What Actually Worked in 2025: The Blueprint for Your Next Virtual Challenge
Another year of virtual challenge fundraising is in the books. If you are sitting down to plan your upcoming campaigns and wondering what actually moved the needle over the last 12 months, you are in exactly the right place.
We analysed the data across a massive number of UK campaigns run through GivePanel in 2025. The numbers revealed distinct, undeniable patterns about supporter behaviour, platform preferences, and where the biggest revenue opportunities are hiding.
Stop guessing what works. Here are the four biggest lessons from 2025 to help you build a more lucrative fundraising calendar.
1. Fundraising is Seasonal (So Stop Spreading Your Budget Evenly)
The data proves that trying to maintain a high-level, always-on acquisition strategy for 12 months straight is a surefire way to burn through your budget. 2025 fundraising was heavily concentrated into distinct peak seasons.
- The October Juggernaut: October absolutely dominated, capturing 18.18% of all campaigns run in the year. It led the pack in registrations and total funds raised.
- The Spring Surge: February, March, and May formed a powerful secondary peak. February was the standout, boasting the highest average registration count (1,119) and the highest page activation rate (61%) of the entire year.
The Strategy: Don’t fight the natural rhythm of supporter behaviour. Invest your biggest ad budgets heavily in October and the Spring window. When the quiet months roll around (like July, which saw just 2.27% of campaigns), use that cheap ad space to test highly targeted, low-competition challenges.
2. Stop Treating JustGiving and Facebook as Competitors
For years, charities have treated Facebook and JustGiving as an either/or choice. Our 2025 data shows that this mindset is costing you money. They don’t compete; they specialise in completely different stages of your fundraising funnel.
- JustGiving is your conversion engine: It delivered an average of £275.60 per active fundraiser.
- Facebook is your activation net: It delivered £147.23 per active fundraiser, but consistently saw higher activation rates (getting people to actually set up a page in the first place).
That is an 87% difference in value per fundraiser.
The Strategy: Use both platforms strategically. Facebook gets supporters through the door with zero friction. JustGiving maximises what those supporters raise once they are active. Lead your registration forms with JustGiving to capture that high average value, but keep Facebook available for those who need a lower barrier to entry.
3. Balance Your Calendar with “Volume” and “Value” Challenges
When it comes to the type of activity you ask your supporters to do, you need to balance scale with yield.
- The Volume Foundation: Walking challenges were the undisputed kings of scale, accounting for 40.30% of all funds raised across the year. They are accessible, reliable, and bring in massive crowds.
- The Value Specialist: On the flip side, press-up challenges generated the highest average funds raised per campaign at a staggering £153,552. They don’t bring in the same volume of participants as a walking challenge, but they attract highly motivated individuals who raise significantly more money.
The Strategy: Use walking challenges during your peak traffic months to capture the widest possible audience. Deploy high-yield fitness challenges during your quieter months to drive concentrated value from a specific, engaged demographic.
4. December is for Activation, Not Acquisition
If you try to recruit cold audiences for a new fitness challenge in December, you will struggle. December and January showed the lowest registration counts of the year.
However, they also boasted the highest JustGiving activation rates, with December hitting an impressive 48.83%.
The Strategy: During the festive season, turn off your acquisition ads and lean entirely into stewardship. The people already in your database are primed to fundraise, driven by the generosity of the holidays. Use automated email journeys to send them encouragement, tips, and milestone rewards.
Ready to Put This Data to Work?
2025 showed us exactly what works in social-first fundraising. Now, it’s time to apply those lessons to your own programme.
Want to supercharge your fundraising? Book a demo at givepanel.com/demo to see how GivePanel’s smart registration forms, automated messaging, and data matching can help you achieve these performance levels.
Already a GivePanel customer? Log in to your dashboards today. Compare your historic campaign data against these benchmarks to see where your unique peaks, valleys, and opportunities lie.