at £0.
- Pros: Purpose-built tap-to-donate devices, strong in churches and museums, no cash handling.
- Cons: Hardware cost and per-transaction fees; requires device management.
- Ideal for: Organisations with fixed physical venues where dedicated donation hardware earns its keep.
CAF Donate (Charities Aid Foundation) is used by 8,000+ UK charities. Trustees will recognise the CAF name, one of the longest-established charity infrastructure bodies in the UK. No monthly subscription; staggered donation fees by payment type. Reporting is basic compared to commercial platforms, but trust signals are high.
- Pros: Very low fees, zero monthly subscription, strong trust recognition with trustees and donors.
- Cons: Limited features; no ticketing, memberships or auctions in one place.
- Ideal for: Charities where trustee confidence in the provider matters more than feature depth.
A note on UK bank transfers: The UK bank-to-bank payment rail is Faster Payments and Open Banking, not Zelle (US), not Venmo (US). GoCardless is the standard underlying Direct Debit processor for UK charities, handling approximately 31% of all UK charity donations. It sits under most UK fundraising platforms (Enthuse, Donorfy, Beacon, ChurchSuite) rather than competing directly with them. It is positional context, not a standalone fundraising tool.
Comparison: ways to collect donations without a website
|
| Zeffy | £0 | Under 1 hour | Yes, declaration captured on form | Yes, charity-controlled | Any UK charity or community group wanting zero fees and Gift Aid in one place |
| JustGiving | Card processing + Gift Aid fee (see compare page) | Same day | Partial, pass-through available | Yes | Charities valuing cold-donor brand recognition |
| GoFundMe UK | Per-transaction fee (see compare page) | Same day | Limited | Limited | One-off emotional campaigns |
| PayPal Giving Fund | Reduced charity rate (see compare page) | 1 to 3 days (verification) | No automation | Donor-managed | Secondary option for PayPal-familiar donors |
| Wonderful.org | £0 on Pay by Bank | Same day | 0% Gift Aid fee | Limited | Digitally confident, younger donor base |
| GoodBox | Hardware + per-transaction fee (see compare page) | Days to weeks (hardware) | Yes | No | Fixed-venue in-person giving (churches, museums) |
| CAF Donate | Staggered by payment type | Same day | Yes | Yes | Trustees who value CAF brand trust |
The maths gets harsher as gift size drops. On a £5 micro-donation, common from QR scans and social bio clicks, a 20p transaction floor alone strips 4% of the gift before the percentage kicks in. Zeffy is the only option on this list where a £5 gift arrives as £5.
How Zeffy works for charities without a website
If you have searched for "how to use Zeffy", "does Zeffy have a QR code" or "how to donate on Zeffy", here is the practical answer for a no-website charity.
Across small UK charities, community groups, PTAs and village halls, the pattern is consistent: a Zeffy link plus a QR code does the work a full website would, at zero cost and in an hour rather than three months.
Step 1, Sign up free. Verify your charity or not-for-profit status. Registered UK charities and eligible not-for-profit organisations are reviewed within one to three business days. Zeffy is designed for charities registered with the Charity Commission and HMRC-recognised organisations.
Step 2, Build your first donation form. Add your logo, mission paragraph, photo and suggested donation amounts. The form is mobile-optimised by default, with Apple Pay and Google Pay accepted on every gift.
Step 3, Get your link plus QR code. Each form publishes with a unique shareable URL and an auto-generated QR code. Print the QR code; paste the URL into your Instagram bio, email signature and Facebook page.
Step 4, Collect donations. Donors give via the link or QR code. They receive an automatic, branded thank-you email. Where donors complete a Gift Aid declaration on the form, Zeffy captures the declaration alongside the gift so the charity can reclaim 25p per £1 from HMRC, turning a £100 donation into £125 for your cause at no extra cost to the donor.
Step 5, Add in-person giving. Download the Tap to Pay app on your iPhone and you have a free card reader for fete stalls, welcome desks and village hall coffee mornings (UK Android availability is rolling out).
That is the whole stack. No developer, no card reader contract, no monthly fee to start collecting donations.
What if you want to build a website later?
Starting with a donation form before, during or instead of building a website will not hold you back. When the website eventually happens, you can add a donate button to any page, same form, same dashboard, same zero fees.
How it works when a website appears:
- Embed your existing donation form on your homepage or campaign pages
- Link the form from your main menu or hero calls to action
- Keep collecting donations and reporting in the same Zeffy dashboard you have been using
- Add as many unique Zeffy campaign forms as you need over time
- Pay £0 for every fundraising feature, indefinitely
Frequently asked questions
Can I collect donations in the UK without a website?
Yes. A shareable donation link and a QR code are all you need in 2026. Thousands of UK charities, community groups, PTAs and village halls collect donations through platforms like Zeffy without ever building a website. Your donation page is hosted for you; donors reach it via a link in your social media bio, email signature or a printed QR code on event materials.
How do I make sure Gift Aid is captured without a website?
Choose a donation platform that includes a Gift Aid declaration on the form itself. When a UK taxpayer ticks the declaration, your charity can reclaim 25p for every £1 they give from HMRC, turning a £100 donation into £125 at no extra cost to the donor. Zeffy captures the Gift Aid declaration automatically alongside each donation. Donors do not need a website for this; the declaration lives on the form. For full Gift Aid rules, see GOV.UK.
Will donors trust my donation form if I do not have a website?
Yes, provided you give them the right signals. UK donors look for a registered charity number, clear fee transparency and a professional-looking form. Display your Charity Commission registration number alongside your Zeffy link, and consider adding your Fundraising Regulator badge in your email signature or social bio. JustGiving's tip prompt has made fee transparency a live concern in UK fundraising; a Zeffy form addresses this by showing donors that 100% of their gift reaches your charity. Zeffy is UK GDPR compliant and donor payment data is handled through PCI-compliant processors, a question UK charities are increasingly asked before adopting new tools.
What is the best free way to collect donations without a website in the UK?
Zeffy is the only option on this list where £0 in fees is charged on every donation, there is no platform fee and no transaction fee for the charity, ever. For one-off campaigns with emotional stories, JustGiving gives you cold-donor brand recognition. For time-bound projects where match funding matters, Crowdfunder UK's 0% platform fee for charities is worth considering. For a steady-state donation link that captures Gift Aid and works on any device, Zeffy is the straightforward choice.
Can I set up recurring donations without a website?
Yes. Zeffy supports recurring giving, donors can set up a monthly gift through your donation form with no extra work from you. All recurring pledges appear in your supporter management dashboard. Unlike some platforms where recurring giving is managed by the donor via their own PayPal account, Zeffy keeps the recurring-giving relationship in your charity's hands.
How do I share my donation page if I do not have a website?
More ways than you might expect. Drop the link in your Instagram and Facebook bio. Add it as a button in every newsletter footer. Print the auto-generated QR code onto fete stall banners, village hall notice boards, church service sheets and event flyers. Put it in your email signature. Text it to volunteers before an event. Post a printed postcard via Donor Mail for donors who prefer offline communication. You do not need a website, you need a shareable link, and Zeffy generates one the moment your form goes live.
.png)
.webp)
