Crowdfunder Stories

Three Crowdfunder faces on the Smiley Movement Impact 100 list

by Rebecca Hughes | Oct 29, 2026

Written: 28 October 2026 Smiley News has named its first Impact 100: The New Generation list for 2026, and three people from the Crowdfunder community are on it. The list celebrates 100 changemakers from the UK, the US and beyond, across ten categories. Athletes, musicians, inventors and community campaigners all feature. There were no nominations […]

How Siren Craft Brew crowdfunded two breweries and became Crowdfunder’s best-backed brewery

by Rebecca Hughes | Oct 26, 2026

Written: 15 October 2026 Siren Craft Brew has raised £411,617 on Crowdfunder across two campaigns, from 2,193 people. It is more than any other brewery in Crowdfunder’s history, and Siren is the only brewery with two campaigns in the all-time top seven. The money is only half the story. Here is how a brewery that […]

October launch notes: a new Payouts page

by Rebecca Hughes | Oct 13, 2026

This month we’ve rebuilt the Payouts page in your project dashboard. It now shows every pound from pledged to banked, so you can see where your money is and when it will arrive. A clear view of your money, from pledge to bank Example payout states, and history page with placeholders. The old page showed […]

Save the Traf: The community share offer turning a threatened Wimbledon pub into a community-owned local

by Rebecca Hughes | Oct 02, 2026

Written: 2 October 2026 The Trafalgar in South Wimbledon has raised £325,890 from 203 supporters towards saving itself from demolition, with 49 days left to hit its new stretch target of £530,000. View project on Crowdfunder Community Benefit Society Cabo Trafalgar Ltd is buying the pub’s freehold outright through a community share offer, the same […]

Six and Out: How the Bob Willis Fund raised £2.5 million for prostate cancer research

by Rebecca Hughes | Jul 17, 2026

The genius of #BlueForBob as a fundraising mechanic is that it uses cricket, a sport Bob loved and defined, as both the occasion and the audience. Every year, Edgbaston hosted an England men’s match. Every year, the fund asked supporters, players and broadcasters to wear blue. Every year, the crowd responded.

Pride in Place funding: how to set up a match fund

by Rebecca Hughes | Jul 02, 2026

“To maximise the impact of the Pride in Place Impact Fund and broaden its reach, local authorities are encouraged to explore opportunities to leverage funding and/or seek match funding for initiatives. Where possible, this may help to unlock additional support and accelerate progress on shared priorities for local pride.” Pride in Place Impact Fund prospectus […]

How to secure a corporate charity partnership: Lessons from the CCP conference

by Rebecca Hughes | Oct 13, 2026

Last week, our team headed to London for the Corporate Charity Partnerships Conference. We spent the day listening to CSR leads, charities and partnership professionals talk about what makes a corporate charity partnership work, and what stops one before it starts.

How to build a prize draw partnership for your large charity

by Rebecca Hughes | Sep 22, 2026

Written: 22 September 2026 In discussion with Crowdfunder’s Max, head of Campaigns.  The prize draws that raise transformational sums are not the ones with the best prizes. They are the ones where the partner has carefully considered the prize. Our Projects team have worked on prize draw campaigns with artists from Coldplay to Ed Sheeran […]

£1k to £1 million – How to run a successful prize draw on Crowdfunder

by Tom Wood | Oct 02, 2024

Prize draws are a powerful way to raise money for a cause. When done well, they can unlock impressive results. From quick boosts in revenue to building long-term donor engagement, this fundraising format offers a scalable solution that works for both small grassroots campaigns and large national charities. Ready to go further? Our free guide […]

Love, You Make It: What Olivia Dean’s prize draw can teach charities about music prize draws

by Rebecca Hughes | Nov 03, 2026

Written: 2 November 2026 Olivia Dean is playing one of her most intimate shows of the year, and the only way in is through a prize draw on Crowdfunder. Love, You Make It takes place at Hackney Church on 18 November and celebrates 15 years of You Make It, an East London charity that helps […]

How to run a raffle for your school or PTA

by Rebecca Hughes | Oct 30, 2026

Written: 27 October 2026 TL;DR: Taking your PTA raffle online can help you raise thousands of pounds by reaching parents, grandparents, local businesses and the wider school community. The simplest route is usually a raffle-style prize draw with a genuine free entry option, which avoids the need for a lottery licence or registration when set […]

Best UK Reward-based Crowdfunding Platforms for Arts

by Rebecca Hughes | Oct 26, 2026

Written: 26 October 2026 TL;DR: For UK arts projects, Crowdfunder is a lower-cost and more flexible option than Kickstarter. The best UK reward-based crowdfunding platform for arts depends on three things: what it costs, what happens if you miss your target and whether it can unlock match funding. Crowdfunder and Kickstarter are the two main […]