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8 Best Peer-to-Peer Fundraising Platforms for UK Charities in 2026
July 6, 2026
Peer-to-peer fundraising is one of the most effective ways for a UK charity to extend its reach. When your supporters fundraise within their own networks, you gain new donors, deepen community ties, and raise more for your cause.
The challenge is that most UK charities are stitching together three or four separate tools to run a fete ticket sale, an autumn appeal, a Christmas raffle, and a sponsored 5K. This guide cuts through that complexity. We cover the eight platforms UK fundraising managers actually use in 2026, with honest takes on Gift Aid handling, fees in £, and regulatory fit, the things most US-written lists never mention.
One practical note before you start: if your charity has places in the TCS London Marathon or the Great Run series, Enthuse is your mandatory P2P platform for those events (exclusive partnership to 2034). For everything else, you have a genuine choice.
Most small UK charities (£10k to £500k income) are currently paying for Ticket Tailor for fete ticketing, JustGiving for sponsored fundraising pages, Crowdfunder for appeals, and a separate CRM for supporter management. That is four subscriptions, four sets of login credentials, and four fee structures to track.
A good peer-to-peer platform should reduce that stack, not add to it. It should also handle Gift Aid properly. A UK taxpayer's £100 donation becomes £125 in your charity's hands via Gift Aid, a 25% uplift at no extra cost to the donor. Some platforms charge a fee on the Gift Aid uplift itself; others, like Zeffy, do not. That difference compounds quickly across a campaign.
8 best peer-to-peer fundraising platforms for UK charities at a glance
Trust-first option built by a registered charity; used by 8,000+ UK charities
Deep sector trust; CAF name recognised by trustees and donors
No monthly subscription; staggered donation fee by type
Crowdfunder UK
Best for time-bound campaigns with match funding from National Lottery or local authorities
Match-funding partnerships; 0% platform fee for charities
0% platform fee for charities; card processing applies
Wonderful.org
Genuinely 0% via Open Banking for digitally confident donors
Pay by Bank (Open Banking); 100% of every donation to the charity
0% platform fee; 0% Gift Aid fee; 0% on Pay by Bank; standard card processing otherwise
What makes the best peer-to-peer fundraising software?
Our comparison articles are written by people who work with UK charities daily. We use G2, Capterra, and other credible software review sources to identify candidates, then apply a UK-specific filter: Gift Aid handling, UK payment rails, Fundraising Regulator compliance, and honest fee transparency. Because Zeffy is a genuinely free peer-to-peer fundraising platform, we are not afraid to give objective assessments of the alternatives.
1. Pricing
A platform that appears free can still cost your charity real money. Watch for:
Platform fee (percentage of each donation)
Payment processing fee (applied per transaction)
Fee on the Gift Aid uplift (some platforms charge 5% of the Gift Aid reclaim)
Set-up fee
Monthly or annual subscription
Per-user fee
A UK taxpayer's £100 donation becomes £125 in your charity's hands via Gift Aid. Check whether your chosen platform charges a fee on that £25 uplift. JustGiving and Enthuse both take approximately 5% of the Gift Aid value. Zeffy does not.
2. Gift Aid handling
Gift Aid is the central UK donation-tax mechanism and the single biggest differentiator most US-written platform lists overlook completely. To benefit, your charity needs:
HMRC-recognised charity status (separate from Charity Commission registration; apply via HMRC Charities Online once you have your charity registration)
In-platform Gift Aid declaration capture (donor's full name, home address, charity name, and tax confirmation)
A process for submitting claims to HMRC via Charities Online (or a ChR1 paper form)
Records of declarations kept for at least 6 years
Look for a platform that captures Gift Aid declarations at the point of donation and makes HMRC submission straightforward.
Gift Aid Small Donations Scheme (GASDS): charities can also claim a 25% top-up on small cash and contactless donations of £30 or less, without a written declaration. The cap is £8,000 in eligible small donations per tax year. This is separate from standard Gift Aid and worth knowing if your campaign includes bucket collections or door events. (HMRC Gift Aid guidance)
3. Individual and team pages
Successful peer-to-peer fundraising depends on your supporters creating pages they are proud to share. Look for:
A straightforward registration process
Option to create personal fundraising pages
Option to create team pages
Ability to offer discount codes or early-bird registration
Direct Debit (via GoCardless or similar, the gold standard for regular giving in the UK, accounting for around 31% of all UK charity donations)
Open Banking / Pay by Bank (growing fast among younger donors)
Cheques (still used by older supporters; worth confirming the platform can log these manually)
7. Communication tools
Meaningful, prompt communication keeps both fundraisers and donors engaged. Check your platform includes:
Gift Aid declaration capture and automated donation confirmations
Event reminder emails
Donor messages via a supporter board or dashboard
Social sharing tools (Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp) so fundraisers can spread the word quickly
8. Regulatory fit for UK peer-to-peer fundraising
This is the section that separates a genuinely UK-ready platform from a US tool with a £ symbol bolted on.
Fundraising Regulator Code of Fundraising Practice: the current Code came into effect on 1 November 2025. New Section 9 covers online fundraising platforms. Check your platform's compliance statement before committing. (Fundraising Regulator Code)
UK GDPR and Data Protection Act 2018: your charity is the data controller for supporter data collected via a third-party platform. You need a lawful basis (usually legitimate interest or consent) for processing, and you must comply with PECR for direct e-marketing. Ask the platform how donor data is stored, where, and whether it can be exported if you leave.
Small society lottery rules (if you run a raffle alongside your P2P): most charity raffles are small society lotteries under the Gambling Act 2005. You register with your local council (£40 initial / £20 annual renewal), with a £20,000 single-draw cap, a minimum 20% of proceeds to the cause, and a maximum single prize of £25,000. Gift Aid does not apply to raffle ticket purchases. (Gambling Commission, small society lotteries)
1. Zeffy: the only 100% free peer-to-peer fundraising platform for UK charities
Zeffy is the only platform that charges no platform fee, no transaction fee, and no credit card fee, ever. For a small UK charity already stretched across multiple tools, that unconditional free promise matters. Every pound raised stays with your cause.
Beyond the cost saving, Zeffy is built to handle the full fundraising stack: peer-to-peer campaigns, event ticketing (fete tickets, awards nights, quiz nights), raffles and small society lotteries, memberships, auctions, and donor management, all in one place and all free. Tap-to-pay from a phone means you do not need dedicated card-reader hardware at door events.
Key features:
100% free, no platform fee, no transaction fee, ever
Gift Aid handling included
Personal and team fundraising pages
Team leaderboards and supporter messages
Customisable forms and pages
Automated donation confirmations
Flexible payment options (cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Direct Debit)
Tap-to-pay from a phone for in-person events
Integrated event ticketing, raffle, and membership tools
Supporter management and CRM
Unlimited customer support
Price: £0. No fees, no subscription, no hidden costs.
What a UK charity says:
"Zeffy is a free platform where 100% of the donors' funds stay with the charity. As a small charity, that means a lot to us and it was the reason we decided to give it a try. It's easy for donors to use, fairly simple to set up, and offers various options including peer-to-peer and ticketing."
2. JustGiving: strong cold-donor recognition, but watch the tip prompt
JustGiving is the household-name UK donation platform. Donors recognise the URL, and that brand familiarity helps convert cold supporters who find a fundraising page without knowing the charity behind it. For P2P, the sponsored-page model is well established: fundraisers set up a page, share it with friends and family, and donations flow through.
The honest caveat every UK fundraising manager should know: JustGiving prompts donors with a default suggested tip of around 17% on top of their donation. This has drawn sustained criticism from Money Saving Expert, charity forums, and sector press. Some donors mistake the tip for a mandatory charge; others feel it is too high. Many charities report it damages trust at the point of conversion.
JustGiving is owned by Blackbaud and based in London.
Key features:
Large donor network and high brand recognition
Sponsored fundraising pages with social sharing
Gift Aid declaration collection
Facebook and social media integration
Mobile-friendly fundraising pages
Real-time analytics
Price: 0% platform fee (headline); approximately 1.9% + 20p card processing; approximately 5% fee on Gift Aid reclaim value; around 17% suggested donor tip. For full current UK fees, see the Zeffy vs JustGiving compare page.
3. Enthuse: mandatory for TCS London Marathon and Great Run places
If your charity has places in the TCS London Marathon or any event in the Great Run series, Enthuse is not optional, it is the exclusive online fundraising partner for both events under a contract running to 2034. Fundraisers registering for those events are automatically set up with an Enthuse page. The platform's branded pages keep your charity's identity front and centre, not the platform's.
Outside the LME and Great Run, Enthuse is a capable branded fundraising and event registration platform, but the subscription adds up and the value proposition against free alternatives weakens.
Key features:
Branded fundraising pages (your charity's brand, not Enthuse's)
Exclusive integration with TCS London Marathon and Great Run
Gift Aid declaration capture
Event registration and ticketing
Mobile-optimised fundraising pages
Reporting and analytics
Price: 0% platform fee on donations (with optional donor tip); approximately 1.9% + 30p card processing; approximately 5% fee on Gift Aid reclaim value; events from 3.5% + 75p per ticket; optional Enthuse Fundraising and Events subscription from £29.99 + VAT/month. For current UK fees, see the Zeffy vs Enthuse compare page.
4. GivenGain: subscription-free P2P with free automated Gift Aid
GivenGain launched in the UK in 2022 and has built a growing footprint through partnerships with Swimathon, British Heart Foundation, and Dame Kelly Holmes Trust. The champion-page model encourages longer-lasting community fundraising rather than a one-off campaign page. There is no subscription fee for charities, and Gift Aid is automated, a genuine differentiator against platforms that charge for Gift Aid processing.
The main limitation is brand recognition. JustGiving is still the name most cold donors recognise, which means fundraisers using GivenGain may need to explain the platform to their supporters.
Key features:
Subscription-free for charities
Free automated Gift Aid
Champion fundraising pages
Social sharing tools
Mobile-friendly pages
International reach for charities with overseas supporters
5. Funraisin: built for large branded challenge campaigns
Funraisin is an Australia-founded platform with a growing UK presence, designed for mid-to-large charities running significant branded challenge campaigns, virtual challenges, physical challenge events, and DIY fundraising programmes. The customisation is deep, and the platform is built to carry your charity's brand across every touchpoint.
The licence-based pricing model puts Funraisin out of reach for most small charities. This is a platform for organisations with the volume and budget to justify bespoke campaign infrastructure.
Key features:
Highly customisable challenge campaign tooling
Virtual and physical challenge event support
DIY fundraising programme management
Charity branding across all fundraiser-facing pages
6. CAF Donate: trust-first, used by 8,000+ UK charities
CAF Donate is built by the Charities Aid Foundation, itself one of the UK's most trusted charity infrastructure bodies. That provenance matters: trustees and donors recognise the CAF name, and the platform's trust-first positioning is backed by decades of sector credibility. Over 8,000 UK charities use it, making it one of the most widely adopted donation tools in the sector.
Reporting is more basic than commercial alternatives, and marketing flair is low. CAF Donate is a solid, reliable choice for charities that prioritise trust signalling and predictable costs over advanced campaign features.
Key features:
Built by a registered charity (the Charities Aid Foundation)
Crowdfunder UK is the largest UK-based crowdfunding platform, and match funding is its real competitive advantage. Partnerships with the National Lottery Community Fund, local authorities, and other funders mean that in the right campaign, every pound raised attracts additional grant money on top. For a time-bound capital appeal, a new community space, equipment, or a specific project, that free additional funding makes Crowdfunder a compelling choice.
Crowdfunder is less suited to steady-state donate buttons or ongoing P2P sponsored fundraising. It works best when you have a clear target and a defined campaign window.
Key features:
0% platform fee for charities
Match-funding partnerships (National Lottery, local authorities, others)
Wonderful.org uses Open Banking (Pay by Bank) to process donations at zero cost to the charity, no platform fee, no Gift Aid processing fee, no card processing fee on Pay by Bank transactions. The money goes directly from the donor's bank account to the charity's, with nothing taken out.
The Open Banking journey requires donors to authenticate with their banking app, which works well with digitally confident donors and less well with those who are not comfortable with bank-app authentication flows. Discovery is also narrower than JustGiving; cold donors may not recognise the platform. The best-fit audience is a charity with a younger, digitally engaged supporter base.
Key features:
0% on Pay by Bank (Open Banking) transactions
0% Gift Aid processing fee
Standard card processing for donors who prefer card payment
100% of every Pay by Bank donation goes to the charity
Price: 0% platform fee; 0% Gift Aid fee; 0% on Pay by Bank; standard card processing otherwise. For current UK fees, see the Zeffy vs Wonderful compare page.
Which peer-to-peer fundraising platform should you use?
Every platform on this list does something well. The right choice depends on your charity's size, budget, event type, and supporter base.
For UK charities running TCS London Marathon or Great Run places, Enthuse is non-negotiable for those events. For time-bound appeals with match funding, Crowdfunder UK is hard to beat. For digitally confident, Open-Banking-comfortable supporters, Wonderful.org delivers a genuinely fee-free outcome.
For most small-to-mid UK charities that want peer-to-peer fundraising, event ticketing, Gift Aid handling, raffles, memberships, and supporter management in one place, all free, Zeffy is the only platform that delivers the full stack at £0. No platform fee, no transaction fee, no fee on your Gift Aid reclaim. Every pound raised stays with your cause.
peer-to-peer fundraising platform is a tool that lets your supporters create their own personal or team fundraising pages on behalf of your charity. Each fundraiser shares their page with friends, family, and colleagues, who then donate directly. The charity receives the funds, tracks progress in real time, and communicates with both fundraisers and donors through the platform. Well-known UK examples include sponsored marathon runs, charity cycling challenges, and community fundraising events.
Peer-to-peer fundraising (sometimes called sponsored fundraising in the UK) is a strategy where your charity's supporters raise money on your behalf within their own networks. Rather than asking your existing donor base to give again, you recruit fundraisers who each reach new people. This expands your reach, brings in new donors, and builds community around your cause. For UK charities, it is most commonly associated with mass-participation events like the London Marathon, Great North Run, or a local sponsored walk or cycle.
Zeffy is the only truly free peer-to-peer fundraising platform for UK charities. There is no platform fee, no transaction fee, and no fee on your Gift Aid reclaim. Other platforms described as 'free' typically charge card processing fees, a percentage of Gift Aid, or prompt donors with an optional tip that effectively transfers a cost to the donor. Zeffy charges nothing to the charity or the donor, and includes integrated ticketing, raffles, memberships, and supporter management in the same free platform. Start free with Zeffy.
Zeffy takes no fees from charities, no platform fee, no transaction fee, no credit card fee, ever. Wonderful.org also achieves 0% on Pay by Bank (Open Banking) donations. Most other platforms take at least card processing (typically 1.5% to 2.2% + a fixed pence amount per transaction) and some also charge a percentage on Gift Aid reclaims. Always check the full fee stack, not just the headline platform fee, before committing to a platform.
Yes. When a UK taxpayer donates through a fundraiser's peer-to-peer page, they can submit a Gift Aid declaration at the point of donation. The charity then reclaims 25p from HMRC for every £1 donated, a £100 donation becomes £125. The key requirements are that your charity has HMRC-recognised status, the donor provides their full name, home address, and confirms they have paid sufficient UK tax, and you keep declaration records for at least 6 years. Check whether your chosen platform captures Gift Aid declarations and helps you prepare HMRC submissions, some platforms charge a fee on the Gift Aid uplift value, while Zeffy does not. (HMRC Gift Aid guidance)
Community groups, CICs (community interest companies), and unincorporated associations can still run peer-to-peer fundraising campaigns. However, Gift Aid requires HMRC-recognised charity status, which itself requires Charity Commission registration (in England and Wales, the income threshold is £5,000; in Scotland, all charities register with OSCR regardless of size). Without charity registration you cannot reclaim Gift Aid, which means donors cannot offer the 25p-per-£1 uplift. If you are close to the registration threshold, it is worth applying to the Charity Commission or OSCR before launching a major campaign, so you can offer Gift Aid from the start.
Look for people who attend related events, follow relevant Facebook groups, or subscribe to aligned newsletters.These aren’t just potential donors—they’re your future advocates.
Look for people who attend related events, follow relevant Facebook groups, or subscribe to aligned newsletters.These aren’t just potential donors—they’re your future advocates.
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