TheGivingMachine
TheGivingMachine is a UK registered charity operating a multi-product fundraising platform that connects 10,000+ registered good causes with supporters through a weekly lottery, digital vouchers, donations, and community grants, generating unrestricted income for UK charities, schools, and community groups.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2006
- HeadquartersBishops Strotford, United Kingdom
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What TheGivingMachine does
TheGivingMachine is a UK registered charity (charity number 1159320) and company limited by guarantee (09017447 England), founded in 2006 by four Hertfordshire-based entrepreneurs who redirected their business and technology experience toward charitable impact rather than shareholder returns. The organisation operates a multi-product fundraising platform connecting UK good causes (10,000+ registered, spanning charities, schools, pre-schools, Scout groups, and community organisations) with individual supporters and businesses. Its core products include GivingLottery — a weekly £1-per-line online lottery where players can win up to £25,000 and 40% of ticket sales flow to the player's chosen cause — alongside GivingVouchers (digital vouchers where 80% converts to a cause donation), DonateNow (direct donations with a 2% + 22p processing fee), and Community Grants (£250 awards to causes). The legacy Shop&Generate online shopping portal, which converted retail commissions into cause donations and generated over £2.25 million for good causes with 3.6 million individual donations over 18 years, was closed in 2024 due to aging technology and lack of grant eligibility; users are now redirected to partner Give as you Live Online.
The business model combines micro-transaction economics with a community fund mechanism: GivingLottery splits revenue 40% to cause, 40% to platform and prizes, 20% to TheGivingMachine; GivingVouchers retains 20% of voucher value; and DonateNow retains a small transaction fee. Business-tier customers pay a £100+VAT setup fee and £50 annual renewal for Shop&Generate or GivingLottery (with 50% discount when combined), creating modest B2B SaaS-like recurring revenue alongside the consumer lottery. Go-to-market is community-led and product-led: free onboarding for causes, referral and word-of-mouth through supporter networks, partnership-driven distribution via Give as you Live Online, BNI chapters, and corporate CSR programs. The company is led by co-founder and CEO Richard Morris and Chief Executive Luisa Gatward (since 2010), with a 11–50 person team headquartered in Bishop's Stortford, UK, and is ineligible for grants — meaning all operations are funded through product revenue.
Over its 18-year history, TheGivingMachine has raised over £2.25 million for UK good causes, with £150,000+ flowing through GivingLottery alone since its 2019 launch. Recent activity centres on pivoting away from the commission-based shopping model (closed 2024) toward lottery and voucher revenue streams, supplemented by strategic partnerships (Jumbo Win, Nectar/Crowdfunder, Give as you Live Online). The organisation holds memberships in the Institute of Fundraising, Social Enterprise UK, and the Fundraising Regulator, and operates under UK charity governance.
TheGivingMachine firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- TheGivingMachine
- Legal name
- TheGivingMachine
- Website
- https://thegivingmachine.co.uk
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2006
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- TheGivingMachine is a UK registered charity operating a multi-product fundraising platform that connects 10,000+ registered good causes with supporters through a weekly lottery, digital vouchers, donations, and community grants, generating unrestricted income for UK charities, schools, and community groups.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
TheGivingMachine industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Charitable Fundraising Platform
- NAICS
- Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321), Civic and Social Organizations (8134)
- SIC
- Services-Social Services (8300)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Public Charities & Grantmaking Intermediaries (BPAGAKAE)
Keywords
Where TheGivingMachine is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Bishops Strotford
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices2 records
Markets served
TheGivingMachine business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- GivingLottery: Lottery ticket sales at £1 per line per week. Revenue split: 40% to cause, 40% to platform and prizes, 20% to TheGivingMachine for operations and promotion. Annual business setup fee of £100+VAT (50% discount if combined with Shop&Give), then £50 annual renewal.
- Shop&Give Commission: Commission generated from online retail purchases via the platform is split 50/50 with the supporter's chosen cause(s). Free for causes and supporters to use.
- GivingVouchers: 80% of donation converts to voucher code for recipient's chosen cause. 20% retained by TheGivingMachine.
- Donate Now: 2% + 22p transaction fee charged per donation to cover processing costs. Donor has option to add this to their donation. Free for registered causes.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Weekly | GivingLottery - Supporter/Donor Tier |
| Subscription | Annual | GivingLottery - Business Tier |
| Freemium | Annual | Shop&Give - Free Platform |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | GivingVouchers |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Donate Now |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels6 records
TheGivingMachine product offering
Product offeringCore offering
TheGivingMachine operates an online fundraising platform offering UK charities, schools, and community groups access to multiple integrated products, including GivingLottery (weekly lottery raising unrestricted funds), GivingVouchers (digital vouchers for cause donations), Donate Now (direct donation processing), and Community Grants (£250 awards). Causes join free and receive marketing materials and dashboards, while supporters generate donations through lottery participation, vouchers, or direct giving. The platform connects causes, individual supporters, and businesses through community-led fundraising products.
Product overview
TheGivingMachine operates as a multi-product charitable giving platform built around a portfolio of fundraising tools. The core offerings include GivingLottery (a weekly lottery with up to £25,000 prizes where 40% goes to chosen causes), Community Grants (£250 awards to good causes), Donate Now (direct payment processing at 2% + 22p per transaction), and GivingVouchers (digital vouchers where 80% of value goes to the recipient's chosen cause). A legacy product, Shop&Give, which converted online shopping commissions into donations, was closed in 2024 after 18 years. The platform connects causes, supporters and businesses through various fundraising mechanisms to generate unrestricted income for UK-based charities, schools, and community groups.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- GivingLottery: An exciting fundraising lottery scheme enabling good causes to raise vital funds; players can win up to £25,000.
- Shop&Give
- GivingVouchers
- DonateNow
Products and services
- GivingLottery Online weekly fundraising lottery scheme enabling UK good causes to raise vital unrestricted funds. Players pay £1 per line per week for the chance to win up to £25,000; 40% of ticket sales go to the player's chosen cause, 40% to platform and prizes, and 20% retained by TheGivingMachine. Causes receive their own lottery page and marketing materials, and a separate Business Tier with setup and renewal fees is offered to organizations.
- Community Grants
Quantifiable outcome
- Over £2.25 million raised for UK good causes since 2006
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use TheGivingMachine
Customer profileNamed customers19 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
TheGivingMachine technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration3 records
Feature3 records
TheGivingMachine partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Jumbo WincoreChosen as charity partner for Golden Ticket prize draw. Received £50,000 presentation cheque. The jackpot prize was £125,000 with early bird prize of £7,000 and weekly £1,000 prizes.
- Nectar/CrowdfunderminorNectar Donate allows supporters to donate Nectar points to TheGivingMachine. No platform fees charged by Crowdfunder.
- The School PeopleminorPartnership for Christmas card fundraising. Causes receive £1 per pack of cards, £1.50 per mug, 50p per pack of tags ordered.
- Driver Hire Benevolent FundminorNon-registered community organization using GivingLottery to raise unrestricted funds for drivers in financial hardship. Raised over £2,500 since November 2020.
- Utilize PlcminorIT support company partnering with Kids Inspire on GivingLottery since 2019. Company Charity Ambassadors encourage staff and clients participation.
- Give as you Live OnlinecorePartnership to redirect Shop&Give users after TheGivingMachine's shopping platform closure. Causes and supporters directed to partner for continued online shopping donation functionality.
- BNI FantasiaminorBusiness referral group with own GivingLottery supporting Rainbow Rural. 20 players raising approximately £1,000/year.
- Invictus Capital FinanceminorUsing GivingVouchers to thank customers after deals complete. Customers choose cause to support with voucher donation.
- CodetwofourminorSoftware development company using GivingVouchers as thank-you gifts for customers, fitting company ethos of giving back to communities.
Scale indicators15 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights4 records
TheGivingMachine competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Give as you Live Online: UK cashback-for-charity shopping platform that converts online retail commissions into donations. Directly comparable as a free shopping-based fundraising platform, and is now TheGivingMachine's redirect partner after Shop&Give closure.
- Easyfundraising: UK shopping-donation platform similar to the original Shop&Give model. Causes and supporters earn donations when shopping at participating retailers; directly overlaps with TheGivingMachine's historical core offering.
- JustGiving: Major UK peer-to-peer fundraising platform serving individuals and charities. Comparable as a digital fundraising intermediary, though focused on event/crowdfunding donations rather than shopping commissions.
- The Big Give: UK online match-funding platform for charities. Comparable as a digital fundraising intermediary specifically focused on amplifying donations to UK good causes through campaigns.
- Localgiving: UK-focused online fundraising platform supporting local charities and community groups. Directly comparable target segment (small UK charities and community causes) and donation mechanics.
- Crowdfunder: UK crowdfunding platform with a dedicated charity vertical. Comparable as a fundraising platform for UK good causes; also a partner of TheGivingMachine via Nectar Donate integration.
Broad incumbents
- GoFundMe: Global crowdfunding leader with a large UK footprint for charitable and personal fundraising. Comparable as a fundraising platform serving individuals and causes, though much broader in scale and scope.
- Charities Aid Foundation (CAF): Established UK charity providing donation management, payroll giving, and donor-advised fund services. Comparable as an intermediary channelling funds from individuals and businesses to charities.
Emerging players
- Wonderful.org: UK zero-fee fundraising platform for charities. Comparable as a low-cost digital fundraising channel targeting UK small charities and community causes, similar to TheGivingMachine's positioning.
- Omaze UK: UK charity prize-draw platform that raises funds for charities through experience-based sweepstakes. Comparable as a regulated charity lottery/prize-draw mechanic competing with GivingLottery for UK cause participation.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
TheGivingMachine social profiles
Digital presenceTheGivingMachine compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance4 records
TheGivingMachine financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
TheGivingMachine leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
TheGivingMachine funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors1 record
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
TheGivingMachine M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about TheGivingMachine
What does TheGivingMachine do?
TheGivingMachine operates an online fundraising platform offering UK charities, schools, and community groups access to multiple integrated products, including GivingLottery (weekly lottery raising unrestricted funds), GivingVouchers (digital vouchers for cause donations), Donate Now (direct donation processing), and Community Grants (£250 awards). Causes join free and receive marketing materials and dashboards, while supporters generate donations through lottery participation, vouchers, or direct giving. The platform connects causes, individual supporters, and businesses through community-led fundraising products.
Is TheGivingMachine a public or private company?
TheGivingMachine is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was TheGivingMachine founded?
TheGivingMachine was founded in 2006. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is TheGivingMachine based?
TheGivingMachine is headquartered in Bishops Strotford, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does TheGivingMachine make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. GivingLottery is the primary driver. The others are shop&Give Commission, givingVouchers and donate Now.
Who are TheGivingMachine's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Give as you Live Online, Easyfundraising, JustGiving, The Big Give, Localgiving and Crowdfunder. Broad incumbents are GoFundMe and Charities Aid Foundation (CAF). Emerging players are Wonderful.org and Omaze UK.
Does TheGivingMachine have an API?
No public API is recorded for TheGivingMachine.
What industry is TheGivingMachine in?
TheGivingMachine's product category is Charitable Fundraising Platform. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAGAKAE, Public Charities & Grantmaking Intermediaries. Its NAICS code is 813211 and its SIC code is 8300.