Five checks before sharing your fundraising page

Setting up a fundraising page can take minutes. Earning a donor's confidence takes a little more thought.

New guidance from the Charity Commission and Fundraising Regulator, published in June 2026, is a timely reminder that members of the public are responsible for fundraising they organise. The good news is that the guidance is practical. Before you copy that link into a message or social post, give your page this five-minute check.

1. Name the charity clearly

Tell people which charity you are supporting and, where useful, include its registered charity number. If you are fundraising independently, describe your activity as "in aid of" the charity. That makes it clear that you are acting in a personal capacity and the charity is not responsible for organising your challenge.

On Wonderful.org, your fundraising page is already connected to a charity listed on the platform. Still, use your own opening lines to explain why you chose it. A clear personal connection is far more persuasive than a generic "please donate".

2. Say what donations will support

Be specific enough for a donor to understand the intended impact.

"I'm raising £750 for Northside Community Kitchen" is clear. "I'm raising £750 to help Northside Community Kitchen provide hot lunches during the school holidays" is clearer still.

If you want money to be used for a particular project, speak to the charity before you publish. Check that it can accept donations for that purpose and ask what should happen if circumstances change or more is raised than the project needs. A simple secondary purpose can prevent confusion later.

3. Add a target, a date and a backup plan

A target gives supporters something to rally around. An end date creates momentum. Neither needs to be dramatic, but both should be realistic.

If your fundraising depends on completing a challenge, tell donors what will happen if you cannot finish it. For example:

If injury or unsafe weather prevents me from completing the route on 12 September, I will rearrange it for the next suitable date. Donations will still go to the charity.

That one sentence answers a question before anyone needs to ask it.

4. Be open about money and expenses

Donors should know how their money reaches the charity and whether anything will be taken out first.

With Wonderful.org, donations are made by instant bank payment and transferred directly from the donor's bank account to the charity's bank account. Wonderful.org does not deduct a platform or processing fee and does not ask the donor to leave a tip.

If you plan to recover any personal costs from the money raised, say so before accepting donations. Better still, where you can, keep challenge expenses separate from charitable donations.

Use the Donate button on your Wonderful page rather than asking supporters to send money to a personal account. This keeps the route clear and gives donors a consistent, secure experience.

5. Read it once as a stranger

Imagine you know nothing about the fundraiser, the charity or the challenge. Can you answer these questions within 30 seconds?

Who is fundraising?
Which charity will receive the donations?
What is the fundraiser doing, and when?
Why does the cause matter to them?
What will the money support?
What happens if the plan changes?

If one answer is missing, add a sentence. You do not need a longer story; you need a clearer one.

Then keep the page alive

Sharing is not a one-off event. Wonderful fundraisers can post updates from their page dashboard. A training photo, a milestone, a change of plan or a quick thank-you gives you a natural reason to share the page again without repeating the same request.

Before you send your first message, open your page one last time on a phone. Check the image, the first paragraph and the Donate button. Five calm minutes now can make the whole fundraiser feel more trustworthy.

Ready? Review your fundraising page, make one useful improvement, then share it.

Before you share your fundraising page: five checks that build trust