How does it work?

Running your own campaign utilises our ‘1:1’ Model of match funding. Charities receive a set amount of money raised from their own supporters (pledges), that matches all of their donations.

The Brain Tumour Charity – Case Study

The Brain Tumour Charity ran two match-funded campaigns with Big Give between April 2020 and September 2020, raising over £150,000 in total. Read more of what The Brain Tumour Trust had to say about working with us.

Having a donation doubled is a real incentive, even more so in the current financial climate. We have some donors who have specifically asked to be notified should we host similar campaigns in future as they were so thrilled to have their gift doubled.” – The Brain Tumour Charity

Charity Eligibility Criteria


  • UK-registered charity with a Charity Commission, OSCR or NI Charity Commission number, or tax-exempt status

Charity Application Process


  • Log in or sign up
  • Once you have access to our charity portal, head to ‘My Campaigns’
  • Click on start a new match funded campaign.

Campaign Stage Breakdown

 

Stage 1: Initial application

Charities sign up to Big Give and start a campaign. The application involves charities completing information on their proposed use of funds.

 

Stage 2: Pledge Collection
Charities that complete the application are automatically enrolled on to the next stage, which involves securing the Pledgers for the campaign. Their pledges make up the full match funding pot.

 

Stage 3: Vetting and Notification
Big Give completes due diligence checks on all applications and approves the campaign.

Stage 4: Marketing
Big Give provides a free suite of resources to help support charities to maximise the opportunity and market the campaign.

 

Stage 5: Campaign

All donations to participating charities are doubled. Any donations raised over the overall target count as extra, unmatched, unrestricted donations to a charity’s campaign.

Ready to get started today? Join our community of like-minded changemakers

Are you a champion (philanthropist, foundation/trust or corporate) looking to make an impact? Look no further! Our bespoke campaign setup is perfect for you. With our proven strategies and customisable approach, we’ll help you reach your goals and make a real difference for the causes closest to your heart. Our team is here to support you every step of the way.

For interested funders

Champion Sign-up Process


  • Get in touch with Big Give. We’ll discuss with you how you can set up your own bespoke campaign designed around your interests.

Pledgers. A Pledger can be anyone in the charity’s network. This may include a trustee, foundation, trust, company, volunteer, high-net-worth individual and others. A Pledger will commit match funds to a charity to support their match funding campaign. These match funds count as promises of funding and can be unlocked by a charity through online donations raised during a campaign. Pledgers are sourced, and relationships are managed by the Charity.

Big Give launched a research report, ‘A Great Match: How match-funding incentivises charitable giving in the UK and unites funders and donors in tackling social issues. The report, which was co-commissioned by Charities Trust and RBS and undertaken by The Researchery, is the first in-depth exploration of match-funding in the UK.

Evidence is drawn from a literature review, analysis of one of the UK’s largest online matching facilitators for charitable appeals (Big Give), a survey of donors, and interviews with practitioners and experts in the fields of matching charitable appeals, matching employee engagement and cause marketing (as a special case of matching)

  • With regards to the matching of charitable appeals, the research found:
    • More people give when their donations are match-funded. 84% of respondents felt that they were more likely to give if matching was offered. 
    • Some donors give more when their donations are match-funded. The average matched gift made through Big Give is £333, while the average unmatched gift is £132 and one in three donors said that they gave a larger gift because matching was applied to their donation.

Funds received during the campaign are restricted to the information outlined in the application until the charity has hit their target. If a charity receives additional online donations after hitting its target, these funds may be  unrestricted. Charities may use the campaign to raise unrestricted funds as long as it meets the eligibility requirements.

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