Best donation websites for UK charities in 2026

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Choosing a donation website in 2026 is less about features and more about fee maths. Most comparison articles list ten platforms, wave at the costs, and leave charities to discover later that 'free' still meant 1.9% plus 20p per transaction, a 5% Gift Aid processing charge, and a 17% tip prompt nudging donors to top up on the way out.

This guide does the maths out loud. We have rated nine donation platforms on the only things that decide cost-per-pound raised: the effective fee on a £100 gift (with Gift Aid), who the platform is actually built for, what is included without an upcharge, and how long it takes to get to your first donation.

Zeffy is on the list because 100,000+ charities globally have raised over £2 billion on it with £0 in platform, transaction, or card processing fees, Gift Aid handling included. Every other row has a real cost, and you deserve to see it before you choose.

Transparency: We have not received payment for placement from any platform listed here. Zeffy is the publisher. The methodology, fees, and pros and cons below are applied identically to Zeffy and to every other platform on the list. All fees have been verified against live UK compare pages as of June 2026.

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In this article:

• The 9 best donation websites at a glance

• Quick comparison: 9 best donation websites side by side

• How UK fees actually work: platform fee, processing, tip prompt, and Gift Aid

• 1. Zeffy, the only platform on this list that keeps 100% of every donation

• 2. JustGiving, the household name, with the tip prompt everyone talks about

• 3. Enthuse, branded pages; mandatory if you hold London Marathon or Great Run places

• 4. CAF Donate, the trust-first option from the Charities Aid Foundation

• 5. Wonderful.org, genuinely 0% via Open Banking, with a narrower reach

• 6. Crowdfunder UK, the right choice for match-funded, time-bound campaigns

• 7. GivenGain, subscription-free peer-to-peer with automated Gift Aid

• 8. GoFundMe UK, strong for personal campaigns; trust gap for registered charities

• 9. Localgiving, built for the smallest local charities and community groups

• What to look for in a donation website

• How to choose the right donation website for your charity

• Frequently asked questions

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The 9 best donation websites at a glance

• 1. Zeffy, the only platform on this list that keeps 100% of every donation, including the Gift Aid uplift, with no platform, processing, or Gift Aid processing fee

• 2. JustGiving, the household name most UK donors recognise, with the ~17% suggested tip prompt that fundraising managers everywhere complain about

• 3. Enthuse, branded fundraising pages that put your charity front and centre; effectively mandatory if you hold TCS London Marathon or Great Run places (contract to 2034)

• 4. CAF Donate, the trust-first option from the Charities Aid Foundation, used by 8,000+ small-to-medium UK charities

• 5. Wonderful.org, genuinely 0% via Open Banking, praised by Money Saving Expert, but narrower reach and the bank-authentication flow can deter older donors

• 6. Crowdfunder UK, the right choice for time-bound campaigns with National Lottery or local-authority match funding

• 7. GivenGain, subscription-free peer-to-peer alternative to JustGiving, with automated Gift Aid; growing UK footprint since 2022

• 8. GoFundMe UK, dominant for personal and emergency crowdfunding; charity-domain mismatch costs trust for registered charities

• 9. Localgiving, membership-model platform built specifically for the smallest local UK charities and community groups

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Quick comparison: 9 best donation websites side by side

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The full breakdown for each platform follows. If you want the short version: Zeffy is the only row where the platform fee, the processing fee, and the Gift Aid processing fee are all £0. You can see how Zeffy's free donation website works before reading further.

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How UK fees actually work: platform fee, processing, tip prompt, and Gift Aid

Before comparing platforms, UK charities need to understand four separate levers that together determine what actually reaches the cause.

1. Headline platform fee. This is the percentage the platform takes from each donation. JustGiving, Enthuse, Wonderful.org, and Crowdfunder UK all headline at 0%. Zeffy is also 0%. Localgiving charges a membership fee rather than a per-donation percentage.

2. Card processing. Most platforms pass on Stripe's UK card rate of 1.5% plus 20p per transaction, or something close to it. GoCardless Direct Debit costs 1% plus 20p, capped at £2 per payment, which makes it the most cost-effective channel for regular gifts. A platform that says '0% platform fee' but passes through card processing is not fee-free.

3. Donor tip prompt. JustGiving and Enthuse both default to an opt-out tip prompt of roughly 17%. The donor sees the prompt after entering their donation amount. If they do not actively remove it, the platform takes that percentage on top of the donation. Money Saving Expert has covered this extensively and UK Trustpilot reviews for JustGiving cite it frequently. A 17% tip on a £50 donation adds £8.50 to the donor's total, none of which reaches the charity.

4. Gift Aid processing fee. This is the charge that most platforms never mention loudly. Gift Aid allows a UK-registered charity to reclaim 25p from HMRC for every £1 donated by a UK taxpayer. A £100 donation becomes £125 to the charity. Several platforms, including JustGiving and Enthuse, charge a 5% fee on the reclaimed Gift Aid value. On that £100 donation: £25 Gift Aid reclaim, minus 5% (£1.25) to the platform. Zeffy charges nothing on the Gift Aid uplift. The full £125 reaches the charity.

The Code of Fundraising Practice (current version effective 1 November 2025, with new Section 9 covering online platforms) requires fundraising platforms to be transparent about their fee structures. When evaluating any platform, ask for the combined effective rate across all four levers on your average gift size.

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1. Zeffy, the only platform on this list that keeps 100% of every donation

Zeffy is the only platform on this list where UK registered charities keep 100% of donations, including the Gift Aid uplift. No platform fees, no transaction fees, no card processing fees, no Gift Aid processing fees. 100,000+ charities worldwide have raised over £2 billion on Zeffy. The full feature set is included; there is no paid tier above it.

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Pros

• 100% free: no platform fee, no transaction fee, no card processing fee, and no Gift Aid processing fee

• Donation forms and pages, event ticketing, peer-to-peer fundraising, auctions, raffles, memberships, and an online shop all included at no cost

• Handles Gift Aid: captures the donor's Gift Aid declaration at checkout, so your charity can reclaim 25p per £1 from HMRC. A £100 gift with a valid declaration becomes £125 to the charity, with none of the uplift taken by the platform

• Built-in supporter management with import, segmentation, and notes

• Apple Pay, Google Pay, Direct Debit, and regular giving supported

• Works with the UK small-society-lottery workflow for charity raffles under the Gambling Act 2005

• Aligned with the Fundraising Regulator's Code of Fundraising Practice and UK GDPR requirements for donor data

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Cons

• Available to registered charities in the UK, US, and Canada (verify your charity's eligibility at sign-up; not available to unincorporated community groups or CICs that are not charity-registered)

• No individual or personal crowdfunding campaigns

• No paid enterprise tier, native mobile donor app, or AI fundraising assistant

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Pricing

100% free for registered charities. The charity never pays a platform, transaction, card processing, or Gift Aid processing fee. Ever.

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2. JustGiving, the household name, with the tip prompt everyone talks about

JustGiving is the dominant UK donation platform and has been since 2001. Donor brand recognition is genuine: most UK supporters have used it or seen it. The headline platform fee is 0%. The honest story is more complicated.

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Pros

• Household-name brand recognition with UK donors; cold supporters trust the URL

• Strong peer-to-peer infrastructure for sponsored events outside the London Marathon and Great Run exclusivity window

• Withdraw funds without hitting a target

• Large existing supporter community

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Cons

• Defaults to a roughly 17% opt-out tip prompt at checkout. Donors who do not actively remove it pay that percentage on top of their donation, none of which reaches the charity. UK Trustpilot reviews and Money Saving Expert coverage cite this as the single most-criticised feature of the platform

• Card processing fee of 1.9% plus 20p per donation

• Gift Aid processing fee of 5% on the reclaimed Gift Aid value (on a £100 donation with Gift Aid, £1.25 of the £25 uplift goes to JustGiving)

• Some charities pay a monthly subscription of £15 to £39 plus VAT

• Owned by Blackbaud since 2017; enterprise priorities can feel misaligned with small charity needs

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Pricing

0% platform fee. Card processing 1.9% plus 20p. Gift Aid processing fee 5% of the reclaimed Gift Aid value. Opt-out tip prompt defaults to roughly 17%. For verified pricing, see the Zeffy vs JustGiving comparison.

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3. Enthuse, branded pages; mandatory if you hold London Marathon or Great Run places

Enthuse is the official online fundraising partner for London Marathon Events (TCS London Marathon) and the Great Run series under a contract that runs to 2034. If your charity has places in those events, Enthuse is not optional. Outside those flagship events, the value proposition is more competitive.

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Pros

• Branded fundraising pages that show your charity's name and identity, not the platform's

• Official integration with TCS London Marathon and Great Run series: if runners have official places, their fundraising pages are created automatically through Enthuse

• Supports donation pages, event registration, peer-to-peer fundraising, and Gift Aid capture

• FCA-regulated, which reassures some charity trustees

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Cons

• 0% platform fee on donations, but with an opt-out tip prompt default and a Gift Aid processing fee of 5% on the reclaimed value

• Events: 3.5% plus 75p per ticket, which adds up on lower-priced community events

• Optional subscription at £29.99 plus VAT per month for the full Fundraising and Events package; the cost accumulates over a year

• Outside London Marathon and Great Run, the brand recognition advantage over free alternatives is smaller

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Pricing

0% platform fee. Card processing 1.9% plus 30p. Gift Aid processing fee 5% of the reclaimed Gift Aid value. Events: 3.5% plus 75p per ticket. Optional subscription £29.99 plus VAT per month. For verified pricing, see the Zeffy vs Enthuse comparison.

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4. CAF Donate, the trust-first option from the Charities Aid Foundation

CAF Donate is built and operated by the Charities Aid Foundation, itself a registered charity with decades of sector infrastructure behind it. More than 8,000 small-to-medium UK charities use it. Trustees and finance teams recognise the CAF name and that name-recognition removes friction in internal sign-off processes.

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Pros

• No monthly subscription fee

• Staggered donation fee structure that is generally lower than commercial competitors

• Strong for embedded donate buttons and Direct Debit regular gifts

• Trustee name-recognition: CAF is one of the most established names in UK charity finance

• CAF Bank (sister organisation) provides banking to many of the same charities, creating a joined-up relationship

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Cons

• Reporting is basic compared to commercial platforms; limited segmentation and campaign analytics

• The platform has lower marketing flair: if you want a highly customised, brand-led donor journey, CAF Donate is not built for it

• Feature breadth is narrower than Zeffy: no integrated ticketing, auctions, raffles, or peer-to-peer fundraising tools

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Pricing

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5. Wonderful.org, genuinely 0% via Open Banking, with a narrower reach

Wonderful.org uses Open Banking (account-to-account transfers) to deliver 0% platform fee, 0% Gift Aid processing fee, and 0% transaction fee on Pay by Bank donations. Money Saving Expert has praised the model, and technically it is the most cost-effective card-free option available.

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Pros

• 0% platform fee, 0% Gift Aid processing fee on Pay by Bank

• The charity receives 100% of the donation and 100% of the Gift Aid uplift

• Open Banking journey is fast and secure for donors who are comfortable with it

• Well-suited to younger, digitally-confident donors who use mobile banking

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Cons

• Open Banking requires donors to authenticate via their bank app. This converts well with younger, banked donors and significantly less well with older donors who are unfamiliar with the flow

• Narrower platform reach than JustGiving: you bring your own audience rather than benefiting from a discovery network

• Card donations carry processing fees; the 0% model applies to Pay by Bank only

• Smaller brand recognition means cold donors may need more reassurance before completing the journey

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Pricing

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6. Crowdfunder UK, the right choice for match-funded, time-bound campaigns

Crowdfunder UK is the UK's largest crowdfunding platform. Its 0% platform fee for charities is the headline; the real reason to choose it over JustGiving is match funding. Crowdfunder has partnerships with the National Lottery Community Fund, local authorities, and other funders who add matched contributions to qualifying campaigns. That match funding can double or triple a campaign's total.

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Pros

• 0% platform fee for registered charities

• Match-funding partnerships with the National Lottery, local authorities, and other funders: a real reason to pick Crowdfunder over other platforms for project-based campaigns

• Strong for time-bound campaigns with a clear funding target and a deadline that creates urgency

• Rewards-based crowdfunding, prize draws, and community shares all supported

• Registered with the Fundraising Regulator

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Cons

• Not designed for steady-state donate buttons or monthly giving infrastructure

• Match-funding availability is campaign-specific and not guaranteed; you need to qualify

• Card processing fees apply

• Smaller integration ecosystem than commercial CRM-linked platforms

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Pricing

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7. GivenGain, subscription-free peer-to-peer with automated Gift Aid

GivenGain launched in the UK in 2022 and is growing its footprint through partnerships with organisations including Swimathon, British Heart Foundation, and Dame Kelly Holmes Trust. It is a subscription-free peer-to-peer alternative to JustGiving with automated Gift Aid built in and no Gift Aid processing fee.

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Pros

• Subscription-free for charities

• Automated Gift Aid capture and processing with no Gift Aid processing fee

• Peer-to-peer champion-page model encourages ongoing community fundraising, not just single event campaigns

• Optional donor tip (not an opt-out default of the JustGiving style)

• Growing UK event-partner network

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Cons

• Less brand recognition than JustGiving among UK donors; cold donors may need reassurance before completing a donation

• UK footprint is still growing; not yet the default choice outside specific event partnerships

• Feature breadth narrower than an all-in-one platform: no integrated ticketing, auctions, or membership tools

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Pricing

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8. GoFundMe UK, strong for personal campaigns; trust gap for registered charities

GoFundMe UK is the dominant platform for personal and emergency crowdfunding in the UK. Its brand recognition with individual donors is strong. For registered charities, the picture is more nuanced.

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Pros

• Large UK audience and strong brand recognition with individual donors

• Simple campaign setup

• Withdraw funds without hitting a target

• Gift Aid pass-through available for verified charities

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Cons

• UK donors primarily associate GoFundMe with individuals and personal causes, not with registered charities. A cold donor landing on a GoFundMe page for a charity may feel less trust than they would on a charity-branded page

• No built-in ticketing, memberships, peer-to-peer infrastructure, or auctions for charities

• Card processing fees apply

• Not positioned as a professional charity fundraising platform; the feature set reflects its individual-crowdfunding roots

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Pricing

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9. Localgiving, built for the smallest local charities and community groups

Localgiving is a membership-model platform built specifically for small local UK charities and community groups. It bundles donation pages with training, sector support, and access to match-funding and grant campaigns from local and national funders. The membership fee is the main contrast with free alternatives.

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Pros

• Built specifically for small local charities: the platform understands the capacity constraints and trust needs of this segment

• Bundles donation pages with training and access to match-funding and grant opportunities

• Accepts some community groups that are not yet registered charities

• Human support from a team that understands the small-charity context

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Cons

• Annual membership fee plus a transaction percentage: this is the headline cost contrast vs Zeffy's £0 model

• Feature breadth is narrower than an integrated platform: no ticketing, auctions, raffles, or peer-to-peer fundraising tools

• Smaller donor reach than JustGiving or GoFundMe

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Pricing

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A note on CRM tools. If what you actually need is a supporter database rather than a donation website, the UK answer is Beacon or Donorfy, both UK-built fundraising CRMs designed for the sector. They pair with a donation platform like Zeffy or JustGiving rather than replacing one.

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What to look for in a donation website

Seven things actually decide whether a donation website is right for your charity. They are worth more than feature checklists.

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1. The effective fee on a £100 donation

Only platforms that absorb processing actually deliver £100 to the mission. Most 'free' platforms still pass Stripe UK card rates (1.5% plus 20p) to you, and several stack a platform percentage or Gift Aid processing fee on top. Do the maths on a £100 gift, not on a £10,000 campaign. Small donor receipts are where stacked fees hurt most. You can run the numbers in the fee calculator against your average gift size.

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2. Segment fit: who the platform is actually built for

GoFundMe is built for individuals and personal crowdfunding moments. Localgiving is built for the smallest local community groups. Crowdfunder UK is built for time-bound project campaigns. Many comparison guides flatten these into a single ranked list. Match the platform to your context first, then compare fees within that context.

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3. Feature breadth included at no cost

Regular giving, event ticketing, peer-to-peer, supporter records, and Gift Aid capture. These are either included or sold as add-ons. A platform that includes them all at £0 looks very different from one that gates them behind a paid tier or a per-module charge.

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4. Gift Aid handling

This is the UK-specific criterion that separates a professional charity fundraising platform from a generic payment tool. A platform that does not automate Gift Aid declaration capture and HMRC claim submission is leaving 25% of eligible donations on the table. Ask specifically: does the platform submit Gift Aid claims to HMRC on your behalf via Charities Online, or does it only capture declarations that you then have to submit yourself? And does it charge a Gift Aid processing fee on the reclaimed value?

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5. Donation acknowledgement and supporter record automation

If you have to export payment data, match it against a spreadsheet, and manually issue year-end acknowledgement letters, you are using a payment processor with a form on top, not a fundraising platform. Automated donation acknowledgements and a built-in supporter record are the floor for a proper fundraising tool.

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6. Setup friction: time to your first donation

Manual eligibility review, contract signatures, and minimum commitments are real switching costs that do not appear in fee tables. If you need to fundraise this week, setup timelines matter as much as fee percentages.

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7. Fundraising Regulator alignment and UK GDPR

Any platform serving UK donors must comply with the Code of Fundraising Practice (updated 1 November 2025, with new Section 9 on online platforms) and UK GDPR and PECR for donor data. Ask where donor data is stored, whether the platform has a UK-facing Data Protection Officer, and whether it is registered with the ICO.

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How to choose the right donation website for your charity

Map your situation to one of these patterns:

• You are a registered charity and want to keep 100% of donations, including Gift Aid. Start with Zeffy. Donation forms, event ticketing, peer-to-peer, auctions, raffles, and supporter management are all included at £0, with Gift Aid declarations captured at checkout.

• You need maximum reach for a time-sensitive or emergency campaign. GoFundMe UK has the broadest individual-donor audience in the UK. The fees are the cost of that reach.

• You hold TCS London Marathon or Great Run places. Enthuse is effectively mandatory. The platform is the official event partner and fundraising pages are created automatically for your runners.

• You want a trust-first option that finance trustees will recognise. CAF Donate is run by the Charities Aid Foundation, a name that carries weight in most UK charity boardrooms.

• Your campaign is time-bound and you want match funding from the National Lottery or a local authority. Crowdfunder UK is the right fit. Match funding is the real reason to choose it over JustGiving for project campaigns.

• You are running sponsored peer-to-peer events outside the flagship marathon and run series. GivenGain is a subscription-free alternative with automated Gift Aid and no Gift Aid processing fee.

• Your donors are digitally confident and you want genuinely 0% fees on every donation. Wonderful.org's Open Banking model delivers that, with the caveat that older donors may find the bank-authentication flow unfamiliar.

• Your main need is a supporter database, not a donation website. Zeffy includes built-in supporter management at £0. If you need a standalone CRM, look at Beacon or Donorfy alongside your chosen donation platform.

• You are a community group, CIC, or unincorporated association and not yet a registered charity. You cannot claim Gift Aid and most charity-tier fee structures are closed to you. Localgiving accepts some community groups; Wonderful.org's 0% Pay by Bank works if your donors can navigate the Open Banking flow. This is a genuine UK gap: as one village-hall organiser told us, once you are not a registered charity, the better fee options simply are not available to you.

Stacking tools is the hidden cost most UK charities overlook. A £15 fete ticket on Ticket Tailor, an autumn appeal on JustGiving, a Christmas raffle through a separate lottery tool, and a sponsored 5K on another peer-to-peer platform means four separate platforms, four separate fee structures, four separate supporter databases to reconcile, and Gift Aid declarations scattered across all of them. Zeffy consolidates that entire stack, free, with Gift Aid handled in one place.

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Frequently asked questions

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