How to donate to charity online
The world is moving rapidly more and more online – and this means that donating to a charity or good cause can be done this way, too. It’s actually very easy to donate to a charity on the internet, with many options available such as crowdfunding platforms like GoFundMe or single / recurring donations through the charity website. Here in the UK we are a generous bunch, with £10.7m being given to charity in 2023, according to CAF. So if you’d like to donate to a charity online read this blog on how to do so. And if you want to get involved in other ways, start a GoFundMe for your favourite good cause today.
Why have online donations to charity increased?
There are a number of reasons why giving to charity online may have increased. These include:
- It was easier to give online during the pandemic and now people’s habits have changed.
- There’s no pressure – you can decide how much you’d like to donate and who to in your own time.
- In an increasingly cashless world, you don’t need physical notes and coins.
- There is a huge variety of charities and good causes to donate to online.
- Donating through a charity’s website or through platforms like GoFundMe is simple and secure.
Three ways to donate online
If you’ve decided that you’d like to donate to a charity online, there are a variety of different ways that you can do so, ensuring safety, security and that the money goes where it needs to.
Via a charity’s website
The majority of charities now have websites where you can donate, either as a one-off or as a recurring donation which gets taken from your bank on a monthly basis. You can set this amount and cancel when you need to. If you have physical donations such as clothing or furniture, you can also use pick up services for some charities, booked online.
Donate to fundraisers
There’s a lot of people out there running, doing bake sales, holding coffee mornings, dressing up… all to raise money for a good cause. You can donate to fundraisers on GoFundMe and lend your support to people who are doing their best to do a good thing. If the fundraiser is for a registered charity, it goes through the PayPal Giving Fund meaning the donation passes directly to the charity.
Donate to charity on GoFundMe
As well as fundraisers, you can also donate directly to the charity through GoFundMe. Again, this goes through PayPal Giving Fund, meaning your donation gets exactly where it needs to go. If you’re looking for some inspiration, take a look at the 25 best UK charities to start fundraising for here.
Can you donate to charity on social media?
Social media is everywhere these days and plenty of people are harnessing it for good. Have a search on the social media pages of your favourite charities to look for fundraising drives or even the ones that your friends, colleagues and associates share on their own pages. Facebook fundraising is shutting down so you will no longer be able to donate to Facebook fundraisers – but no worry, there are plenty of other options available.
How to check whether the charity you’re donating to is legitimate
An important part of donating to a charity online is checking that they are legitimate. You can take guidance here on how to check if a charity is registered – it’s a simple process and worth doing before you donate, especially if you’ve never heard of it before, for example. On GoFundMe, we have the Giving Guarantee which protects donations for up to a year should anything go wrong, which it rarely does. Read about how we deal with fraudulent campaigns here.
Start a charity fundraiser
Maybe you’ve been inspired by other people’s drive and generosity in their charity fundraising – why not start one for yourself? It is likely to raise more money than a one-off donation, you can challenge yourself by doing something possibly out of your comfort zone to help you raise (skydive anyone?) AND help to spread awareness of that good cause whilst you’re doing it. It’s easy to get fundraising on GoFundMe.