Charities are continuously searching for new sources of funds, particularly as they’re feeling the squeeze along with the rest of us. There’s a number of sites available that will help you get going and reach a wider audience than you may otherwise be able to, though at a cost.
Charity Fund-Raising Websites. Do They Work And Are They Worth It?
These are slightly complicated questions. Although fund-raising sites are undoubtedly useful, there are some things to consider. These sites are not (usually) the altruistic enterprise that you may consider them to be; they have running costs, and many of them are there to make money – and there’s a lot of money to be made. Let’s say one year you make £50,000 and they keep 5%, that’s £2,500. When you consider that they may have thousands of charities on their books and that some charities can make considerably more, you can soon see why such sites are often money-spinners for the people who run them.
If someone wanted to send you a large donation, they’d be better off sending you a cheque or bank transfer, cutting out the middle man so you get the whole amount. However, fund-raising sites do make it easy to donate by giving people a number of options, and making the process streamlined. In this regard you will gather funds from those who are the types to give to charities but for whatever reason tend not to get around to it. Secondly, you can reach a global audience, which lets face it, would be hard to do on your own without substantial capital available to get a campaign of the ground.
To quickly sum up, yes they are very useful, but usually at a price. Try to gather funds from other sources or get people to donate directly if possible.
How Do Fund-Raising Sites Differ From Crowd-Funding?
The main difference between fund-raising sites and those which help generate funds to get a project off the ground (crowd-funding), is that fund-raising sites are designed for long-term money generation with no time-limit, and no expected return on a donation. You can read more about crowd funding here – Crowd Funding, Fund-Raising Websites Like IndieGoGo.
A Comparison List Of Fund Raising Websites
these sites are mentioned in no particular order. When I started to compile the list I didn’t favour any particular site.
- www.justgiving.com
- www.mygift.org.uk
- uk.virginmoneygiving.com/giving/
- mydonate.bt.com
- www.everyclick.com
- www.bmycharity.com
- www.charitygiving.co.uk
- www.charitiestrust.org
- www.thebiggive.org.uk
- www.globalgiving.co.uk
- www.missionfish.org.uk
What To Look For When Choosing A Fund-Raising Website
Each site has its own benefits and different charges that you’ll need to look out for. I haven’t talked specifically about them here as they change all the time. Have a look at your options and see which will offer the best solution for your situation.