How to accept donations online in the UK: a guide for churches and charities

Five ways to accept donations online

What you need before you start

• A bank account in your organisation’s name. Never take donations into a personal account, however temporary. It protects the money, your volunteers and your reputation.
• At least two people involved in the finances, so nobody handles donations alone.
• Agreement from your trustees or committee, recorded in the minutes.
• A clear purpose. Tell donors what their gift is for. Money given for a stated purpose must be spent on it.
• Your charity status, if you have one: your charity number, and your HMRC charities reference if you want to claim Gift Aid.

Can you accept donations if you’re not a registered charity?

Yes. Churches, community groups and other organisations can receive gifts without being registered charities, and many churches in England and Wales are excepted from registering. But there are some limits:

• Only describe yourself as a registered charity if you are one.
• You can only claim Gift Aid once HMRC recognises you as a charity for tax purposes.
• Be clear and honest with donors about who you are and what their money will do.

See does your church need to register as a charity? for the rules in each nation.

How to choose the right way to take donations

• Mostly regular givers? Offer a giving page with regular card and Direct Debit gifts, and keep standing orders for those who prefer them. See regular giving.
• Visitors and occasional gifts? A giving page with a QR code, on your website and in your building. See QR code giving.
• A one-off campaign? A fund or appeal on your giving page with a progress bar, or a dedicated fundraising page.
• Lots of cash-style giving in person? Add a contactless card reader, and claim the Gift Aid Small Donations Scheme top-up on gifts of £30 or less.

Then compare platforms on what they’d cost you over a year: see how to choose a giving platform and card fees on donations.

Gift Aid on online donations

If your organisation is recognised by HMRC as a charity, Gift Aid adds 25p to every £1 given by a UK taxpayer who makes a declaration. Online, the declaration is usually a tick box on the donation page with HMRC’s wording beside it, plus the donor’s name, house number and postcode. See how to claim Gift Aid and Gift Aid declaration wording.

Looking after donors’ personal data

Donors’ names, addresses and giving history are personal data under UK data protection law, and the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) regulates how it’s used. In practice:

• Tell donors how you’ll use their details, in a short privacy notice linked from your donation page.
• Collect only what you need: an email address for a receipt, and an address only for Gift Aid.
• Keep records secure, and limit who can see them.
• Ask before adding anyone to newsletters or appeals, and make it easy to unsubscribe.

Receipts and saying thank you

Send every donor a receipt straight away, showing the amount, the date, your organisation’s name and whether the gift was Gift Aided. Most giving platforms do this automatically. Then say thank you properly: a personal note after a first gift, and a regular update on what giving has achieved, does more for future giving than any appeal.

Fundraising with integrity

The Fundraising Regulator sets the Code of Fundraising Practice for fundraising in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and Scotland has its own Scottish Fundraising Adjudication Panel. The principles are simple: be legal, open, honest and respectful, don’t put pressure on people, and deal with complaints properly. For a church, that mostly means asking warmly and letting people give freely.