Webinar Recap: Save Hours, Raise More with DIY Fundraising
If you missed our webinar on Thursday 25th June, don’t worry — we’ve got you covered! Hosted by GivePanel’s Account Manager, Jess Clohisey, and Head of Marketing, Mike Morris, the session was packed with practical insights on how to transform your organic fundraising. We were also joined for a fireside chat by community fundraising experts from King’s College Hospital Charity, PAPYRUS, and Guy’s & St Thomas’ Foundation.
Want to watch the full recording? Catch up on the entire session by filling out the form at givepanel.com/diy-fundraising-webinar/.
For a quick summary of what we covered, here are the key takeaways.
1. The 2026 Sector Backdrop is Challenging
We kicked things off with some candid truths about the current fundraising climate. According to the Charities Aid Foundation (CAF) UK Giving Report 2026, the total market for UK donations fell to £14bn in 2025 — the first drop since 2021.
The data highlights a significant squeeze:
- The sector has lost 6M habitual donors over the past decade (a £12.4bn loss).
- Currently, 1 in 5 people say they can’t afford to give.
- The average donation has decreased from £72 to £65.
With traditional acquisition becoming more expensive, charities need an always-on, organic revenue stream that doesn’t rely on significant ad spend.
2. Defining DIY Fundraising
To make sure we were all on the same page, we broke down exactly what DIY fundraising is and what it isn’t.
| What DIY Fundraising IS | What DIY Fundraising ISN’T |
|---|---|
| Supporter-led: The supporter chooses the activity, sets the rules, defines the target, and picks the date. | Charity-controlled: The charity doesn’t determine the specific event type, date, or rules. |
| “Always-On”: It happens 365 days a year, providing a steady, year-round revenue stream. | Time-bound: It isn’t restricted to a specific weekend, month, or seasonal appeal. |
| Organic: It relies on word-of-mouth as passionate supporters rally their personal networks. | Ad-driven: It doesn’t require significant advertising spend or centralised promotion by the charity. |
| “Fundraise your way”: Local 5ks, bake sales, birthday tributes, and Twitch gaming streams. | Charity-Owned Events: It isn’t a flagship event or a branded virtual challenge. |
| Automated & Integrated: Best scaled using smart forms and automated emails to prevent staff burnout. | Manual & Logistical: It shouldn’t require staff to chase spreadsheets, clean data, or organise heavy event logistics. |
3. The Three Major Roadblocks
Despite the potential, many community fundraising teams are being held back by significant logistical challenges. We identified three primary roadblocks:
- Platform-hopping: Supporters get inspired, fill out a registration form on your site, but then have to navigate away to a third-party site to build a fundraising page. Many get frustrated and abandon the process entirely.
- The Data Gap: Supporters set up pages directly on external platforms without notifying the charity, leaving you completely unaware of active fundraisers.
- Admin Burnout: Charity teams waste hours downloading CSV files, manually chasing supporters, and sending batch “thank you” emails.
4. GivePanel DIY in Action
To tackle these roadblocks, we walked through how GivePanel DIY consolidates the entire process — replacing disconnected manual admin with a connected, automated approach:
- Embedded Registration Forms: Custom forms that live directly on your website to reduce friction.
- Multiple Fundraising Platforms: One-Step Registration for JustGiving, Facebook, and GoFundMe.
- Smart Match: Automatically captures and matches organic DIY supporters from JustGiving so no fundraiser goes missing.
- Automated Email Journeys: Segmenting your audience and triggering timed or milestone-based emails (e.g., hitting a specific target amount).
- Campaign Dashboards: Viewing all your data, activation rates, and marketing opt-ins in one central place.
5. Real-Life Charity Spotlights
The highlight of the session was our fireside chat, where we heard directly from charities who are already transforming their DIY programmes. Abbey Harnwell (King’s College Hospital Charity), Vicki Dutton and Caitlin Lloyd (PAPYRUS), and Emma Christmas (Guy’s & St Thomas’ Foundation) shared their firsthand experiences of how automating page creation and data entry is saving their teams hours every week.
Whether you’re at the beginning of your DIY journey or looking to completely overhaul your tech stack, take some time to reflect on your current processes.
To watch the fireside chat and see GivePanel DIY in action, catch up on the full webinar at givepanel.com/diy-fundraising-webinar/.