JustGiving drops 5% platform fee so more money goes to good causes

The website has enabled users to raise more than £3.8bn for charities since it launched in 2000

(Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Fundraising website JustGiving will no longer charge charities a five per cent fee for donations.

Donors will instead be asked whether they would like to make a voluntary contribution to help support the website’s operations in a bid to provide them with “choice and transparency,” JustGiving said in a statement on Tuesday.

Until now, the five per cent “platform fee” had taken small portions of money away from the charities people had donated to.

The website has also changed the terms of its Gift Aid reclaim service, and will now allow charities to opt out of it if they wish.

The changes were made following consultations with JustGiving users and charities.

They come after the website announced it October that it would remove platform fees for donations made to support major incidents, disasters and crowdfunding projects.

Payments processed through JustGiving will still be subject to standard card fees of 1.9 per cent plus 20p, the website confirmed, adding that this is “in line with other major online giving platforms”.

Keith Williams, general manager at JustGiving, added that the website is “inspired by the generosity of our users, who have raised £3.8bn for charities since we launched 19 years ago.”

He continued: “We believe that people who donate through JustGiving will be happy that more money will be going to their chosen charity.”