You’ve probably been to a community fundraising event. Maybe you’ve even organised one.
The charity bake sale at your local school. The sponsored run through your town. The quiz night at the pub that raised money for a local hospice. The neighbour who shaved their head for cancer research.
That’s community fundraising. And if you think it’s just small change and nice gestures, think again.
What Actually Is Community Fundraising?
At its heart, community fundraising is when individuals or groups in your community raise money for your charity through their own efforts. Not because you’ve asked them to donate directly, but because they’ve chosen to support you by doing something brilliant.
It might be someone hosting fashion show in your name, a local business hosting a charity quiz night, a school doing a sponsored silence, or someone setting up a Facebook fundraiser for their birthday.The key word? Community. These are people actively choosing to come together and fundraise for you, often because your cause has touched their lives in some way.
How Is It Different?
Individual giving is when someone donates their own money directly to you. Community fundraising is when someone goes out and raises money from other people on your behalf.
Events fundraising is usually your charity organising an event that people participate in. Community fundraising is when supporters organise their own events or challenges.
The defining characteristic: people actively fundraising on your behalf, usually through their own initiative or with your light-touch support.
Why It Matters More Than You Think
It’s Not Just About the Money
Yes, community fundraising raises millions for UK charities every year. But when someone fundraises for you, they become an advocate. They talk about your cause to their friends, family, and colleagues. They share your story everywhere.
That kind of authentic, peer-to-peer advocacy is worth its weight in gold.
It Builds Deep Connections
Think about the difference between someone who gives you £20 in response to an appeal and someone who spends three months organising an event to raise £500 for you.
The second person has invested time, effort, and energy into your cause. They’ve talked about you constantly. They’ve lived and breathed your charity for months. That creates a connection that’s hard to break.
It Extends Your Reach Exponentially
Every person who fundraises for you brings their network with them. If you have 100 community fundraisers, and each reaches 50 people, that’s 5,000 people you’ve connected with who might never have heard of you otherwise.
It’s Cost-Effective
Compared to mass media campaigns or expensive direct mail, community fundraising delivers brilliant returns. Your supporters do the heavy lifting, often at little cost to you.
It Provides Flexible Income
Unlike restricted grants, money raised through community fundraising often comes with no strings attached. You can use it where it’s needed most, which is incredibly valuable when core costs are always hardest to fund.
What Community Fundraising Looks Like in 2025
Here’s where it gets exciting.
Digital has changed everything. Online fundraising pages, contactless donations, and social media have made community fundraising accessible to anyone with a smartphone. Fundraisers can now set up, share, and collect donations in minutes.
It’s more creative than ever. Beyond sponsored runs and bake sales (which still work brilliantly), people are now streaming video game marathons on Twitch, hosting virtual quiz nights, doing TikTok challenges, and creating fundraising content on YouTube.
It’s story-driven. People don’t just fundraise anymore, they share why they’re fundraising. They tell their stories, explain their connection to your cause, and bring others along on their journey. This storytelling creates emotional connections that straight-up donation asks never could.
It’s hybrid. The best community fundraising in 2025 blends online and offline seamlessly. A local fun run promoted on social media, with online registration, contactless donations on the day, and shared across supporters’ Instagram stories afterwards. That’s the sweet spot.
Why 2026 Is a Brilliant Time to Start Community Fundraising
Right now, there’s a perfect storm making community fundraising more powerful than ever:
- Digital tools are better and cheaper than they’ve ever been
- People want to make a difference post-pandemic, there’s been a real shift in how people think about community and contributing to causes
- Social media is mature making it easy to share fundraising efforts and rally support
- Participation culture is strong, challenge events and creative fundraising are normalised now
- Flexibility is expected supporters want to fundraise in ways that work for them, and you have the tools to support that
What Success Looks Like
MacMillan has built an army of community fundraisers through iconic events like their coffee morning, but also by making it incredibly easy for anyone to fundraise for them in any way they choose. Their community fundraising income runs into tens of millions annually.
Local hospices across the UK often raise 40-50% of their income through community fundraising. Coffee mornings, sponsored events, and passionate supporters are their lifeblood.
Small charities with limited budgets but strong local connections can punch well above their weight. A single passionate supporter organising an annual event can become a major source of income and awareness.
The common thread? These charities make it easy for people to fundraise, provide excellent support, celebrate their fundraisers, and invest in relationships, not just transactions.
Getting Started (Or Getting Better)
Whether you’re new to community fundraising or have been doing it for years, ask yourself:
- How easy is it for someone to start fundraising for us right now?
- What support do we provide to community fundraisers?
- How do we thank and recognise their efforts?
- Are we using the right digital tools to make fundraising accessible?
- How do we stay connected with fundraisers after their event?
The answers will show you where your opportunities lie.
The Bottom Line
Community fundraising is where your supporters become your champions, your advocates, and your partners in making change happen.
It’s not a nice-to-have or a small-scale activity for volunteers to manage in spare time. It’s a powerful, sustainable, and increasingly essential part of how successful charities raise money and build support.
In 2026, with all the tools and creative possibilities available, there’s never been a better time to invest in your community fundraising.
Because when you support your supporters properly, amazing things happen.
Ready to take your community fundraising to the next level? Check out our Ultimate Guide to Community Fundraising for practical strategies, expert insights, and everything you need to grow your programme.