Fundraising on social media

Introduction 

Social media is an increasingly popular way of fundraising for many charitable institutions. It can enable immediate and direct ways of asking people for money and has the potential to reach a significant number of people quickly and relatively easily.  

For the purposes of this guide, social media means any online communications network or platform, including those used for social networking or other interactive purposes. 

There are a range of ways to use social media for fundraising. This includes marketing and communications (including advertising), building donor relations for fundraising purposes, and holding online fundraising events or information events relating to your fundraising. These might be carried out by posting information, live chats, podcasts, or other types of livestreamed or recorded activities. 

Social media platforms have different audiences and styles. When using social media to ask for donations, carefully choose which platform(s) would be the most appropriate and suitable for your fundraising activity. 

You must meet all relevant requirements of the code, legislation, and other regulations when publishing on social media about your fundraising. Remember to follow any guidance and advice, and obtain professional advice when needed.   

You may also find our other guidance helpful on working with commercial participators and working with professional fundraisers. 

Providing fundraising information on social media 

Be open and honest on social media about your fundraising activity, including: 

• who the beneficiaries will be
• the intended impact of your fundraising activity
• any evidence you use on social media to support your fundraising claims; and
• the scope of your fundraising appeal accompanied by any secondary purpose for donations. 

See more in our guide to ‘Due diligence and fundraising’. 

If the character, word or space limits on the social media platforms you use do not enable you to publish information required by the code, you must make the details available through easy, accessible and visible links to another online source. Social media limitations do not justify failing to provide information in accordance with the code. 

You should aim to provide full information that is only one click away and linked from your social media post, for example via:  

• hyperlinks between your social media post(s) and your institution’s website
• multiple individual posts
• a pinned post; and
• your social media profile. 

Keeping safe on social media 

Make sure you and those you work with to fundraise on social media, including trustees, staff or third-party fundraisers, know how to keep themselves and others safe online.  

Online safety and wellbeing  

Before publishing fundraising content on social media, obtain all relevant permissions and consents. This includes, but is not limited to, using photographs or case studies in accordance with data protection and copyright legislation. 

Make sure the fundraising content you publish is age-appropriate and meets the requirements of the code, including relating to children and people in vulnerable circumstances.  

Those who manage your fundraising on social media should know when and how to hide, remove and/or report illegal, harmful or offensive content. Some social media content comes from ‘social media bots’ to spam social media accounts, to spread misinformation, or for fraudulent purposes. 

If you have a social media policy and/or social media ‘house rules’, you should publish them on your institution’s website and visibly link to them from your social media profile. This is so that current and potential fundraisers and donors know the social media standards you expect. 

Staff and third-party fundraiser wellbeing 

Social media can sometimes have a negative impact on those who are directly involved in creating, commenting on, and responding to fundraising content on behalf of your institution. This might arise from exposure to negative user comments, posts and direct messages. Sometimes they may face abusive or offensive posts from other users or those auto-generated by ‘social media bots’.  

Make sure you have access to training and support to help protect the safety and wellbeing of your staff and third-party fundraisers who use social media on your behalf to fundraise. Make sure they know when and how to deal with, and to escalate and report content when appropriate, including to social media platforms and the police.  

Your fundraising reputation and social media  

From time-to-time you may find some content posted on your social media accounts, or on the accounts of others, is unreasonably detrimental to your fundraising activity. In some cases, you may wish to promptly disassociate your institution from certain social media content or particular social media accounts, such as through: 

• removing or requesting that content is removed
• reporting the post; or
• publicly disassociating your institution from the matter. 

If the person or organisation publishing detrimental content has an agreement with you, for example if they are a third-party fundraiser, you should have additional mechanisms to address the matter through your relevant internal policies (see below and our guide to ‘Monitoring your fundraising partners’). 

Make sure those managing and monitoring your social media know how to hide, remove and/or report published content on the platforms you use. Follow your social media policy, where you have one, in handling such situations or take professional advice where necessary. 

Hybrid fundraising events 

A hybrid fundraising event is one that is held in person and online. For example, your event may be taking place in person and simultaneously livestreamed online, such as via social media. Alternatively, or additionally, you may be recording your in person event for streaming online later in its entirety or as clips.  

You may need to meet the code in different ways for the in person and online aspects of your event. Make sure you meet the requirements of the code for both the in person and online elements, for example: 

• Provide information about your fundraising claims and make sure any required solicitation statements are clearly made to online and in person participants.
• Obtain all relevant consents, as they apply to online and in person participants.
• Observe any minimum age requirements or other eligibility criteria online and in person.
• Consider the accessibility requirements of your participants online and in person.
• Support respectful online participant interactions, including through effective moderation and ‘house rules’, alongside the appropriate management of in person interactions. 

See more in our guides to Fundraising events. 

Fundraising with others on social media 

Make sure you are clear about the nature of your fundraising relationship with those you work with on social media so you, and where relevant they, meet all relevant parts of the code.  

‘In-aid-of’ volunteer fundraisers  

You may find out about an 'in-aid-of’ volunteer fundraiser using social media to fundraise - for example, by being tagged, sent a direct message, or notified offline. 

You may choose to show your appreciation on social media for someone’s fundraising efforts by ‘liking’, sharing, and/or posting a simple supportive reply. This alone is unlikely to make someone an ‘on-behalf-of’ volunteer fundraiser (see below).  

The more you know about and engage with an ‘in-aid-of’ volunteer fundraiser before you have received the money raised, the more likely they are to fall within the definition of an ‘on-behalf-of’ volunteer fundraiser.  

‘On-behalf-of' volunteer fundraisers  

Increasingly, some charitable institutions are proactively collaborating with others to drive their fundraising on social media, including where they meet the definition of an 'on-behalf-of' volunteer fundraiser. These could be, for example: 

• social media content creators
• influencers and digital ambassadors
• streamers and gamers; and
• celebrities. 

If you make arrangements with individuals or organisations to fundraise on social media - whether you approach them or they approach you - and they are unpaid, they are likely to be an ‘on-behalf-of’ volunteer fundraiser.  

You and the ‘on-behalf-of’ volunteer fundraiser must each meet the relevant requirements of the code. 

Commercial participators

If anyone you work with on social media to fundraise operates as a business and agrees to donate a proportion of their social media or commercial revenue to your institution, they may meet the definition of a commercial participator.  

Someone may be a commercial participator if they: 

• agree with you to donate a proportion of their social media advertising income to your institution; or
• agree with you to donate profits from products or services they sell via social media to your institution.  

If those you work with meet the definition of a commercial participator, you both must follow the relevant requirements of the code and the applicable law. This includes making solicitation statements in accordance with the code whenever they promote their goods or services on the basis that they will make contributions to a charitable institution.  

If you are unsure whether anyone you intend to work with, or are already working with, to fundraise is a commercial participator, you should take professional specialist advice. See more in our Guidance for charitable institutions working with commercial participators. 

Professional fundraisers  

You must follow the requirements of the code and the law when working with professional fundraisers.  

Even if they are not a fundraising business, if you pay someone a commission or other financial reward directly or through an intermediary in return for soliciting donations for your institution they may fall within the definition of a professional fundraiser. 

For example, if you work with social media influencers through an affiliate programme or affiliate network who are paid commission in excess of £10 per day or £1,000 per year to generate fundraising donations for your institution, they and any intermediaries may meet the definition of a professional fundraiser.  

Where those you work with fall within the definition of a professional fundraiser, you both must follow the relevant requirements of the code and the law. See more in our Guidance for charitable institutions working with professional fundraisers.

If you are unsure whether this applies to anyone you intend to or are working with to fundraise, you should take professional specialist advice. 

Social media and advertising 

You must meet the principles in the code relating to fundraising communications and advertisements when fundraising on social media, where they apply.  

If your fundraising on social media involves advertising, you and anyone fundraising on your behalf must also follow the UK Code of Non-broadcast Advertising and Direct and Promotional Marketing (CAP Code). 

Anyone paid by your charitable institution to publish social media content, or given an incentive for doing so, counts as advertising. An incentive could include, but not be limited to: 

• anything that is a benefit
• where an affiliate link to your institution has been included, with click through commission; and
• a personal connection to your charitable institution.