Project Guidelines
Crowdfunder's mission is to tackle society's challenges by making ideas happen. Our aim is to help projects that matter get support from people who care.
We created these guidelines to protect project owners. They’re intended to help you use the Crowdfunder platform both safely and effectively.
Please note that these guidelines are not to be read as legal advice. If you’re concerned that your project, the rewards you’re offering or the competitions you’re running may break the law, please consult a legal professional.
We also recommend that you check our terms of use and privacy policy, as well as any relevant extra funding policies, to make sure you’re fully informed before launching your project.
Projects we can't support
While we recognise that some projects may become the subject of public debate, if they're lawful and compliant with our guidelines, the crowd will ultimately decide whether or not they receive funding.
Crowdfunder will not host projects where the act of raising funds, or the purpose of the project, is illegal under UK law. Crowdfunder uses Stripe, a US based company, to process all payments. Please review their restricted business rules to make sure your project complies and is not related to a country they do not support.
Good practice guidelines for projects
Crowdfunder is registered with the Fundraising Regulator, which provides best practice guidance for setting up and running a fundraising project. Following this guidance will help you to build supporter trust and encourage them to back your project.
In line with these recommendations, please make sure your project page clearly explains the following:
• Who is running the project.
• Whether the money raised is for a specific purpose or for the person receiving it to use as they see fit.
• What the project’s target is and the date by which to intend to raise this amount.
• What deductions will be made for expenses.
• Whether you are raising funds on behalf of or for a charitable institution, and name the charitable institution.
• If the money is for a charitable institution to use for a specific purpose, you must contact the charitable institution to make sure they are aware and happy to receive the money for this purpose.
• What will happen to the money you raise if:
○ you do not meet your target
○ you raise more than your target
○ the original purpose for which you're raising money is no longer valid.
When considering all of the above, we recommend that you choose the right funding model to support your project’s aims.
Rewards that cannot be offered
The following are prohibited from being offered as rewards on our platform:
• Loan repayments, profit shares, equity in a business (except withdrawable shares in a society/community shares), or any financial instruments or virtual currency.
• Pornographic material.
• E-cigarettes, vapes, tobacco, drugs or drug paraphernalia.
• Firearms, weapons, knives, weapon accessories or replicas of weapons.
• Manufactured products that don’t meet EU safety guidelines (such as CE Mark or Kitemark).
• Any item, service or reward that is illegal to sell, offer, distribute or use in the UK.
• Prize draw entries. Prize draws must be set up using our bespoke product.
Special guidance for charities
The term ‘charitable institution’ applies to registered charities and organisations that are benevolent or philanthropic. The Fundraising Regulator provides clear guidance on what constitutes a charitable institution.
If you work for a charity, the outcome of your project must have public benefit. If you’re raising money for a cause where no charitable institution is identified as the beneficiary, you may need to be registered as a charity. This depends on the nature of your project and we recommend seeking expert advice on this.
Guidance on extra funding from our partners
Before applying for extra funding from our partners, please make sure you:
• Read the terms of use and privacy policy relating to each of the funding partners you’d like to receive extra funding from — these will apply in addition to Crowdfunder’s terms of use and policies.
• Consider the eligibility criteria carefully, as these differ considerably between partners.
• Note the minimum number of unique backers your project will need in order to be eligible for match funding. The minimum number of unique backers is generally 25, unless the funding partner’s criteria states otherwise.
• Understand that any pledge which shares the same backer’s name or email address, or any pledge made using the same payment card as another pledge, will not be counted as unique. Payment cards that share the same, distinctive bank fingerprint will count as the same payment card. For example, if both a primary and additional cardholder make a pledge, they will be treated as having used the same card.
We have procedures in place to detect fraudulent activity. Any pledging or other activity we suspect to be fraudulent may result in a payment delay. These pledges may be withheld or canceled while extra funding may be suspended or withdrawn.
Match funding is not available for projects that are set to ‘always on’ (also known as ‘forever funding’). Nor will new applications for match funding be considered after your project has closed.
Please note unless otherwise stated in a fund’s terms and conditions, if you have applied for a match fund but your project has not gone live, it will be removed after six weeks. Thereafter you will need to create a new project and application if you want to re-apply for a fund.
Match funding that is not drawn down from your wallet three months after a project has closed may be returned to the funder and will not be distributed to your project.
Competitions, prize draws and raffle guidance
You cannot run a lottery or raffle on Crowdfunder. However, you can run a prize draw with a free entry route (e.g. by post) provided you use our bespoke prize draw product and you must have terms and conditions which meet all relevant legal requirements.
Please see our full guidelines on how to run a Prize Draw on Crowdfunder here. These guidelines form part of our terms of use.