Charity advent calendar online: 24 days of giving

Plan an online charity advent calendar: 24 doors, one story or goal a day, a 6 week timeline, Gift Aid basics and why daily prize draws need lottery checks.

In short A charity advent calendar online gives your Christmas appeal 24 days, one story or goal behind each door. Plan it over 6 weeks with a small team of 3 to 5 people, publish one short update a day from 1 December, and link every door to your donation page. Skip daily prize draws unless the lottery rules are confirmed.

An advent calendar suits a charity because Christmas appeals often fade after one big email. Twenty four small reasons to give keep supporters coming back, and each door is a fresh story you can share on social media.

What is a charity advent calendar online?

It is a page where 24 doors open one a day from 1 December to 24 December. Behind each door sits one story, one small goal or one thank you, with a clear way to give. Supporters return daily to see what has opened.

The format works for small and medium charities because the daily task is light. A door can be a photo and three sentences, a short voice note from a volunteer or a figure such as "£15 covers one hot meal".

How do you plan the 24 days?

Start about 6 weeks before 1 December, so mid October. Spend the first 2 weeks choosing your doors and the next 3 writing and approving them, then leave the last week for testing and a short preview to your supporters.

Use a simple grid: one row per door with the date, the story or goal, the image, the giving amount in pounds and who approves it. Write at least 18 of the 24 doors before launch, so a busy week in December never leaves a door empty.

  • Mix the types of door: a beneficiary story, a volunteer profile, a "what £10 does" door, a thank you and a behind the scenes door.
  • Reserve 24 December for a thank you and a total so far, not a new ask.

What goes behind each door?

Each door needs one idea only: one person, one need and one way to give. A story with a single clear sentence about the difference a gift makes usually works better than a door that tries to explain your whole charity.

Examples that work in the UK: a "Christmas jumper" door that links to a sponsored event, a "Secret Santa alternative" door that invites a donation in place of swapping gifts, and a carol concert door that links to the programme. Always get consent before sharing a photo or story, and for anyone under 18 ask the safeguarding lead first.

Can you run daily prize draws?

Only with care. A daily draw is a lottery, and lotteries fall under the Gambling Act 2005, regulated by the Gambling Commission. The lottery rules for your charity are not confirmed here, so check them first or leave draws out of your calendar.

The safest route is no prizes at all: the reward is the story and the thank you. If you still want a draw, the Gambling Commission explains the types that need no registration and the small society lottery route, which needs registration with your local authority. Ask the Gambling Commission or your local authority licensing team before you promote anything. Also note that Gift Aid does not apply to raffle or lottery tickets.

How do you handle Gift Aid and consent?

If you are a recognised charity, Gift Aid lets you claim 25p on every £1 given by a UK taxpayer who makes a declaration. A £100 gift becomes £125, and the donor pays nothing extra. The WeGlow.world donate form does not collect Gift Aid declarations, so add your own tick box or form for the declaration.

The declaration needs the donor's full name, home address with postcode, a statement that they want Gift Aid applied and the date. Keep it for 6 years after the last gift you claim on.

Emailing supporters during the calendar needs care too. Registered charities can rely on the charitable purposes soft opt-in only if contact details came directly from the person, they could opt out then and in every message, and the message promotes your charitable purposes. If you are not a registered charity, ask for consent. The ICO and the Fundraising Regulator hold the current guidance. See our guide to Christmas emails to donors for wording ideas.

How do you build it with WeGlow.world?

WeGlow.world gives you the giving side of the calendar. You set up a donation page in three steps (amount, personal details, summary) that works on a phone, with single and monthly gifts, each with its own amounts and a label per amount, for example "A hot meal".

Each door can link to that page, so a supporter who is moved by the day 9 story can give in a few taps. You can also set up thank you texts, so donors hear back from you after they give. Supporters can start a fundraiser page of their own for your appeal, which helps when a volunteer wants to take on one door as a challenge.

The four Christmas experiences below are concepts until the official launch, and we say so plainly. Two fit an advent calendar well. In the Starry Sky, every gift becomes a star and you fly from star to star, so the sky fills up through December. On the Card Wall, envelopes hang on a string and every card is a stamp, a neat picture of 24 doors. The Glow Room turns each gift into a decoration on a 3D Christmas tree, and the Gift Yard lets you choose a setting such as a forest, village, frozen lake, cabin or library and fly to the next present. See all of them on the Christmas fundraising hub. You can start free with an account at WeGlow.world.

How do you promote it day by day?

Treat each door as a mini campaign. Post the door at the same time every morning, send a weekly email on Sunday with the next 7 doors to come, and ask volunteers to share their favourite door in a message to 5 friends.

Keep a simple tracker with the gifts received per door and the channel that sent them. Our Christmas fundraiser planning guide has a timeline you can reuse.

For more formats to combine with the calendar, such as a jumper day or a carol concert, read Christmas fundraising ideas for charities. If you want a fully digital campaign, our guide to online Christmas fundraising explains how the experiences work. Questions about your setup? Get in touch.

Frequently asked questions

How many people do we need to run a charity advent calendar?

A team of 3 to 5 people is enough: one writer, one person for images and social posts, one approver and a lead who checks the giving page. Volunteers can each own a week.

Do we have to publish all 24 doors in December?

No. Write at least 18 beforehand and finish the rest in the first week. Doors are short, and a late door is better than a rushed one.

Can we offer a prize for every door?

Not without checking the rules. A prize draw is a lottery under the Gambling Act 2005, and the confirmed lottery rules for your case are not covered here. Ask the Gambling Commission or your local authority, or leave prizes out.

Can we claim Gift Aid on calendar donations?

If you are a recognised charity and the donor makes a valid declaration, yes, on genuine gifts. The WeGlow.world donate form does not collect the declaration, so you need your own. Raffle and lottery tickets are not gifts, so Gift Aid does not apply to them.

Do we need a licence to share the calendar on the street?

The online calendar needs none for the page itself, but collecting in the street needs a permit from your local council, and door to door collecting needs a licence. Ask your council about its timescales.

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