DONATE Campaigns
Run a fundraising campaign online
One donation page for your appeal, with its own text code, short link and QR code. DONATE claims the Gift Aid and pays you with your payouts.
- A donation page with its own short link and QR code
- Card, Apple Pay, Google Pay, PayPal and Direct Debit
- Text giving with your own code
- One-off and monthly giving
- Gift Aid claimed by DONATE for you
- Match funding from a sponsor
- Preview before you go live
- Every donation, with its fee, in your portal
Updated
How it works
Campaigns live in your DONATE portal. A campaign is one appeal, such as a Christmas Toy Appeal, with its own donation page, text code and totals. You can run as many as you like. The pictures use two example campaigns: a live Christmas Toy Appeal and a Christmas Hamper Appeal that is not live yet.
A campaign in six steps
- Create the campaign: a name, then your story, images and thank-you messages.
- Set how people give: Gift Aid, monthly giving, text codes and the amounts on your page.
- Add a match funding sponsor if you have one.
- Try the page in Preview. No money is taken.
- Switch Live on, confirm your posters carry the right wording, and share your link.
- Watch donations arrive, and download a report whenever you need one.
What donors see
Donors give on any phone or computer, with no app and no account. They can also text your code.
Giving
- The page shows your story, Recent supporters and a running total, with a Donate button always in reach.
- Donors pick an amount or Other, then are asked to give monthly if you allow it. They can cancel any time.
- They can add an optional tip for DONATE and leave a message, choosing who can see it.
- Gift Aid: UK taxpayers giving their own money can add it, with their home address and postcode. DONATE claims it and pays it to you with your payout. Do not claim Gift Aid on these payments yourself as well.
- Gift Aid is claimed for every organisation. For clubs, schools and other organisations that are not charities or companies raising for charities, DONATE keeps all of it as its fee (see Fees and refunds).
- Text donors are sent a link to add Gift Aid in the reply.
- Donors can refund a one-off donation themselves until it is in a payout to you, by logging in at easydonate.org/login with the email they gave (see Fees and refunds).
Your donation page
Your story, Recent supporters and what has been raised so far, with a Donate button always in reach.
Choose an amount
Donors pick an amount or Other and give their email and name. With match funding, they see what their gift is worth.
Gift Aid adds a quarter
UK taxpayers can boost their donation by 25 per cent at no cost to them.
Create the campaign
Click New campaign, type a name and click Create campaign. Everything else is on the next screen. New campaigns start not live, so nobody can give until you publish.
Needed before you go live
- A campaign name, up to 64 characters, and a campaign summary, up to 200.
- A web donation response, shown on screen after a donation, and an email thank-you message. DONATE fills both with standard wording, so change them to your own.
- Your organisation must be approved and live on DONATE.
Start with a name
Type a name and click Create campaign. You set up everything else on the next screen.
Write your thank-yous
Open Thank-you messages for the words shown on screen after a donation and the thank-you sent by email.
Add up to three images
Landscape images, up to three. The first is the main image.
Set how people give
The Settings card holds every switch for the campaign. Below it are your text codes and the amounts on your page.
Settings
- Ask donors for Gift Aid and Allow monthly donations apply by text and on the web.
- Fundraising target shows a progress bar on your page.
- Offline donations to add to stats adds money you took yourself, such as collection tins, to your page's total. DONATE pays nothing out for it and charges no fee.
- Stop taking donations at target closes the page once donations plus offline donations reach the target. Close donations closes it straight away. Either way the page says fully funded and takes no more online donations.
Text giving
- Every campaign has a code. Supporters text it to 70201 for £1, 70331 for £3, 70970 for £5 or 70191 for £10, plus their standard network rate.
- Texts of £20, £30 or £40 need the premium codes, a one-off £50 for the campaign.
- Your own code: up to eight letters and numbers. A code that is not a real word is free for 12 months. A real word, like GARDEN or XMAS, is a premium code: £20 for 3 months, £35 for 6 or £60 for 12.
Gift Aid, monthly and texts
The Settings card, with the target and every switch, and the text codes for each amount under Text giving.
The amounts on your page
Set the one-tap amounts and mark one as Pre-selected. Other is always offered.
Ask for your own code
Type the code you want. A free code is yours at once. A real word, like HAMPERS, is a premium code you pay for.
Add match funding
If a sponsor has pledged to match donations, add them under Match funding. Supporters see what their gift is worth before they pay.
Match funding
- Donations are matched pound for pound, oldest first, until the pledge is used up. Sponsors are used in the order you add them.
- DONATE does not collect or pay out match funding. Your sponsor pays you directly. It shows on your page and in your totals.
- Supporters can also fundraise for the campaign with their own pages. See the Team challenges guide.
Add a match funding sponsor
The pool, what has been allocated and what is still available, with each sponsor below.
Go live
Try the page in Preview, then switch Live on and share your link.
Preview
- Until the campaign first goes live, Preview on the Campaign code card opens your real page. You can give a test donation from start to finish.
- No payment is taken, no donation is recorded and no thank-you email is sent. The payment step calls it Rehearsal mode.
- Until the first time you go live, texts to your code are free tests. The reply comes back, but nobody is charged.
- Your short link and QR code are safe to print now. They show an "opens soon" page until you go live.
Going live
- Switching Live on opens Before you publish. Tick that your posters carry the text code format, the legal statement and a DONATE logo.
- Preview ends for good the first time you go live. From then on, texts to your code are charged, even if you switch Live off later.
- Promotion requirements, under Share your campaign, has the logos and the legal statement to copy.
Give a test donation
In Preview the payment step takes no money. The screen calls it Rehearsal mode. Tap Continue as if paid.
Switch Live on
Before you publish asks you to confirm the text code format, the legal statement and a DONATE logo on your promotion.
Share your link and QR
Copy your link, easydonate.org and your code, or download the QR code for posters and cards.
During the campaign
A live campaign opens on its Donations tab. The Donations page in the menu covers all your campaigns.
While it runs
- You can edit a live campaign at any time.
- Three totals: your page counts donations, Gift Aid, match funding and offline donations. The campaign list and the Donations tab Total count donations, Gift Aid and match funding. The campaign header counts donations only.
- Switching Live off stops donations on your page. Texts to your code are still charged, so take down your posters.
- Delete this campaign archives it and removes it from your public pages. A campaign with donations cannot be deleted.
Every donation as it arrives
Web and text donations by month, and each donation with its Gift Aid, match funding and channel.
Fees and your report
Click a donation to see its effective fee and what is net to you. Report downloads every donation that matches your filters.
Fees and refunds
There is no set-up fee. DONATE takes a fee from each donation, and every donation in your portal shows its fee and the net amount to you.
Fees
- Charities, and companies raising for charities: 4.5 per cent plus 22p on a donation without Gift Aid. When the supporter adds Gift Aid there is no percentage fee: you keep the whole donation less 22p, plus 60 per cent of the Gift Aid, and our fee is the other 40 per cent.
- Other organisations: 5 per cent plus 22p; when the supporter adds Gift Aid, DONATE claims it and keeps all of it as the fee instead of the 5 per cent.
- Text donations cost the same. A small VAT amount on the fee is also deducted.
- When a donor's tip covers the fee, no fee is taken from the donation. Only the VAT amount and your payout charges still apply.
- Extras: premium text codes are a one-off £50 a campaign; a premium custom code is £20 for 3 months, £35 for 6 or £60 for 12.
- Charges on each payout: a usage fee of £3 for each week (Monday to Sunday) in which your organisation receives £10 or more (at most £12 a month), and a transfer charge of £7.50 plus 0.5 per cent of the payout for charities and companies raising for charities, or 1.5 per cent for other organisations (at least £3 either way).
- Donations are paid out about three months after the month they were given, once at least £100 is due.
Refunds
- Donors refund their own donation by logging in at easydonate.org/login with the email they gave and opening Donations, while it is not yet in a payout to you. This works for a one-off donation by card, Apple Pay, Google Pay or Direct Debit. The whole payment goes back, including any tip, and Gift Aid is not claimed on it.
- DONATE emails them "Your refund of £10.00 to Oroojo", with your name in place of Oroojo. Your organisation is not emailed.
- Text donations are never refunded. For a monthly donation or a PayPal payment not yet in a payout, email hello@nationalfundingscheme.org and DONATE refunds it.
- Once a donation is in a payout, the donor sees "This payment has been passed to Oroojo. Ask them about a refund." DONATE cannot refund it then, so you refund them yourself.
Settings reference
Campaign code
| Setting | What it does | Default |
|---|---|---|
| Campaign code | Your text code and the end of your short link, easydonate.org/CODE. Shows an "opens soon" page until you go live. | Given automatically |
| Request a custom code | Up to eight letters and numbers. Free for 12 months unless it is a real word. A premium code is £20 for 3 months, £35 for 6 or £60 for 12. |
Content
| Setting | What it does | Default |
|---|---|---|
| Campaign name | Shown on your page and in the portal. Up to 64 characters. Needed to go live. | Required |
| Your reference code | Your own reference, for your records. | Empty |
| Campaign summary | A short line about the campaign. Up to 200 characters. Needed to go live. | Required |
| Campaign description | Your story, with headings, lists and links. | Empty |
| Web donation response | Shown on screen after a donation. Up to 750 characters. Needed to go live. | DONATE's standard wording |
| Email thank-you message | Sent to donors by email. Needed to go live. | DONATE's standard wording |
Settings
| Setting | What it does |
|---|---|
| Fundraising target (£) | Shows a progress bar towards the target on your page. |
| Offline donations to add to stats (£) | Adds money you took yourself to your page's total. Not paid out, no fee. |
| Ask donors for Gift Aid | Donors are asked to add Gift Aid, by text and on the web. |
| Allow monthly donations | Donors are asked whether to give monthly, by text and on the web. |
| Display donation stats on public page | Saved with the campaign, but the donation page does not read it, so it does not change your page. |
| Display donor comments | Shows donors' public messages, with the amount given, on your page. |
| Stop taking donations at target | Shown once there is a target. Closes the page when donations plus offline donations reach it. |
| Close donations | Your page shows the campaign as fully funded and takes no more online donations. |
Text giving
| Setting | What it does | Default | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| £1 | £3 | £5 and £10 codes | Text your code to 70201 (£1), 70331 (£3), 70970 (£5) or 70191 (£10). | On for every campaign |
| Premium codes | £20, £30 and £40 text codes, unlocked with a one-off £50 payment. | Locked |
Web giving and images
| Setting | What it does |
|---|---|
| Preset donation amounts donors can choose | One-tap buttons on your page. Mark one Pre-selected. Other is always included. |
| Campaign images | Up to three landscape 3:2 images, at least 750 by 500 pixels, JPG, PNG or GIF, 10MB each. The first is the main image. |
Match funding (per sponsor)
| Setting | What it does |
|---|---|
| Sponsor name | Who pledged the pot. |
| Pledged amount (£) | The most that will be matched, pound for pound, oldest donation first. Your sponsor pays you directly. |
| Comment | A note for your own records. |
Questions
- How is a campaign different from a Team challenge?
- A campaign is one donation page for your cause, where anyone can give. A Team challenge sits under a campaign: supporters fundraise with their own pages, and what they raise counts towards the campaign.
- How do I set up an online fundraising campaign for my charity?
- In the DONATE portal, click Campaigns, then New campaign, and give it a name. Add a summary, your story, images and thank-you messages, try it in Preview, then switch Live on.
- How much does DONATE charge on a campaign donation?
- For charities, and companies raising for charities, 4.5 per cent plus 22p on a donation without Gift Aid. When the supporter adds Gift Aid there is no percentage fee: you keep the whole donation less 22p, plus 60 per cent of the Gift Aid, and our fee is the other 40 per cent. Other organisations pay 5 per cent plus 22p; when the supporter adds Gift Aid, DONATE keeps all of it as the fee instead of the 5 per cent. A small VAT amount is also deducted, and each payout carries the charges in Fees and refunds.
- Who claims the Gift Aid on donations?
- DONATE claims it and pays it to you with your payout. Do not claim Gift Aid on these payments yourself as well. For a company, it goes on to its charities. For other organisations, DONATE keeps the Gift Aid as its fee.
- Can I test my donation page before it goes live?
- Yes. Until you first go live, Preview opens your real page. You can go through a whole donation, but no payment is taken and nothing is recorded. Texts to your code are free tests until then.
- Can I print my QR code before the campaign goes live?
- Yes. Your short link and its QR code show an "opens soon" page until you go live, then go straight to your page.
- Can people donate to my campaign by text message?
- Yes. Supporters text your code to 70201 for £1, 70331 for £3, 70970 for £5 or 70191 for £10, plus their standard network rate. Unlock £20, £30 and £40 with the one-off £50 premium codes.
- Can donors give monthly?
- Yes. Switch on Allow monthly donations and every donor is asked whether to make their gift monthly. They can cancel any time.
- How does match funding work?
- Add a sponsor and their pledge under Match funding. Donations are matched pound for pound, oldest first, until the pledge is used up. DONATE does not collect or pay out match funding. Your sponsor pays you directly.
- How do I add cash from a collection to my campaign total?
- Type the amount in Offline donations to add to stats, in Settings. It is added to the total on your page. DONATE pays nothing out for it and charges no fee.
- Can the page stop taking donations when we reach our target?
- Yes. Switch on Stop taking donations at target. Once donations plus offline donations reach the target, your page shows fully funded and takes no more online donations. Close donations does the same straight away.
- What must I put on posters and flyers for my campaign?
- A DONATE logo and the legal statement, both in Promotion requirements. If the campaign is for something specific, add the purpose line too. If you show text codes, use the format in Before you publish.
- When will I receive the money?
- About three months after the month it was given, once at least £100 is due. The charges in Fees and refunds come off each payout.
- A donor wants their money back. What do I do?
- Until it is in a payout to you, donors refund a one-off donation themselves at easydonate.org/login, under Donations. For a monthly or PayPal donation not yet in a payout, email hello@nationalfundingscheme.org. Once it is in a payout, you refund the donor yourself. Text donations are never refunded.
- Can I stop a campaign or delete it?
- Switch Live off to stop donations on your page. Texts to its code are still charged, so take down your posters. Delete this campaign archives it, but a campaign with donations cannot be deleted.