Welcome to Zeffy’s blog

A practical guide for UK charities on preparing both the statutory Trustees' Annual Report (TAR) and an optional supporter-facing impact report. Covers what regulators require, what to include, format options, real UK examples, and free tools to bring your report to life.

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Everything your participants need to raise money on your charity's behalf: a personal share-link script, three email templates, six social posts, a fill-in-the-blank story framework, a 6-stage communication timeline, and tips for reaching the goal. Copy what you need into your participant onboarding email and hand them a complete kit on day one.

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Starting a charity in the UK with little or no money is possible with the right legal form, free registration routes, and fundraising strategy. This guide covers choosing between a CIO, charitable company, CIC, or unincorporated association; registering free with the Charity Commission and HMRC; and raising funds through Gift Aid, GASDS, peer-to-peer fundraising, and free platforms like Zeffy.

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A practical guide to the best peer-to-peer fundraising platforms for UK charities. Covers Gift Aid handling, UK-specific fees, regulatory fit, and honest takes on JustGiving, Enthuse, GivenGain, Funraisin, CAF Donate, Crowdfunder UK, Wonderful.org, and Zeffy, the only 100% free option.

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Compare the best online ticket sales platforms for UK charities in 2026, from zero-fee options to discovery-led tools. Covers Gift Aid handling, UK fee schedules, Gambling Act raffle rules, and honest verdicts for every event type from village fetes to gala dinners.

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Online fundraising gives UK charities, PTAs, sports clubs and community groups a way to reach more donors, reduce costs and keep every pound raised. This guide covers 29 tried-and-tested ideas, from virtual silent auctions to sponsored fitness challenges, plus Gift Aid guidance, UK raffle law, a plain-English platform comparison, and a seven-step setup checklist.

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Starting a charity in the UK involves choosing the right legal structure, registering with the correct regulator (CCEW, OSCR, or CCNI), and setting up Gift Aid with HMRC. This guide walks you through every step, from writing your governing document to choosing a free fundraising platform, with UK-specific facts on trustee duties, small society lotteries, and data protection.

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December is the biggest giving month of the year, and the right festive fundraiser can make or break your annual target. This guide scores 17 Christmas fundraising ideas for small UK charities by cost, volunteers needed, realistic revenue in pounds, and lead time. It covers events, markets, contests, and campaigns, with Gift Aid guidance, small society lottery rules, and a plain verdict on whether a three-to-eight-volunteer team can pull each one off in eight weeks.

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Giving Tuesday is one of the most powerful moments in the UK charity calendar. This guide gives you 12 creative campaign ideas, from social media challenges and peer-to-peer fundraising to donation matching through the Big Give Christmas Challenge, all framed around UK charity norms, Gift Aid mechanics, and Fundraising Regulator compliance. You'll also find six bonus planning tips to help your team launch, promote and retain donors long after the day itself.

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A practical guide to Halloween fundraising for UK charities and PTAs: 20+ ideas tiered by effort and volunteer count, £-denominated planning maths, the UK small society lottery rules for raffles, and free tools to run it all without platform fees eating your proceeds.

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Plan your charity's autumn fundraising season with 25 creative ideas suited to UK donors, from coffee mornings and Bonfire Night events to quiz nights and five-a-side tournaments. Each idea includes Gift Aid and small society lottery guidance to help your charity raise more this autumn.

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A step-by-step guide to planning a charity fundraising gala in the UK, covering goal-setting in £, Gift Aid eligibility, Gambling Act 2005 rules for raffles and prize draws, venue selection, sponsor packages, a 12-month timeline, and how to run tickets, silent auctions and paddle raises without platform fees using Zeffy.

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Knowing the basics of online fundraising is important, but a successful campaign takes more than the essentials. These ten tips go deeper than a standard search, with UK-specific advice on Gift Aid, regular giving, trust signals, and engaging your supporters.

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Six practical tips to help small UK charities get the most from their Christmas fundraising campaign in 2026, covering peer-to-peer events, creative campaign ideas, Gift Aid, donor transparency, supporter recognition, and year-end progress updates.

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A practical 90-day playbook for small and mid-sized UK charities running a focused advocacy campaign. Covers goal-setting, audience mapping, UK parliamentary and legislative tactics, Charity Commission CC9 compliance, and how to turn each supporter action into the next.

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Raffles are one of the most flexible and engaging fundraising tools available to UK charities. This guide covers 12 creative raffle ideas, UK small-society-lottery rules under the Gambling Act 2005, the Gift Aid position on raffle ticket sales, and practical strategies to maximise participation at fetes, galas, quiz nights, and online campaigns.

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UK animal rescues and rehoming charities rely on community support to keep going. This guide covers 18 fundraising ideas tailored for the UK sector, from sponsored dog walks and pet photo shoots to online quiz nights and small society lotteries, with practical advice on Gift Aid, Gambling Commission rules, and free tools to manage it all.

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Most charity web hosting guides get the priorities wrong. Hosting costs a few pounds a month. The real financial leak is the fundraising layer on top of your site. This guide covers the genuinely free options, the US eligibility caveats UK charities must know, and which providers offer a free first-year domain, updated for 2026.

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A practical guide to 50+ silent auction item ideas for UK charities, covering sports, arts, family, school PTA, travel, technology, and high-end lots. Includes a dedicated section on Gift Aid, UK fundraising regulation, and how Zeffy lets charities run a silent auction for free.

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A practical playbook of peer-to-peer (sponsored) fundraising ideas for small-to-mid UK charities. Covers sponsored challenge events, a-thons, virtual campaigns, DIY supporter-led appeals, and a UK charity calendar with Gift Aid guidance throughout. Every idea is tagged by effort level so a 1-2 person team can pick one and launch it this week.

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Choosing the right bank account is one of the first decisions a UK charity treasurer makes. This guide compares 8 of the best UK bank accounts for charities in 2026, from charity-specialist options like CAF Bank and Unity Trust to high-street community accounts at Lloyds, Barclays, NatWest, and HSBC. It covers how to choose based on fees, Gift Aid handling, FSCS protection, and Bacs/Faster Payments support, plus the documents you need to open an account and why a dedicated account matters for trustees, SORP-compliant accounts, and grant funders.

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Choosing the right silent auction software for your UK charity determines whether Gift Aid on top-up donations is captured cleanly, whether fees are transparent to bidders, and whether the tool fits alongside the ticketing you already use for the evening. This guide covers the UK-relevant shortlist, Gift Aid rules for auction lots, and the Gambling Act considerations when a raffle runs alongside your auction.

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