20 fundraising tips for UK charities in 2026

With growing competition for donor attention and rapidly shifting supporter expectations, traditional approaches may no longer be enough.

To stay relevant and build resilience in 2026 and beyond, UK charities need a strategic, data-informed, and supporter-centred approach to fundraising.

We have curated 20 practical tips to help you strengthen your fundraising efforts, build lasting relationships with donors, and maximise your impact. Whether you are just starting out or facing a mid-campaign slump, these strategies are for you.

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20 fundraising tips for UK charities

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• 1. Set SMART goals for your campaign

• 2. Build a fundraising plan

• 3. Fundraise across multiple channels

• 4. Optimise your donation form

• 5. Promote your fundraiser across channels

• 6. Set up donation points

• 7. Post regular updates to your supporters

• 8. Run a peer-to-peer fundraiser

• 9. Choose a fundraising platform

• 10. Be direct and specific in your ask

• 11. Run a community event

• 12. Choose compelling imagery

• 13. Look after your supporters

• 14. Post handwritten appeals

• 15. Share impact reports

• 16. Track every donation

• 17. Send a post-event survey

• 18. Train your volunteers and trustees

• 19. Offer regular giving

• 20. Run a pledge campaign

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1. Set SMART goals for your campaign

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A clear target keeps your team motivated and gives direction for reaching it.

With your aim in mind, you can set benchmarks to measure progress. From there, you can assess whether you have met your objectives.

Setting SMART goals will help you work towards your aim. These goals are:

• Specific: Your goal should be well-defined and focused. Example: Raise £10,000 to refurbish our community hall.

• Measurable: Make your goals measurable so you can track progress and know when you have reached the finish line. Example: Reach 100 individual donors giving an average of £100, with Gift Aid boosting eligible donations by 25p per £1 from HMRC.

• Attainable: Your goal should be realistic and achievable, stretching enough to challenge you without being out of reach. Example: Organise three fundraising events and run a social media campaign to attract donations.

• Relevant: Your fundraising goal should align with your charity's mission and vision. Example: Raising £10,000 is essential to refurbishing the community hall, directly supporting your mission to serve local residents.

• Time-bound: Every fundraising campaign should have a start and end date. A goal without a deadline loses focus and urgency. Example: Raise £10,000 by 30 November 2026.

If your donors are UK taxpayers and sign a Gift Aid declaration, HMRC tops up every £1 with 25p at no cost to the donor. A £10,000 target from Gift Aid-eligible donors becomes £12,500 to the charity (HMRC Gift Aid guidance).

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2. Build a fundraising plan

When organising a fundraising event, a clear plan acts as a roadmap for achieving your goals. It outlines specific objectives, target audiences, and the initiatives you will use to reach them.

A fundraising plan makes it straightforward to allocate resources and assign roles and responsibilities. It keeps everyone aligned, avoids conflicts and overlaps, and provides clarity.

Here are the core elements of every solid fundraising plan:

• Executive summary: A brief overview of the whole plan, including goals and strategies.

• Mission and vision statements: Clear articulation of the charity's purpose, ensuring all efforts are aligned with your overall goal.

• Fundraising goals and objectives: SMART goals outlining the amount to be raised, timelines, and other relevant targets. UK charities can benchmark against sector data from NCVO.

• Target audience: Specify key donor groups, including individual supporters, corporate sponsors, grant-making trusts, and other potential sources.

• Fundraising strategies: A detailed description of activities and campaigns to reach your goals. This can include annual appeals, capital campaigns, events, grants (such as the National Lottery Community Fund or Arts Council England), and peer-to-peer campaigns.

• Budget and resource allocation: A breakdown of projected expenditure and income for each initiative, covering staffing, event costs, technology, marketing, and other resources.

• Timeline and action plan: Map out key activities and milestones across the year.

• Roles and responsibilities: Define who is responsible for each aspect of fundraising, including trustees, staff, volunteers, and external partners.

• Marketing and communications: Strategies for promoting fundraisers and engaging with donors.

• Evaluation and metrics: Decide how you will measure the success of your fundraising efforts, using metrics such as average gift size, donor retention rate, return on investment, and overall effectiveness.

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3. Fundraise across multiple channels

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Your supporter base is probably quite diverse. Donors will have different interests and habits, and they will be comfortable on different platforms.

Not everyone will respond to the same approach, so it is important to use a multichannel strategy that incorporates both online and offline methods. Drawing on a diverse mix of channels broadens your reach and lets you meet supporters where they spend their time in ways that suit them.

Using a multichannel approach also reduces the risk of relying on a single source of income. It opens up various revenue streams, creating a more stable funding base.

Avoid spreading yourself too thinly by trying every possible channel. Instead, focus on those with the highest potential for your audience, and maximise your fundraiser's visibility from there.

Consider each channel's unique features and benefits as you build your multichannel approach.

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4. Optimise your donation form

Your donation page should be branded, secure, and straightforward, making it simple for potential donors to support you. Offer several payment options, including credit and debit cards, digital wallets such as Apple Pay and Google Pay, and Direct Debit for regular giving.

Make sure your donation page is easy to find on your charity's website. You can include a link in your main navigation or feature it as a prominent button on your homepage. That way, anyone visiting to find out how to support your cause can contribute straight away.

Best practices to optimise your donation form or page:

• Offer a range of suggested gift amounts to give supporters clear options.

• Include impact statements that show what each gift can achieve.

• Always give donors the option to enter their own amount.

• Capture a Gift Aid declaration on the form: the donor's full name, home address, and confirmation that they are a UK taxpayer. This lets you reclaim 25p per £1 from HMRC at no cost to the donor (HMRC Gift Aid guidance).

• Offer Direct Debit for regular giving. It is the single largest UK donation payment method, accounting for around 31% of all UK charity donations.

• Display your registered charity number and, where applicable, the Fundraising Regulator badge. These are the trust signals UK donors look for before giving.

• Include a clear UK GDPR consent option for marketing follow-up. The ICO expects a lawful basis for contacting donors; for email marketing, PECR requires either a soft opt-in for existing supporters or explicit consent for cold contact.

• Offer the option to set up regular giving.

• Include social media sharing options so donors can share your campaign with family and friends.

• Customise the page with your charity's colours, fonts, and banner image.

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5. Promote your fundraiser across channels

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Raising awareness of your fundraiser, whether online or in-person, helps attract more supporters and raise more funds. Here are the main ways to promote it:

Use email marketing

Email is ideal for reaching committed supporters, local business partners, community members, and past event attendees. Write targeted messages that include details about upcoming events and direct readers to a registration or donation page.

Email marketing to UK donors must respect PECR: a soft opt-in applies to existing supporters, while cold contacts require explicit consent before you send marketing messages.

Invest in paid advertising

Paid advertising platforms such as Google Ads help raise awareness of your fundraiser among a specific target audience. UK-registered charities can access Google Ad Grants for UK charities via TechSoup UK to unlock up to £10,000 per month in free advertising credit.

Leverage word of mouth

Encourage your supporters, volunteers, and trustees to contact their own networks, and ask them to share your cause and upcoming campaign.

Use social media

Anyone following your charity on social media already has an affinity for your cause. Create a specific fundraiser page on Facebook, post eye-catching visuals, and share event details with relevant groups to get them involved.

Facebook charity fundraising is available to UK charities registered with the Fundraising Regulator or equivalent. Add donation buttons to posts so supporters can contribute before the event.

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6. Set up donation points

Cash collections are declining fast at UK community events. Many attendees carry little or no cash, so contactless giving has become the standard at fetes, quiz nights, coffee mornings, and similar events.

Setting up donation points, whether a physical device or a QR code linking to your online form, is a simple yet effective way to capture spontaneous giving. Even at a ticketed event, some supporters will want to give a little extra.

Place donation points wherever plenty of guests will pass through: the reception area, food and drink stations, near seating, and alongside stalls.

• Make sure your donation point reflects your charity's branding and the theme of the event.

• Add eye-catching visuals to direct attendees' attention towards it.

• Include a short, clear caption linked to your mission.

• Add hard-hitting facts that prompt people to give.

• Use QR codes to take supporters straight to your online donation form.

• For contactless tap-to-donate, consider using a mobile device running a free platform such as Zeffy so attendees can give by card or digital wallet on the spot.

Gift Aid Small Donations Scheme (GASDS): UK charities that are HMRC-recognised can claim a 25% top-up on small cash and contactless donations of £30 or less, up to £8,000 in eligible donations per tax year (yielding a £2,000 top-up), without requiring a Gift Aid declaration. Your charity must have been HMRC-recognised for at least two complete tax years to qualify (HMRC Gift Aid guidance).

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7. Post regular updates to your supporters

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Regular updates keep donors informed about your fundraiser's progress while reminding them that their continued support matters. Frequent, well-crafted updates can help pull a campaign out of a donation slump.

• Highlight significant milestones. If the campaign has reached the halfway point, it is excellent news to share and creates momentum for further donations.

• Express gratitude to donors who have already given, and publicly recognise your top supporters.

• Post photos that show how people are backing your cause or how your volunteers are working towards the mission.

• Share updates across your social media channels and include a donate button in each post. Ask supporters to share these posts with their own networks.

• Add a fundraising thermometer to your website pages to show clearly how close you are to your target.

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8. Run a peer-to-peer fundraiser

Peer-to-peer fundraising is a strategy in which supporters raise money on behalf of your charity. Contributions are made through an individual fundraising page linked to your organisation's main form.

Sponsored runs, walks, cycles, and challenges are the classic UK peer-to-peer format. Think Great Run series, Brighton Marathon, sponsored 5Ks, sponsored silences, and bake-offs. Peer-to-peer fundraising works because supporters tap into their own networks to ask for donations, extending your reach far beyond your existing donor base.

Note that fundraisers with TCS London Marathon or Great Run places are contractually routed through Enthuse, the exclusive official partner for those events. Outside those flagship events, UK charities can run peer-to-peer campaigns on their own chosen platform.

When supporters fundraise on your behalf, it generates momentum for your campaign, widens its reach, and attracts new donors.

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9. Choose a fundraising platform

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Small UK charities often pay for three to five separate tools: a ticketing platform for events, a donation page provider for appeals, a raffle tool for Christmas, and a CRM for donor data. A £15 fete ticket, an autumn appeal, a Christmas raffle, and a sponsored 5K currently means Ticket Tailor + JustGiving + Crowdfunder + a CRM. The cost and complexity add up fast.

A good fundraising platform brings all of these activities under one roof, making the whole process more straightforward for staff, volunteers, and donors alike.

Fundraising platforms let charities create branded and customised donation pages, accept gifts online, organise donor information, and send donation acknowledgements. They also support peer-to-peer campaigns, crowdfunding, silent auctions, ticket sales, and more.

One widespread frustration among UK charities is the suggested-tip prompt on some platforms, where donors are shown a default voluntary contribution of around 17% on top of their gift. This is the most widely criticised pattern in UK fundraising, and many charities report it damages donor trust.

Zeffy is a reliable fundraising platform for charities that is completely free. There is no platform fee, no transaction fee, and no credit card fee, ever. You receive 100% of your donations. Zeffy is designed to support Gift Aid workflows and brings fundraising, ticketing, memberships, raffles, auctions, and donor management into a single free platform.

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10. Be direct and specific in your ask

Define exactly how donations will support your charity's work and make clear when support is needed. People commonly put things off, so a clear deadline matters.

On your fundraising page, outline different tiers of donation and explain what each will help to achieve. For instance: "£25 provides a food parcel for a family in crisis; £250 stocks a foodbank for a week." Short, declarative impact statements build trust and encourage action, no exclamation stacks or pressure tactics needed.

Transparency about where the donation goes encourages giving. You do not need to explain your entire plan; simply offer enough detail to show the gift is being put to meaningful use.

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11. Run a community event

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Consider hosting a community event such as a quiz night, talent show, coffee morning, bake sale, or art show. Community fundraising events bring together your local area, offer a chance to network and build connections, and raise awareness for your cause while generating income.

The success of your event depends on how well you promote it and how you engage attendees. Social media, email, and post are all effective ways to spread the word and sell tickets.

Include event activities that inspire immediate participation, encourage attendees to give generously, and make the experience enjoyable enough that people want to come back next time.

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12. Choose compelling imagery

Adding high-quality, personal photos to your fundraiser page and campaigns can resonate strongly with supporters. Most people respond to visuals more readily than to text alone. Photos capture attention, illustrate your story, and build understanding of your mission.

Choose images or videos that reinforce your message and are of good quality.

Look for images original to your charity, such as photos from a previous fundraising event, your volunteers in action, or evidence of the impact your work has had. Images that include people help to humanise your campaigns.

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13. Look after your supporters

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Donor stewardship is the practice of building strong, lasting relationships with the people who give to your cause. A good stewardship plan involves consistent engagement across different channels and touchpoints.

The goal of stewardship is to encourage donors to give again. Building a genuine connection makes supporters feel loyal to your charity. When they see how much their contribution is valued, it increases retention and inspires regular giving.

UK Tier-1 charities such as the RSPCA, Oxfam, and Macmillan use the term supporter to describe ongoing givers, volunteers, and community fundraisers. Consider using it alongside donor to create a warmer relationship.

Send thank-you letters after your campaign and events conclude. For major and mid-level donors, remember important dates and reach out with a heartfelt message on those occasions.

Share project updates, offer a membership programme, and send unexpected small tokens of appreciation to nurture the relationship. When supporters see you value them as more than a source of income, they feel good about their connection with your charity.

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14. Post handwritten appeals

Sending a handwritten letter by post is a good way to add a personal touch to your fundraiser and connect with donors on a more intimate level. A handwritten note takes time and effort to prepare, and donors notice that.

Your charity can write handwritten letters ahead of any campaign. For instance, if you are organising a community event, you can write to the recipient, invite them along, and include a QR code leading to the registration page. A donation letter signed by a trustee carries real credibility with UK donors.

When writing fundraising letters, follow the principles of the Fundraising Regulator's Code of Fundraising Practice: be honest, open, and respectful in all your communications.

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15. Share impact reports

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Show donors how you have used their previous gifts. An impact report lets a charity demonstrate exactly how it is using donations and what results it has achieved.

Produce an impact report for every fundraising campaign. Two to three pages is sufficient. A few weeks or months after a campaign ends, share the report so donors can see the difference their gift has made.

Include specific examples: how a new project, facility, or programme was funded through donations. Better still, if appropriate, focus on how a donation changed the life of an individual supporter.

When donors understand how their contribution is making a difference, they are far more likely to give again.

Share your annual reports via monthly newsletters, add them to your website, and repurpose them on social media to demonstrate the positive impact of the donations you have collected.

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16. Track every donation

Tracking donations helps you remember who gave, when, and how much. That information is valuable for personalising future outreach, identifying major donors and mid-level donors, and segmenting your supporter base by retention and engagement to develop targeted strategies.

Regular monitoring shows how close you are to your fundraising target, whether the original plan needs adjusting, and which channels are delivering the best results.

For UK charities, HMRC requires you to keep Gift Aid declarations and related donation records for at least six years after the last donation covered by that declaration. Good donor-tracking software makes it straightforward to manage this and ensures your Gift Aid reclaim process runs smoothly.

Zeffy's 100% free donor management tools help you manage donor information and transaction history in one place, with filters for transaction amount, donation date, campaign, and more.

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17. Send a post-event survey

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Gathering feedback from your supporters after a fundraiser ends is one of the most effective ways to improve. It helps you identify what went well and what fell short. Use those insights to refine future campaigns by replicating the successful elements.

For instance, if you organise a charity gala and find that selling raffle tickets generated strong engagement and income, make it a regular feature. (Remember that charity raffles are regulated as small society lotteries under the Gambling Act 2005, see the FAQ below for details.) If a guest speaker session fell flat, adjust or remove it next time.

Post-event surveys let you ask attendees about their experience: what they enjoyed most, what could have been better, and what they would not want repeated. A multiple-choice format makes them quick and easy to complete. Share surveys alongside thank-you notes by email or post.

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18. Train your volunteers and trustees

Volunteers and trustees have a significant influence on the success of a fundraising campaign. Effective leadership from trustees provides clear goals and strategic direction, while volunteers handle the logistics, keep track of operations, and often serve as your most visible community ambassadors.

Well-prepared volunteers encourage participation and donations in the community.

Investing in trustee development and volunteer training empowers your team, prepares them for their specific roles, and ultimately drives better fundraising results. It also builds a culture of growth and learning within your charity.

Consider setting up regular sessions to develop your volunteers' skills. The Chartered Institute of Fundraising (CIoF) offers training and resources on fundraising best practice. For trustee governance, run workshops covering strategic planning, financial oversight, risk management, and your charity's legal duties under the Charities Act.

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19. Offer regular giving

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Regular giving is one of the most reliable ways to build a steady income for your charity. A regular giving programme lets donors commit to ongoing contributions at a frequency that suits them, typically monthly by Direct Debit.

Direct Debit is the gold standard for UK regular giving, accounting for around 31% of all UK charity donations. It is simple for donors to set up, reliable for your cash flow, and integrates naturally with Gift Aid: a donor who gives £10 per month by Direct Debit and signs a Gift Aid declaration delivers £12.50 per month to the charity at no extra cost to them.

When creating your donation page, make the regular giving option prominent and explain clearly how those funds will be used. Give donors the freedom to manage, pause, or cancel their contributions.

Once you have regular donors, nurture the relationship. Send monthly newsletters, personalised thank-you notes, and exclusive updates about the projects their gifts are supporting. Offer recognition such as free event invitations or public acknowledgement to make regular supporters feel genuinely valued.

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20. Run a pledge campaign

A pledge campaign is a great way to build momentum for your fundraiser and attract support from a wide range of donors.

Charities typically use pledge drives for campaigns built around time-sensitive projects or events. These could include disaster relief, community advocacy, or classic sponsored events such as walk-a-thons, read-a-thons, and bike rides.

The idea is straightforward: supporters commit to making a donation at a later date, fulfilled when a certain action is completed or a milestone is reached. For instance, donors pledge £2 for every mile walked during a sponsored walk.

Provide supporters with pledge forms or set up an online donation page where they can record their pledges. The page should capture the supporter's details, the amount pledged, and the pledge terms. Including a Gift Aid declaration at the point of pledge means eligible donations are automatically uplifted by 25p per £1, so you raise more at no extra cost to your donors (HMRC Gift Aid guidance).

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Wrapping up

Refine your fundraising approach with these tips to attract supporters, engage with them, and generate more donations.

Build your strategy by combining different offline and online fundraising initiatives. Let your donors engage with your charity and contribute in the way they feel most comfortable.

With Zeffy, you can launch fundraising campaigns that bring your charity closer to its goal. Zeffy is completely free, with no platform fee, no transaction fee, and no credit card fee, ever. Start fundraising today and keep 100% of every donation.

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Frequently asked questions

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