Fundraising Online with JustGiving
Using online platforms to collect donations, set targets and share your fundraising efforts with others can a really helpful tool, and saves you having to handle cash donations. You are welcome to use other platforms if you like, but we'd recommend using YUSU's JustGiving platform so the money can go directly into your YUSU accounts.
YUSU has a JustGiving Charity Page that student groups can use as a platform for their own fundraising campaigns. These pages are fully customisable, with branding, campaign information and the funds are deposited directly into YUSU’s accounts. This allows for student groups to fundraise for their own project/society/sports team, or for a charity or cause of their choice which will then be paid out from YUSU’s accounts.
Setting up a JustGiving Page:
To set up a JustGiving page, all you need to do is make a copy and fill in the linked document to the right of this text in an email to Jasmine Pledger, Student Citizenship and Employability Development Coordinator - j.pledger@yusu.org
It should take us no longer than 3 working days to put the campaign online.
Pages can also be scheduled to go live, so if you do want a page to go up for a certain date, it’s best to email Jasmine as soon as possible with your campaign details so we can input the details on our web platform.
Once your page is setup:
You may wish to have your campaign open so that individual members of your student group can make their own pages, or if you're doing a joint fundraiser involving multiple groups, you can create a competition between each group on who raises the most.
Click the button below for the step by step on how to do set up pages that link to your main campaign.
JustGiving FAQ's:
What happens when YUSU receives the money from JustGiving?
JustGiving send the money through to YUSU, and takes out their fees (more info available on their website). They charge a payment processing fee of 1.9% + 20p, and a 5% fee on any Gift Aid, plus any additional processing fees if a donation is made in another currency. (YUSU doesn’t charge any fee for setting up or using JustGiving pages, the only fees are from JustGiving directly).
When YUSU Finance receives this (which can take a few weeks) it will then be deposited into our RAG one-off account. If you have instructed us as to where the money should go (which charity or which of your student group accounts) finance will contact you and complete this transaction. If you haven’t provided us with this information, or if you are doing a joint fundraiser, or a fundraiser where money needs to be claimed for expenditure out of the fundraised amount, then you should contact Finance@yusu.org
I’ve raised money offline, how can I add that to show on my online page?
If you’ve done a bucket collection, on-campus fundraiser or something else where donations have not come through your JustGiving page, just email Jasmine at j.pledger@yusu.org who can add the total of your offline donations to your online total, helping you reach your fundraising target quicker.
Can I leave my page open for an extended period of time?
We can set up a page to run up until the end of the academic year, as at this point we have to clear our accounts for auditing purposes. This means if you are setting up multiple fundraisers across the year, or want a general page to link to, to encourage others to fundraise you can use this one platform.
Why use YUSU’s JustGiving platform rather than paying directly to the charity?
There are rules that must be followed as the University of York Students' Union is a Registered Charity, and the Union’s charitable status prohibits money being donated to other charities, political parties, campaigns or trade unions unless specific rules are followed. This doesn't prohibit students fundraising, but just requires specific processes to be followed. As a result of our charitable status, we should declare any funds that have been raised for other charities, and also recognise our group’s achievements.
Using YUSU’s platform also protects groups from giving to a cause that isn’t who they thought they were initially. Fake crowdfunding profiles and platforms are unfortunately all too common, and we would hate to see you raising a great amount of money that doesn’t end up helping your desired cause.
If you do choose to use an alternative platform, or do your due-diligence and ensure a JustGiving page for a charity is the correct profile, then you are more than welcome to set these up, but make sure you let your link staff member/sabb know so we can recognise your achievements.
Questions?
Jasmine Pledger, Student Citizenship and Employability Development Coordinator - j.pledger@yusu.org