The best fundraising platforms for charities

Small organisations make up over 80% of the 171,000 registered charities in the UK, meaning they are competing for attention with limited resources – at the same time, fewer people are giving, with total donations dropping by 10% to £14 billion in 2025. 

In this environment, online fundraising platforms offer a practical way to reach and engage supporters, run campaigns, and collect donations. The platform you choose can directly influence how much your charity raises, making it essential to research the differences between the available options.

Our article below compares the features and costs of 10 of the most popular charity fundraising platforms to help you decide the best fit for your charity.

How to choose the right fundraising platform

Online fundraising platforms can help charities expand their reach to wider national and international audiences, improve efficiency in collecting and processing donations, and engage with supporters more effectively.

Platforms vary in pricing models, with some charging charities subscription fees, while others take a percentage of each transaction or optional contributions from donors.

A selection of platforms collect donations through hosted campaign pages, whereas others allow you to embed payment tools directly into your charity’s website. Hosted platforms can be faster to launch campaigns and access existing audiences, while embedded tools offer more control over branding and donor data. 

Key considerations include:

• Control over the branding and donor journey
• Fee structure and overall cost
• Fundraising types, from ongoing donations to events and one-off appeals
• Donor experience and impact on conversion rates
• Data access and reporting tools to analyse campaigns and donors

Many charities use a combination of approaches, such as large marketplaces for visibility to attract new donors while directing supporters to their own website for long-term engagement. 

The best charity fundraising platforms in 2026

The platforms below vary in cost, features, and level of control, making them suitable for different types of charities and campaigns.

JustGiving

Best for: Large-scale UK fundraising campaigns

Key features

• Established platform with strong, trusted brand recognition
• Gift Aid integration
• Peer-to-peer fundraising tools

One of the first online fundraising platforms, JustGiving was launched in 2000 and has since raised over £7 billion for charities and worthy causes around the world from more than 227 million donations. This extensive reach means that many donors already have accounts on the platform, making it easy for them to make further donations.

The platform supports a wide range of campaigns, from individual fundraising pages to major charity events. Integration with Gift Aid also helps charities to increase the value of eligible donations from taxpayers.

However, using JustGiving means less control over your campaign, and fees can be higher than some other platforms. There is no platform fee, but charities pay 1.9% + £0.30 per donation for standard payment methods, like credit or debit cards, and 0-5% per donation for other payment methods, such as text messaging.

CAF Donate

Best for: Secure, compliant payment processing

Key features

• Backed by the Charities Aid Foundation
• Strong compliance and security standards
• Detailed donor reports and data 

CAF Donate is an online fundraising platform operated by the Charities Aid Foundation that has helped more than 2,000 charities raise over £70 million online, by phone and post in the past three years. 

The CAF prioritises security and compliance, monitoring transactions and conducting anti-money laundering checks. Donations are processed in compliance with Payment Card Industry (PCI) Data Security Standard regulations, which apply to organisations collecting debit and credit card information.

Unlike some platforms, CAF Donate provides charities with full details of every donor and donation, which you can download and use to create tailored reports to gain insights into your campaigns and target the right audience.

The platform charges 4% of the total donation, including Gift Aid, for one-off transactions and 2% of the gross donation for regular payments, with a minimum charge of 20p per donation. It also charges a Direct Debit set-up fee of £1 for every paperless confirmation and £1.50 for paper confirmations.

Enthuse

Best for: Customisable campaigns and events

Key features

• Branded donation forms
• Support for recurring payments
• Marketing integrations

Enthuse is an effective option if you are looking for more control over how you present and collect donations. Customisable pages allow you to create hosted campaigns with consistent branding and tailor the donor experience, and you can also integrate donations into your charity’s website.

The platform is designed to run multiple events, virtual challenges, and peer-to-peer campaigns, offering direct integration with event partner apps. Enthuse also integrates with customer relationship management platforms (CRMs) and marketing tools to customise data capture so you can collect the information you need about donors to better analyse campaigns.

Enthuse operates a subscription model that may be too costly for small charities. Fees range from £24.99 to £39.99 per month, in addition to payment processing fees of 1.9% + 30p per donation and a 5% Gift Aid fee.

GoFundMe

Best for: Community and immediate/time-sensitive fundraising

Key features

• Simple campaign setup
• Global reach
• Strong tools for sharing campaigns on social media 

GoFundMe is a crowdfunding platform that is widely used by charities, as well as individuals, for community-led and urgent campaigns for specific needs, with more than £35 million being raised every week on the platform.

GoFundMe provides storytelling and social media tools that can help you reach and engage with the 100+ million international donors who use the platform to support various causes. Once you create a confirmed charity account, you can access reports with opted-in donor data and information about Gift Aid. Charities pay processing fees of 1.9% + 20p per transaction and receive 100% of the Gift Aid.

GoFundMe can be typically better suited to one-off campaigns and events, rather than long-term fundraising and donor engagement.

Crowdfunder UK

Best for: Project-based fundraising

Key features

• Campaign-focused fundraising pages
• Access to match funding opportunities
• Community and business support

Crowdfunder UK focuses on helping charities raise donations for specific projects or initiatives, having raised over £400 million for charities and good causes.

The platform is designed to make it easy to quickly set up a charity profile and a simple crowdfunding campaign – it typically takes one week for a new account to be approved. You can then collect donations, run a prize draw to raise funds, and access match funding from corporate, public sector or charitable partners to boost the value of every £1 your donors contribute.

With its strong focus on community, Crowdfunder allows supporters to start fundraisers on your behalf and set up regular donations. The platform also provides access to all your campaign and backer data in one place.

Payment processing fees for charity profiles and fundraisers start from 1.9% + 20p per donation, with prize draws charged a 2.4% + 20p fee per pledge.

Donorbox

Best for: Flexible website integration

Key features

• Embeddable donation forms
• AI-powered CRM and data analytics tools
• In-person payment kiosk

Donorbox’s international platform allows you to integrate tailored, secure donation tools directly into your charity’s website. You can add a custom button to your website, emails, and social media profiles to encourage supporters to donate. The pre-loaded form and donation suggestions make it a straightforward process, with UltraSwift checkout reducing drop-off rates by requiring less personal information so that donors can complete payments quickly.

Donorbox’s all-in-one, AI-based CRM system provides integrated email management, dynamic segmentation, and action tracking. You can also optimise your data analysis and communications using Jay·AI to access donor information, target outreach materials, and refine fundraising strategies.

Donorbox Live Kiosk allows you to collect donations at events, exhibits and other on-site locations from your tablet, encouraging spontaneous giving. This costs $80 per month and $15/month for an additional device, in addition to a 1.75% platform fee and Stripe payment fee of 2.7% + $0.05 per donation.

Platform subscriptions are free for smaller charities, which are charged 2.95-3.95% per donation. There is a $150 Pro Plan for growing charities that offers more tools and control, with fees between 1.75% and 2%. Charities that need full customisation, dedicated support, and advanced tools can sign up for a tailored Premium Plan, with fees between 1.6% and 2%. You can give donors the option to pay the processing fees at checkout, so that your charity receives the full donation amount. 

Givey

Best for: Small, budget-conscious charities 

Key features

• No platform fees for charities
• Donates funds to local causes
• Community hub with podcast and social media support

Givey focuses on advocating for small charities and local communities in the UK and emphasises transparency in collecting donations.

Its fee structure is designed so that charities receive 100% of the donations and Gift Aid they receive, as donors pay a 5% transaction fee to cover platform and processing costs. 

Givey supports a range of fundraising activities, including appeals and events, donating millions of pounds to a variety of small UK charities itself. Beyond collecting donations, Givey aims to provide small charities with community support through its podcast, blog, and Facebook group, where you can share your charity’s causes. It also provides a digital service offering free social media collaborations, one-on-one Zoom sessions, QR codes, live events, and more.

For small charities with limited resources that prioritise cost efficiency, Givey offers a strong alternative to the larger platforms with higher fees.

Givebutter

Best for: All-in-one fundraising and engagement

Key features

• Event and donor management tools, including free CRM and auction software
• Extensive third-party integrations
• Earn 2.5% APY on funds

Givebutter provides a full suite of free fundraising, donor management, and supporter engagement tools in one place. This includes donation forms, fundraising pages, widgets, a mobile app, events and auctions, marketing and engagement, CRM, and more than 1,000 software integrations.

The platform’s built-in donor management system includes custom filters, contact tags, table sorting, and live search, and is fully integrated with the marketing and engagement features so you can create branded, personalised communications.

Givebutter Plus premium subscriptions offer advanced features, such as automated workflows, task management, advanced email and text messaging, customer reports, and expanded data visualisations. The secure Givebutter Wallet also allows you to earn rewards of 2.5% APY on donations.

Givebutter offers optional donors tipping to cover its transaction fees, which it says 92% of donors do. If you choose to disable tips, you pay platform fees of 3% in addition to processing fees of 2.9% + 30¢.

The Big Give

Best for: Match funding campaigns

Key features

• Match funding opportunities to maximise donations
• Time-limited campaigns
• Donor incentives

The Big Give has raised over £429 million for more than 22,233 charity projects since 2008. The platform focuses on supporting match funding campaigns, doubling the funds that the public and large funders donate during specific periods. The time-limited campaign creates a sense of urgency that can increase campaign impact and encourage donors to participate. This makes the platform better suited to specific appeals rather than ongoing fundraising.

To start a campaign, sign up and provide information about how your charity proposes to use the funds, and then secure pledges to make up the match funding pot. Once Big Give approves the campaign, you can use its suite of marketing resources. Any donations raised over the campaign target are treated as extra, unmatched funds.

Big Give charges transaction fees of 1.5% + 20p from UK and EU payment methods and 3.2% + 20p from credit and debit cards from the rest of the world. It also charges 3% + VAT on Gift Aid and asks donors to add tips to cover costs.

Localgiving

Best for: Community groups and grassroots charities

Key features

• Focus on local charities
• Training and support
• Access to grants and partner campaigns

Localgiving supports grassroots organisations in building local donor networks. The platform also provides personalised advice and training, which can be valuable for charities with limited fundraising experience.

Once you set up a charity page you can create as many fundraising pages as you need, linking them to appeal targets to attract donors.

Localgiving provides access to grant opportunities and campaigns run by its partners and offers hands-on support to help you through the application process. The platform makes use of AI tools, including a grant assistant to find relevant grants and tailor applications to their specific requirements. The AI tools can also help draft and improve your communications and boost your charity’s search engine rankings.

Charities pay an annual membership fee of £150 + £30 VAT, and donors can pay a voluntary tip if they give less than £200. Donations over £200 are charged a 5% fee, which can either be covered by the donor or deducted from the donation. In addition, payment processing fees start at 1.9% + 20p for donations made using UK debit and credit cards or PayPal.

H2: Supporting your fundraising strategy

Online fundraising platforms can play a key role in helping charities reach supporters, manage campaigns, and increase donations. The most effective approach often involves using a combination of platforms to balance reach, cost, and control.

Charities may also want to consider protection against risks such as event cancellations, liability claims or cyber incidents when managing donation funds and supporter data.

 

Read more help & guidance for charities and explore our charity insurance.

Please note: This article provides guidance for information purposes only. It should not be relied upon wholly when making or taking important business decisions – always seek the services of an appropriately qualified professional. The views expressed by websites referenced to are limited to those of the websites, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Markel Direct.