Welcome to Zeffy’s blog

A practical guide for UK charities and community groups on how to accept donations online. Covers eight essential steps, ten fundraising tips, a UK platform fee comparison, and answers to common questions about Gift Aid, payment methods, and GDPR compliance.

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There are hundreds of ways to raise money for charity. This guide walks through the 9 most effective methods for UK charities in 2026, from peer-to-peer fundraising and seasonal campaigns to raffles, legacy giving, and grants. Each section covers the UK-specific regulatory and tax context your charity needs, including Gift Aid, the Gambling Act 2005, and Inheritance Tax reliefs.

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A practical 10-step guide for UK charity fundraising managers, trustees, and community groups planning their first or next fundraising event. Covers goal-setting, budgeting with Gift Aid guidance, event formats suited to UK audiences, choosing the right tech stack, Gambling Act raffle rules, and turning one-time attendees into regular givers.

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Every pound PayPal takes is a pound that does not reach your mission. This guide shows exactly what PayPal charges UK charities, what those fees cost in real programme pounds, and what your options are if you want to keep everything you raise.

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Planning a charity 5K race takes preparation, but you do not need race experience to make it a success. This step-by-step guide covers everything a UK charity or community group needs, from setting a Gift Aid-inclusive target and securing road-closure permits, to choosing an online fundraising platform and managing race day.

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Download a free pick-a-date or flat-rate fundraising calendar template, then pair it with a zero-fee collection layer so every pound a supporter pledges against a date actually reaches your cause. Includes a Gift Aid worked example and UK regulatory notes on calendar raffles.

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Running events is one of the most effective ways UK charities raise funds and build supporter relationships. But the registration software you choose can quietly eat into every pound you raise. This guide compares the leading event registration platforms available to UK charities in 2026, from Zeffy and Eventbrite to Ticket Tailor, TicketSource, TryBooking and more, with honest takes on UK fees, Gift Aid handling, and what actually works for small, volunteer-led teams.

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Choosing the right supporter management software is one of the most impactful decisions a small UK charity can make. This guide compares the 8 best tools for 2026, covering Gift Aid handling, UK GDPR compliance, fees in £, and the features that matter most to time-poor fundraising teams.

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Managing members manually takes time away from your cause. This guide compares the best free and paid membership management software for UK charities, PTAs, sports clubs, and community groups, covering Gift Aid rules for membership subscriptions, UK-specific pricing considerations, and what to look for in a compliance checklist.

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A practical guide to the best fundraising software for UK charities in 2026. Covers 14 platforms, from free all-in-one tools to specialist CRMs, ticketing platforms, and auction tools, with UK pricing, Gift Aid handling notes, and honest verdicts for small-to-mid charities.

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This guide covers how Stripe works for UK charities, what fees to expect (1.5% + 20p for standard UK cards, with no UK charity discount programme), what Stripe cannot do (Gift Aid, Direct Debit), and the best UK-shaped alternatives including Zeffy (0% fees), Wonderful, GoCardless and CAF Donate.

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Compare the best online fundraising platforms for UK charities in 2026, from free all-in-one tools to specialist event ticketing, silent auctions, and donor management. Includes honest fee breakdowns, Gift Aid guidance, UK gambling-law notes on raffles, and a practical checklist for choosing the right platform.

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A comprehensive list of 101+ fundraising ideas for UK charities, schools, PTAs, faith groups, sports clubs and community organisations. Includes Gift Aid eligibility guidance, Gambling Act 2005 small-society-lottery rules for raffles, and a rebuilt UK platform comparison, with practical tips for every idea.

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Charity fundraising does not have to mean juggling four platforms and four invoices. This guide covers 12 proven strategies for UK charities, from corporate sponsorships and peer-to-peer campaigns to Gift Aid, regular giving, and the UK grants landscape, with guidance on legal compliance under UK charity law, the Fundraising Regulator's Code, and the Gambling Act 2005. Whether you are a registered charity or a community group just getting started, these approaches help you raise more while keeping every pound for your cause.

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A practical guide to building your Giving Tuesday email and social media strategy as a UK charity. Includes ready-to-use templates with Gift Aid wording, UK GDPR consent reminders, subject lines, and a three-email cadence designed for the Christmas appeal season.

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Overhead is one of the first financial questions that comes up when running a charity effectively. What is a healthy ratio? How do you calculate it under UK accounting rules? And where can you genuinely reduce it without cutting programmes? This guide walks through all three, anchored in the Charities SORP, the Charity Commission register, and the UK platform landscape.

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Choosing a point of sale system for your UK charity is not the same as picking a retail till. Most POS guides are written for shops, where a percentage-per-tap is simply a cost of doing business. For a registered charity, every fee a card reader takes is a gift that never reaches the cause, and none of the standard retail options capture Gift Aid at the point of tap. This guide compares the five POS systems UK charities and churches actually consider in 2026, and explains why only one of them was built from day one for fundraising.

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Relying on a single funding source leaves your charity exposed to cuts, policy changes, and economic shocks. This guide walks UK charities through six secondary income streams, practical action steps, Gift Aid as a hidden diversification lever, and the tools to pull it all together without paying platform fees.

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Unrestricted operational grants give UK charities the flexibility to cover core costs, from staff salaries to rent and utilities. This guide presents the top UK funders offering general operating support in 2026, explains how to choose the right grant programme for your charity, and shares five practical steps to strengthen your applications.

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A practical guide for founders and trustees of new UK charities and community groups. Covers what start-up grants are, six UK funders worth approaching now, seven steps to improve your chances, and how to diversify income beyond grants alone.

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Charity bookkeeping in the UK is built on SORP fund accounting, Gift Aid tracking, and the annual return to the Charity Commission. This guide covers every concept a volunteer treasurer or solo staffer needs: the three-fund framework (unrestricted, restricted, endowment), SORP functional cost categories, Gift Aid declaration records, the Trustees' Annual Report and Accounts, and the best bookkeeping software for small UK charities. The goal is a 15-minute monthly reconciliation habit instead of a quarterly panic.

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This guide showcases 25 real UK charity marketing examples across five channels: email, events, video, social media, and websites. Each example includes practical lessons you can apply to your own campaigns, with UK-specific guidance on Gift Aid, the Fundraising Regulator, and the UK charity calendar.

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