If you're raising money for charity, a donation page on JustGiving or a site like it is usually the first thing people suggest. It's quick, it's familiar, and for a lot of fundraisers it's the right choice. But it isn't the only way to raise money online, and for some groups an event raises more.

This guide compares the two fairly: a donation page, and an online event such as a virtual duck race. We make the duck race, so we've tried to be straight about where a donation page is the better choice.

The short answer

  • One person doing a challenge? Use a donation page. People are sponsoring you, and the page is built for exactly that.
  • A group with something to do together? Run an event. A school, club or workplace raises more when people get something fun in return for their money.
  • Not sure? Use both. Run the event for the people who want to join in, and keep a donation page for those who just want to give.

How a donation page works

You set up a page for your cause, say what you're doing and why, and share the link. Supporters give by card, often with a message, and the page shows how close you are to your target. When the page is for a registered charity, the money usually goes to the charity rather than to you.

What it does well:

  • It's quick. A page takes a few minutes to set up, and there's nothing to organise beyond the challenge itself.
  • People trust it. Most supporters have given on a donation page before, so nobody needs to be talked through how it works.
  • Gift Aid. On pages for registered charities, donors can usually tick a box to add Gift Aid, which is worth an extra 25p on every £1 a UK taxpayer gives.
  • It suits a story. Training updates and photos give people reasons to give again over several weeks.

Where it's weaker:

  • It relies on you. A donation page raises money because people want to support you. A group without one person at the centre, like a PTA or a club committee, has less to put on the page.
  • There's nothing to take part in. Supporters give and that's the end of it. That's fine for close friends and family, but it's harder to get people further out to give.

How an online event works

Supporters pay to take part in something rather than just giving. With a virtual duck race, they adopt a duck, give it a name and an outfit, and on race day the ducks race on a screen. People watch from home on their phones, or together in a hall, and the first duck over the line wins.

What it does well:

  • It gives people a reason to join in. Choosing a duck's name and outfit, then cheering it on, is more fun than giving on its own. Competition helps too: classes against classes, teams against teams.
  • It doesn't need one person at the centre. The race is the story, so a group with no single fundraiser still has something to share.
  • It has a date. A race day gives you a natural deadline, and "race starts tomorrow" is one of the easiest last-minute asks there is.
  • Everyone sees the result. A race finishes with a winner and a total, which gives you something to share afterwards and a reason to do it again next year.

Where it's weaker:

  • There's more to organise. You need a date, a prize if you want one, and some time spent sharing the link. It's still much less work than an in-person event, but it's more than a donation page.
  • Prizes come with rules. A paid race with a prize can count as a lottery. Adopt a duck or race for your class explains the format that avoids most of that question.
  • Gift Aid is limited. Paying to enter a race isn't a donation, so Gift Aid doesn't apply to duck adoptions. Pledglings also doesn't collect Gift Aid on straight donations yet. It's on our list, but until then a donation page is the better place for gifts from UK taxpayers.

Using both together

You don't have to choose. Many of the best-run fundraisers use a donation page and an event side by side:

  • Run the race for your group. Families, colleagues or club members adopt ducks and watch the race together.
  • Keep a donation page for everyone else. Grandparents who'd rather just give, people who can't make race day, and larger gifts where Gift Aid adds the most.
  • Point each to the other. Share both links together when you promote the race, and mention the race on your donation page. Report one combined total at the end.

Done this way, the event brings in people who'd never have given to a page, and the page catches the donations an event doesn't suit.

Which should you choose?

Go back to who you're asking. If the money will mostly come from people who know you personally, a donation page is simple and works well. If you're trying to get a whole school, club or workplace involved, an event gives them a reason to join in.

If you're still working out what to do at all, easy fundraising ideas for charity has ideas sorted by how much work they take, and how to raise funds for charity covers the steps from target to thank-you. For schools, see school fundraising ideas.

See a duck race for yourself

You can try a free online duck race right now, with no sign-up. If you like it, how to run a virtual duck race explains how to set one up for your cause.