Online fundraising for small UK charities can often include “hidden” costs. You spend weeks planning a campaign, only to see 3%, 5%, or even 10% of every donation swallowed up by platform fees and credit card processing.
Enter Zeffy, the only 100% free fundraising platform for non-profits that has recently made a major splash in the UK.
Free shop, raffles, ticketing, donations, CRM and more!
What is Zeffy?
Zeffy is an all-in-one fundraising dashboard that covers everything from simple donation buttons to complex event ticketing and peer-to-peer campaigns. The “magic” of Zeffy is that it is truly free: £0 platform fees and £0 transaction fees.
How can it possibly be free?
It sounds too good to be true, but the model is simple. Zeffy operates on a voluntary tipping model. When a donor gives to your charity, they are given the option to leave a small tip to Zeffy to keep the platform running. If they choose not to tip, your charity still gets 100% of the donation, and Zeffy still covers the credit card fees for you.
“When someone donates £100 to a non-profit, they get £100. On every other software, the non-profit only keeps around £95.”
Zeffy Overview
Watch: The Zeffy Mission
This short video explains their philosophy and why they believe non-profits shouldn’t be limited by costly platforms.
Tailored for the UK: Gift Aid & Automation
For UK charities, the most exciting feature is the automated Gift Aid integration. Zeffy partners with Swiftaid to handle Gift Aid declarations automatically. This means an extra 25% for your cause without the administrative nightmare of manual HMRC claims.
Key Features include:
- Event Ticketing: Sell tickets for galas or workshops with QR code check-ins.
- Peer-to-Peer: Empower your supporters to run their own mini-campaigns for you.
- Online Shop: Sell branded merchandise or “virtual gifts.”
- Memberships: Manage recurring monthly memberships with ease.
How to Get Started (A Step-by-Step Guide)
Setting up Zeffy is designed to be as simple as “Squarespace but better” for non-profits.
- Create your account: Ensure you select the UK as your country during setup, as this cannot be changed later.
- Link your bank: Connect your charity’s bank account to receive weekly payouts.
- Choose a template: Whether it’s a raffle, an auction, or a simple “Donate Now” button, Zeffy provides pre-built templates.
- Invite your team: You can add your CFO or volunteers to help manage specific campaigns without giving everyone full bank access.
Watch: Step-by-Step Setup Tutorial
If you want to see exactly how the dashboard looks before you sign up, this walkthrough is incredibly helpful:
The Bottom Line
For a charity raising £100,000, switching to Zeffy could save as much as £5,000 a year in fees. That’s money that could go directly toward your mission instead of back into the pockets of payment processors.
On paper Zeffy is an all in one solution that solves many technical barrier that small charities may face. The fact that there is an integrated CRM system, fee free donations and a selection of other very useful fundraising tools makes Zeffy a service that small charities should really be looking at.
I have not personally used this service but have seen it advertised and thought it was worth highlighting as a useful tool for charities to explore.
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