THE FUNDRAISING BUSINESS TOOLKIT
Before they raise a penny, help them set up like a business.
Whether they are fundraising for a school trip, DofE, Scout expedition or adventure abroad, a brilliant fundraiser is not built from one lucky idea. It starts with a few simple foundations that give your teenager a proper plan, a professional place to communicate and a real sense that this is their goal to work towards.
Start the free set-up
Four simple steps. A very big difference.
A SIMPLE FIRST WEEK
Four small moves. One brilliant start.
Do them in this order and the big trip target begins to feel like a plan.
Why these steps come first
Big goals feel less daunting when they have a proper home.
Your teenager will be asking people to support something important. A dedicated email, a clear money route and one shareable fundraising page make that feel organised from day one. It also means the messages, payments, plans and progress do not disappear into a family WhatsApp chat.
This is their first fundraising business. The more clearly it is set up, the easier it is for them to learn the useful habits: planning, promoting, tracking, thanking people and using money wisely.
✓You do not need to know how to do all of this already. Set it up together, one step at a time. Ways2Raise is here to make the next move obvious.
The four free essentials
Their launch kit for day one.
Each one has a job to do. Set them up before the first bake sale, car wash, sponsored challenge or message to a potential supporter.
Fundraising email
A dedicated address that looks professional, stays organised and is easy to share.
Money home
A parent-managed fundraising space that keeps incoming and outgoing money clear.
Easy money
easyfundraising lets ordinary online shopping quietly add to their total.
Shareable page
Their own free Ways2Raise home for the story, the goal, progress and updates.
The habits that make it work
Three small routines that turn effort into a real business lesson.
Set these habits before the first event. They help your teenager see that fundraising is not only about collecting money—it is about learning how to run something well.
The 10-minute weekly check-in
Choose one regular moment with your teen. Look at what they did, what went well, what needs a nudge and the one next action they will take.
Try asking: “What are you proud of this week, and what is the next small job?”
Track revenue, costs and true profit
Money collected is not always money made. If a car wash brings in £200 but supplies cost £50, they have made £150 profit for the trip.
Make the habit: record every pound in and every pound out while it is still fresh.
Cash out. Receipts in.
After an event, count cash together, record the total, keep any receipts and move the money into the family’s chosen fundraising-money space.
Simple rule: no loose cash and no mystery spending. Every pound has a place.
1
Give their fundraising business its own email address.
Every real business has one easy place where customers, supporters and opportunities can reach it. Your teenager’s fundraising deserves the same. It gives them a professional address for their fundraising page, sponsorship approaches, poster QR codes and thank-you messages.
Why it matters: it keeps the fundraiser separate from your everyday family inbox, makes it easier to reply promptly and helps supporters see that the teenager has thought seriously about their goal.
2 — The money home
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Set up a fundraising money route that feels fairer than a fee-taking platform.
We explored the options with one simple question: how can a parent stay in control while a young fundraiser has a dedicated space for money coming in and costs going out? For families with a 6–15-year-old, Starling Under 16s is the route we would start with.
FOR PARENTS OF 6–15-YEAR-OLDSA clear money home
The Under 16s Space sits inside the adult’s Starling account, so the parent remains in charge.
A supporter link
If available to the account, the parent can share Starling’s payment link with family and friends.
Private by design
A supporter can use the hosted payment route rather than needing your sort code and account number.
A money lesson
The parent can help their teen see what arrived, what was spent and what is left for the goal.
3 — The quiet money-maker
Turn ordinary family shopping into pennies that become pounds.
easyfundraising is one of the easiest jobs your teenager can set up. When family and friends shop through easyfundraising with participating brands, the retailer can make a donation to the cause they have chosen. It is a simple way to keep the fundraising total moving even between events.
Make it their first bit of marketing: once the account is ready, help them send one friendly message to the people who already want to help. It is a small action that can keep quietly earning throughout the whole fundraising year.
4 — Their proper home online
We build them a free fundraising page that keeps everything in one place.
A lot of young fundraisers end up repeating their story in texts, posting bits of information in several places and trying to remember who has offered what. Their Ways2Raise page gives them one clear, shareable home for their fundraising business.
This is the bit we build with them. Once you open the free account together, we help them put the foundations in place: their target, their story, their progress and the practical business plan that keeps the journey moving. When the parent has chosen a suitable payment-link provider, their parent-approved supporter link can sit alongside that story—without publishing bank details on the page.
Optional extras for later
Build the basics first. Then add the tools that suit their ideas.
These are not another to-do list. They are useful free places to explore when their fundraising business needs a poster, a resale clear-out or a creative idea.
Create the promotion
Canva is a useful place to make posters, event signs, simple social graphics and thank-you cards.
Explore Canva →Turn a clear-out into a goal
With a parent’s involvement, Vinted can be a practical route for selling unwanted clothes and accessories.
Explore Vinted →Sell their own style
Depop is another optional resale route for families whose fundraising idea suits its marketplace.
Explore Depop →These are independent, practical links. Ways2Raise does not currently receive commission from the services shown on this page. If that changes, we will clearly label the relevant recommendation before you use its link.
A strong start changes everything
Set up the basics together. Then let them surprise themselves.
In around 15 minutes, a free Ways2Raise account gives you the personal fundraising page, target plan, dashboard, tools and support system that turn these foundations into a proper fundraising journey.
Parent or guardian involvement is part of the Ways2Raise journey for under-18s. No payment card or subscription is needed for a Ways2Raise account.