Individual giving

Raising money from the public provides voluntary and community organisations with a large proportion of its total income. There are many ways to fundraise from individuals, from small to large-scale events through to regular payroll giving and legacies. Deciding on which techniques to use will depend on the size, capacity, location and aims of any particular organisation.

More detailed guidance on individual giving can be found at the ‘Giving & Public Fundraising’ section.

The main advantages of receiving money in this way are that:

  • There are no strings attached
  • It can help raise awareness and publicity
  • It can provide a regular income

The main disadvantages are that

  • It can take a lot of work to get it started
  • It needs a long-term approach
  • Small, local groups cannot compete with big national household name charities like Oxfam and the RSPCA who are the main beneficiaries of this type of giving

Useful resources