Where your donation actually goes
When you click "donate" online, the money rarely travels in a straight line. Before it reaches the charity, it typically passes through a payment processor and, if you're using a fundraising platform, the platform itself. Each stop can take a cut.
That's an unavoidable cost for any organisation accepting cards, and most well-run charities factor it into their budgets
Payment processing — the infrastructure that handles card transactions — usually costs somewhere between 1% and 2.5% of each transaction, plus a small flat fee per payment. That's an unavoidable cost for any organisation accepting cards, and most well-run charities factor it into their budgets. What varies enormously is what the platform on top of that processing layer charges.
Some platforms are fee-free for the charity but sustained by "tips" — a pop-up that asks you to add a contribution to the platform before you complete your gift. These tips are presented as optional, but the default is often set to yes, or to a suggested percentage. If you click through without noticing, a meaningful slice of what you thought you were giving ends up with the platform rather than the cause. Others charge charities a platform fee — typically a percentage of funds raised — which comes directly off your donation before it reaches them.
The amounts aren't huge on any single transaction, but they compound. A 5% platform tip on a £30 donation is £1.50 that doesn't reach the charity. Multiply that across tens of thousands of donors and the gap is significant.
Which platforms take the least
The landscape shifts over time, so treat any specific figures as a prompt to check rather than a final verdict. What you can assess with confidence is the model.
Charity-direct giving is the option that keeps the most money with the charity. If the charity's own website accepts donations — via a form powered by a provider like Stripe or a specialist charity processor — the only deduction is the payment processing fee. There's no platform layer at all. Many mid-sized and larger charities offer this; it's worth checking their website before heading to a third-party platform.
Gift Aid-enabled platforms — Enthuse, Donorbox, CAF (Charities Aid Foundation) Give — typically charge charities a small platform fee or a monthly subscription rather than a high percentage. Because they're also wired for Gift Aid declaration, the charity can reclaim an extra 25p for every pound you give as a UK taxpayer, which often outweighs the platform cost. Always tick the Gift Aid box if you pay UK income tax — it's genuinely free money for the charity.
JustGiving, the UK's best-known fundraising platform, charges charities a platform fee on donations. It's transparent about this, but it's worth knowing the deduction is there. For personal fundraising pages, it remains widely recognised, which helps with reach and social sharing — that visibility may justify the cost.
GoFundMe and similar personal fundraising tools are generally better suited to individuals in hardship than to registered charities seeking ongoing support. They don't automatically handle Gift Aid, which is a real drawback for UK charitable giving.
Payroll giving sidesteps online platforms entirely. Donations come from your gross pay before tax, so a £10 gift costs a higher-rate taxpayer just £6. If your employer runs a scheme, it's among the most tax-efficient ways to give regularly — the mechanics are straightforward once you understand them.
How to give so the charity keeps more
A few practical habits make a real difference.
Go direct where you can. Search for the charity's own website and look for a "donate" button. If they're processing payments directly, you skip the platform layer entirely. The difference in what the charity receives can be several percentage points.
Read the tip screen carefully. If a platform asks you to leave a tip before completing your donation, that's a separate payment to the platform. Decide deliberately — don't just click through. You're not being mean by declining; the charity gets the same either way.
Always tick Gift Aid. If you're a UK income taxpayer and the platform or charity form shows a Gift Aid declaration, tick it. The charity claims 25% on top of your gift from HMRC at no cost to you. On a £40 donation, that's an extra £10, which dwarfs any platform fee.
Give regularly, not just reactively. A standing order or direct debit direct to the charity costs them nothing in platform fees and gives them income they can actually plan around. One thoughtful monthly gift by direct debit often serves a charity better than several impulsive one-offs via a platform.
Check the charity is registered. Before giving to any appeal online, confirm the organisation appears on the Charity Commission register for England and Wales, or the OSCR register in Scotland. It takes thirty seconds and removes the risk of giving to something that isn't what it claims to be.
The goal isn't to make giving complicated — it's to make it count.