Big Give
UK-registered charities running time-limited appeals that can secure pledges and Champion match funding to double public donations during a campaign window.
A UK match-funding platform and registered charity that helps double donations to UK charities through its Champion and Pledge model, best known for the annual Christmas Challenge.
- Founded
- 2007
- Headquartered in
- GB
- Funding model
- Optional tip
- Platform fee
- 0% + tip
- Payment processing fee
- 0% + £0.00
- Recipient gets
- £100.00 / £100
- Data residency
- UK
- Countries
- 1
- Languages
- 1
- Last updated
- 2026-06-10
Our overall editorial assessment. Full weights are published in the methodology.
The review
Big Give is a UK-based donation platform and registered charity that specialises in match funding, a model in which public donations to a campaign are matched, effectively doubling each gift. Founded by businessman Sir Alec Reed, the platform launched its flagship match-funding campaign, the Christmas Challenge, in 2008 and has since become one of Britain's best-known match-funding initiatives.
Big Give works exclusively with UK-registered charities, organisations holding a Charity Commission, OSCR, or Northern Ireland Charity Commission number, or equivalent tax-exempt status. Its mechanism combines money pledged by major donors with funds from 'Champion' funders; once a charity secures these commitments, public donations made during a campaign window unlock the matched amount. As a registered charity itself, Big Give relies on voluntary donor tips to help sustain the platform.
The platform's core strength is leverage: match funding lets charities raise significantly more during a campaign than they could from public donations alone, which is why it is popular with UK charities running time-limited appeals. The trade-off is that access depends on securing match-funding commitments and being accepted into a campaign, so it favours established or well-networked charities over spontaneous individual fundraisers.
Big Give is oriented toward the UK charitable sector rather than personal crowdfunding, and campaigns are typically organised around set match-funding events such as the Christmas Challenge and the Green Match Fund. Charities apply in advance and are assessed before being awarded ring-fenced match funding.
What’s good, what’s not.
- ✓Match-funding model can effectively double donations during a campaign.
- ✓Operated by a registered UK charity, aligned with the sector it serves.
- ✓Well-established, with the flagship Christmas Challenge running since 2008.
- ✓Connects charities with major donors and Champion funders who provide match funding.
- ✓Runs multiple themed campaigns through the year (Christmas Challenge, Green Match Fund, and others).
- −Restricted to UK-registered charities, not open to individuals or non-UK organisations.
- −Participation depends on securing pledges and being accepted into a match-funding campaign.
- −Donations are concentrated around set campaign windows rather than always-on fundraising.
- −Match funding requires upfront fundraising effort to unlock, favouring well-networked charities.
Where each £100 actually goes.
Fees vary by payment method. We default to Credit card because that’s the dominant method in the United Kingdom.
1 countries · 1 languages · 4 payment methods.
Better-fit alternatives to Big Give.
Our curated shortlist — the platforms we’d actively recommend instead of Big Give for fundraising in the United Kingdom, with the figures behind the call. For the full, neutral index of every side-by-side, see Compare with below.
Big Give keeps donor data in UK; WhyDonate is EEA-resident and GDPR-native, so personal data never leaves the region.
Zeffy operates in more countries than Big Give (4 vs 1), so it reaches donors Big Give can’t.
JustGiving operates in more countries than Big Give (6 vs 1), so it reaches donors Big Give can’t.
See how Big Give stacks up head-to-head.
Frequently asked questions
What does Big Give charge?
Big Give charges a 0% platform fee with an optional voluntary donor tip on top, plus 0% + £0.00 in payment processing per donation.
Where is Big Give based?
Big Give was founded in 2007 and is headquartered in GB. Data residency is UK.
Which countries does Big Give operate in?
Big Give operates in 1 countries including major European markets and English-speaking markets.
Is Big Give suitable for nonprofits?
Big Give’s primary audience is individual fundraisers and groups; nonprofits can use the platform but may find specialized alternatives better suited.
Rankings are produced by a public editorial methodology — open to peer review. We disclose ownership, scoring weights, and every change.