Online Christmas fundraising with a digital experience

Four digital Christmas experiences for a charity appeal, described honestly as concepts, plus what to do about Gift Aid, which the donate form does not collect.

In short An online Christmas appeal works best when giving feels like taking part. WeGlow.world shows four digital Christmas experiences, the Glow Room, Starry Sky, Gift Yard and Card Wall, where each gift becomes something visible. They are concepts until the official launch. Gift Aid is separate: the donate form does not collect declarations.

What a digital Christmas experience is, and what it is not

A digital Christmas experience is a 3D scene on your own page where each gift appears as an object: an ornament, a star, a present or an envelope. It sits on top of your donation page rather than replacing it.

The four experiences are concepts until the official launch. You can look at the live demos on the experience pages, but please do not promise your supporters a finished product yet.

What stays fixed is the base. WeGlow.world gives you a donation page in three steps: amount, personal details and summary. Donors can give once or monthly, each with its own amounts and a label per amount, such as "a warm meal". It works on a phone. The experiences add the visible, shareable layer on top. See the Christmas fundraising hub for the full overview.

How to do it with WeGlow.world: the Glow Room

The Glow Room is a warm 3D living room with a Christmas tree. Each gift becomes an ornament that the donor hangs on the tree, with a card attached. It suits a charity that wants one shared moment.

Here is how it works for a donor. They choose one of your ornaments, and each ornament has its own price. They write a card with a name, who it is for and a message, with a photo if they like. They check the card, choose how to pay and hang the ornament on a gold ring on the tree. Anyone can click an ornament to read a card or search for a name.

In the demo, candles, lamps and the fireplace light up as the campaign grows towards its goal. You choose the tree and the ornaments. See the Glow Room page for the demo.

Starry Sky: every gift becomes a star

In the Starry Sky, donors look up at the night sky above a Christmas market with a Ferris wheel. Each gift becomes a star, and visitors fly from star to star to read the cards.

A donor picks a star in the shape and colour you provided. All stars are the same size, and the amount is not shown with the star, so a £5 gift and a £500 gift look equally bright. The donor writes a card with a wish, chooses an amount and pays in the next step.

It is the calmest of the four. Try the Starry Sky demo and see whether the mood suits your cause.

Gift Yard: a present for every giver

The Gift Yard is a snowy scene where each gift becomes a present with a card. You choose the setting: forest, village, frozen lake, cabin or library. Visitors fly to the next present to read its card.

Donors pick a wrapping paper, write a card and pay in the next step. Then they see the present land in the scene. You decide the wrapping paper and the bow, the layout and whether there are animals.

A library setting can suit a literacy charity, a village a local appeal. Follow your own safeguarding rules about photos. Open the Gift Yard demo to try the settings.

Card Wall: envelopes on a string

The Card Wall is made of envelopes hung on a string, where each card carries a stamp. Each gift becomes one envelope, and a click opens the card inside.

Donors pick a stamp, each with its own price, and the colour of the wax seal. They write a card, pay in the next step and see their envelope appear. Visitors search for a card by name, read the cards one by one or share the wall.

The result feels like a handwritten greeting from a whole community. You choose the material and size of the wall, the envelope, the lighting and the stamps. See the Card Wall page.

Gift Aid: what you must do separately

Gift Aid lets a charity claim an extra 25p for each £1 given, so a £100 gift becomes £125 at no cost to the donor. The WeGlow.world donate form does not collect Gift Aid declarations.

That means you need your own way to collect them. A valid declaration needs the following:

a description of the gift and the charity's name;
the donor's full name and home address with postcode;
a statement that the donor wants Gift Aid to apply;
the date;
a statement that the donor pays enough Income Tax or Capital Gains Tax to cover the claim.

A tickbox online is enough, and there is no required layout. Keep each declaration for 6 years after the last gift you claim on. You then have 4 years from the end of the period in which the gift was received to claim, through Charities Online.

Two cautions. Only a charity recognised for tax, or a registered community amateur sports club, can claim Gift Aid. And a minimum donation without freedom over the amount does not qualify. If your ornaments or stamps have fixed prices, ask HMRC whether that affects your claim before you promise Gift Aid on them.

A six week plan for an experience based appeal

Treat the experience as one part of a normal appeal. Our Christmas fundraiser planning guide gives a full timeline.

Weeks 1 and 2: choose a goal, a small team of 5 to 10 people and your Gift Aid process.
Week 3: set up your donation page and test it on a phone.
Week 4: launch, and invite supporters to start their own fundraiser page for your appeal.
Week 5: share new cards, stars or presents as they appear.
Week 6: send thank you messages and a final push.

Supporters can start their own fundraiser page on WeGlow.world. For ideas to run alongside the experience, see Christmas fundraising ideas for a UK charity and how to run a Christmas fair fundraiser. If you want to try it, you can create an account and start free.

Thanking donors and respecting their data

WeGlow.world can send a thank you email automatically after a gift, if you have written a thank you text. Set it up before you launch.

Cards carry names and sometimes photos, so tell donors clearly what will be visible. For email marketing after Christmas, ask the Information Commissioner's Office or the Fundraising Regulator what applies to you. The Fundraising Regulator says registered charities may use a charitable purposes soft opt-in since 5 February 2026, with conditions. Other groups should assume they need consent.

Frequently asked questions

Short answers to five questions about the experiences, Gift Aid and raffles.

Are the digital Christmas experiences live?

They are concepts until the official launch. You can open the live demos on the experience pages and see how they work, but you should not promise donors a finished product yet.

Does the WeGlow.world donate form collect Gift Aid declarations?

No. The donate form does not collect Gift Aid declarations, so you need your own tickbox or form that captures the full declaration. Keep the records for 6 years.

Can any group claim Gift Aid?

No. Only a charity recognised for tax or a registered community amateur sports club can claim it. Check your status with HMRC.

Can I run a raffle inside the experience?

Do not mix the two. A raffle ticket is a payment for a chance to win, not a gift, so it gets no Gift Aid and falls under the Gambling Act 2005. Ask the Gambling Commission or your local authority which type of lottery applies.

Which experience should I choose?

Choose by tone. The Glow Room suits a shared moment, the Starry Sky a quiet appeal, the Gift Yard a playful one and the Card Wall a personal one.

Sources

All sources were checked on 9 October 2026.