UK fundraising sites can cost £504 per £10k

WhyDonate released a comparison of UK online fundraising platforms, showing that total charges on a simulated £10,000 campaign can vary from £230 to £504.

Fee structure revealed

The analysis modeled a campaign of 200 donations, each averaging £50, paid with UK-issued cards. Half of the donors were assumed eligible for Gift Aid, a common tax-relief scheme.

Platforms examined included JustGiving, GoFundMe, Crowdfunder, Enthuse and WhyDonate itself. The study applied each service’s standard UK charity rates as listed on 4 November 2026.

Even platforms advertising a 0% platform fee passed on card-processing costs of 1.9% plus a fixed charge of 20p-30p per donation. On the £10,000 total, those charges amounted to roughly £230-£276, with VAT added on one service.

Two of the five platforms also deducted a fee from Gift Aid claims. With 50% of donors qualifying, the £1,250 Gift Aid uplift could be reduced by up to £62.50.

Impact on charities

Fixed per-transaction fees disproportionately affect smaller gifts. A £5 donation could lose up to 6% to these charges, whereas a £100 gift incurs only about 0.3%.

Subscription-based pricing proved cheaper only for organisations raising more than £22,000 annually online. Below that threshold, the monthly fee comprised the bulk of expenses.

During the year-end giving period, many charities collect a large share of their online income in a short window. The gap between the cheapest and most expensive way to raise the same £10,000 was £274, equivalent to more than five typical £50 donations.

Niels Corver, founder of WhyDonate, said most charities select a platform based on features and brand reputation, then discover the actual cost only after the payout arrives.

How charities can audit costs

The report outlines a three-step audit. First, charities should export twelve months of transaction data from both donation platforms and payment processors.

Second, they need to gather invoices for any subscription fees or add-on services. Finally, they must list every expense: platform fees, card-processing charges, fixed per-donation costs, Gift Aid fees, chargebacks, payout fees and currency conversion.

Dividing total expenses by gross donations yields an effective fundraising rate; dividing by the number of donations gives a cost per gift. Charities can then benchmark this figure against alternative providers, negotiate charity rates with processors, or encourage bank transfers for larger gifts to avoid card fees.

The methodology excluded optional donor tips, as those are paid by donors, not charities. WhyDonate calculated its own cost at 2.4% (£240) for the model campaign, based on a 0% platform fee, 1.9% card processing and a £0.25 per-donation charge.

Founded in Amsterdam in 2012, WhyDonate serves charities, community groups and individuals in over 100 countries. The platform facilitated more than €20 million in donations during the previous year.

Corver advised, “Before year-end, pull your last twelve months of transaction reports, add up every fee, and divide by what you raised. That one number tells you more than any pricing page.”