Autumn appeals start now: a 30-minute clarity check

For many charities, September is when fundraising activity becomes noticeably busier. The most useful preparation is often not a new campaign concept. It is making the journey you already have clearer.

The current Code of Fundraising Practice has been in effect since November 2025, and the Fundraising Regulator updated its social media guidance in June 2026. Both emphasise open, honest communication about who benefits, what an appeal is intended to achieve and what happens if plans change.

If your charity is already listed on Wonderful.org, set aside 30 minutes and work through these five checks.

Five minutes: refresh your charity profile

Open your public charity page on a phone, not just on a desktop screen.

Check that your logo and cover image are current, your description explains your work in plain English, and the first few lines answer three questions:

• Who do you help?
• What do you do?
• Why is support needed now?

Charities listed on Wonderful.org manage their profile through their Wonderful account at wonderful.co.uk. A small wording update here improves every visit to the page, not only one campaign.

Ten minutes: tighten the appeal wording

For a specific appeal, write down the intended outcome in one sentence. Then test it against this short list:

• Beneficiaries: Is it clear who or what will benefit?
• Impact: Have you described what the fundraising is intended to achieve?
• Evidence: Can you support any numbers or claims you use?
• Scope: Is the money for your charity's work generally, or for one restricted purpose?
• Secondary purpose: If you raise more than needed, or the original plan cannot proceed, have you explained what will happen?

If the full explanation will not fit into a social post, link directly to a page where the information is easy to find. The Fundraising Regulator says required information should remain easy, accessible and visible; a short character limit is not a reason to omit it.

Five minutes: test the donation route

Wonderful charities have a direct donation page and a QR code for it. Use one clear donation link consistently across email, social posts, printed material and event signage.

Test the route yourself on mobile. Check that the link opens the expected charity page, the call to action is visible and any QR code scans from the size and distance at which people will actually see it.

Avoid presenting several competing payment instructions beside one another. A single, trusted route is easier for donors to understand and easier for your team to support.

Five minutes: give fundraisers a three-line brief

Supporters often describe a cause in their own words. Help them stay accurate by providing three ready-to-use lines:

1. Your registered charity name and number.
2. One sentence describing the people or purpose the appeal supports.
3. One sentence explaining the intended use of donations and any secondary purpose.

If a supporter is fundraising independently, they should usually describe their activity as "in aid of" your charity. Encourage them to use a reputable fundraising platform rather than collecting donations through a personal bank account.

Five minutes: assign the follow-up

Decide who owns each of these small but important jobs:

• Check the public page and campaign links once a week.
• Answer donor or fundraiser questions.
• Download donation and Gift Aid data on an agreed schedule.
• Share one progress update or thank-you after the appeal.

Wonderful charities can download donation information and Gift Aid data as a CSV from the Donation data section of their account. A dated monthly export is a simple starting routine for a small team; adapt the frequency to your volume and internal controls.

Clarity compounds

None of these checks requires a new platform, a large budget or a long planning meeting. Together, they make the appeal easier to understand, easier to share and easier to administer.

Start with the public page. Open it on your phone, read the first paragraph and change the one sentence that would help a new donor most.

Further reading

• Code of Fundraising Practice
• Fundraising on social media
• Charity fundraising appeals for specific purposes
• Wonderful support: exporting donation data
• Wonderful support: creating QR codes

This article provides general operational information, not legal advice. Trustees remain responsible for their charity's fundraising decisions and should use the current regulatory guidance or professional advice where needed.