Lots of types of groups are eligible to join Localgiving including unregistered groups, charities that are registered with The Charity Commission, The Charity Commission of Northern Ireland, or OSCR, as well as CASCs, CICs, and CIOs.

In order to be eligible for Localgiving membership we ask that your group:

- Operates on a local, regional, or national initiative and is not an international charity
- Has a UK bank account in the name of your group
- Has charitable aims that are not solely for the advancement of religion

If you meet these criteria, please click here to start registering your group with Localgiving now.

Still not sure? Please feel free to contact our help desk at validation@localgiving.org if you'd like to discuss your group's eligibility with our validation team.

Membership of Localgiving is £12.50/month + VAT, charged annually (that is £150 + £30 VAT).

We use this income to help us to continue developing our products and improving our service for local groups.

Some of the work we undertake includes:

- Enhancements and new features to make online fundraising easier
- Validation of charities and community groups so donors can give with confidence
- Processing of Gift Aid, even for groups not registered with the Charity Commission, OSCR or The Charity Commission Northern Ireland
- Training guides and local training workshops so charities can learn how to fundraise online, use social media and promote themselves locally
- Local and national match funding campaigns

If you're a fundraiser who is planning a sponsored event for your favourite group, signing up is completely free!

Find out more about donation fees here.

Localgiving is the only online giving platform that allows unregistered charities and community groups to benefit from Gift Aid.

We facilitate this through a unique donation journey, where donations are made to one of our partner Foundations, before being passed on as an unrestricted charitable grant to the group in question.

Here's a simple step-by-step guide to how it works:

1. A person decides to make a donation to a group registered on Localgiving. When they go to the donation page, they will see text displayed that explains the donation is being made to a Foundation on behalf of the group: "Your donation is made to Localgiving Foundation and they pay the funds to your chosen charity"

2. The donor chooses the amount that they would like to donate and makes their payment. They are then asked if they would like to claim Gift Aid. If so, they provide the relevant details and Localgiving then processes the Gift Aid claim with HMRC on behalf of the relevant Foundation.

3. The donation is processed by Localgiving, subject to payment processing fees. The donation may be subject to a 5% commission if the donation is over £200 and the donor has opted out of covering the fee. Localgiving transfers the remaining amount, before Gift Aid (including match funding, where applicable), to the group as a charitable grant. This is done on behalf of the Localgiving Foundation. Funds typically reach the charity's bank account within 2 - 3 weeks.

4. HMRC processes the Gift Aid claim. A 5% fee is deducted from the total Gift Aid amount, and the rest is passed onto the group on behalf of the Foundation, as a charitable grant. This typically takes around 6 weeks to reach the charity's bank account.

1.9% + 20p is the fee for UK debit cards, please note that charges vary depending on the payment method.

See full details of the donation journey here.

All charities and community organisations on Localgiving are subject to a thorough validation process.We do this to ensure that any donation made through Localgiving is going to a legitimate charitable cause.

Our validation process involves a number of security checks to determine that, in addition to meeting eligibility criteria, the charity or community organisation is:

- A legitimate entity with clear charitable aims and objectives
- Not engaged in any fraudulent activity
- Operated by suitable parties
- Has a local constitution and bank account and can guarantee the money will be spent locally

Validation is an important part of our commitment to provide local communities with a trusted source of bona fide local charities that work toward genuinely charitable aims. The goal of our validation process is to provide supporters with peace of mind, enabling everyone to give with confidence.

Upon registration with Localgiving, charities and community organisations are sent a form to fill out, which tells us what they do, where and how they operate. Additionally, we work closely with selected Community Foundations partner and charity regulators, including the Charity Commission and Companies House, so we can confidently verify the authenticity of an organisation, its management, finances and objectives.

Charities and community organisations are also required to undergo revalidation each year they remain on Localgiving to ensure they are still in operation and remain eligible.

For more information about validation, please contact our Validation Team: validation@localgiving.org