Chartered Institute of Fundraising

What Chartered Institute of Fundraising does

The Chartered Institute of Fundraising (CIOF) is the chartered professional membership body for fundraisers in the United Kingdom, incorporated by Royal Charter (RC000910) and registered as a charity in England & Wales (1188764) and Scotland (SC050060). Headquartered in London, the organisation represents individual fundraisers, charities, and sector partners across England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland through a network of National, Regional and Special Interest Groups. Its core service is tiered membership: Individual membership from £9.75/month, Organisational membership from £225/year, Corporate membership from £895.83/year, and a free tier for charities with voluntary income under £50,000. Membership includes access to qualifications (Certificate and Diploma in Fundraising, International Advanced Diploma, Future Leaders Programme), short courses and virtual training delivered via an LMS and Zoom, sector events such as the Fundraising Convention and National Fundraising Awards, a Fundraising Library of curated resources and the Let's Talk Fundraising podcast, and the proprietary Chartering Hub for chartered status. A secondary commercial line is the Public Fundraising Levy (e.g., £0.70 + VAT per street regular giving sign-up), under which CIOF manages diary systems, mystery shopping programmes, and Site Management Agreements with 100+ UK local authorities covering 100+ street fundraising diaries. CIOF also hosts the Remember A Charity consortium of 200 UK charities promoting legacy giving. Following a September 2024 Independent Review, the Board updated its Complaints and Disciplinary Rules in March 2025 and is establishing an independent Disciplinary Panel, alongside ongoing implementation of 22 of 23 review recommendations.

Name

Chartered Institute of Fundraising

Legal name

Chartered Institute of Fundraising

Website

https://ciof.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1983

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

The Chartered Institute of Fundraising is the chartered UK professional membership body for fundraisers, offering tiered memberships, qualifications, training, events, and public fundraising compliance services to individuals, charities, and corporate supporters.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Membership Body Services

NAICS

Professional Organizations (813920), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Public Charities & Grantmaking Intermediaries (BPAGAKAE)

Keywords

• Professional membership body
• Fundraising qualifications
• Public fundraising services
• Charity training courses
• Sector advocacy policy

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Individual Membership: Monthly subscription membership for individual fundraisers providing access to resources, guidance, networking, and member discounts. Priced from £9.75 per month.
2. Organisational Membership: Annual membership for charities providing access for all fundraisers in the organisation. Priced from £225 per year.
3. Corporate Membership: Annual corporate membership for organisations supporting the charity sector. Priced from £895.83 per year. Includes access to decision makers and leaders in fundraising organisations.
4. Training Courses: Short courses and training programs for professional development. Pricing varies with member discounts (e.g., £211 member rate vs £277 non-member rate for some courses).
5. Events and Convention: Fundraising Convention and National Fundraising Awards events. Ticket sales for conferences and learning events.
6. Qualifications: Professional qualifications including Certificate and Diploma in Fundraising, International Advanced Diploma. Fee-based programs with member discounts.
7. Public Fundraising Levy: Levy scheme for charities engaged in face-to-face fundraising. Rates: £0.70 (+VAT) for street regular giving, £0.65 (+VAT) for private site regular giving and lottery, £0.55 (+VAT) for door-to-door regular giving.

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Chartered Institute of Fundraising is the chartered professional membership body for UK fundraising. It sells tiered memberships (Individual, Organisational, Corporate, and a Free Small Charity tier), delivers accredited qualifications and short training courses (virtual and in-person), runs major sector events including the Fundraising Convention and National Fundraising Awards, provides public fundraising compliance services through a levy scheme and diary/site management agreements with 100+ local authorities, and hosts the Remember A Charity legacy-giving initiative and a comprehensive fundraising Library of resources, podcasts and webinars.

Product overview

The Chartered Institute of Fundraising operates as a professional membership body offering a portfolio of interconnected services for UK fundraisers and charities. The core offering consists of tiered membership types (Individual, Organisational, Corporate, and Free Small Charity Membership) providing access to training, qualifications, events, and resources. Training and qualification programmes include short courses, Certificates and Diplomas in Fundraising, and the Future Leaders Programme. The Institute also delivers sector events including Fundraising Convention and National Fundraising Awards, maintains a comprehensive fundraising library with podcasts and webinars, and provides public fundraising compliance services through a levy scheme covering diary management and mystery shopping. Additional initiatives include Remember A Charity (legacy giving advocacy) and national/regional/special interest networking groups.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Remember A Charity: Represents 200 UK charities and works with partners in the legal sector, government and private sector to raise awareness of gifts in Wills.

Products and services

• Individual Membership Monthly subscription membership for individual professional fundraisers providing access to wellbeing and mental health support, sector insight and guidance, member discounts on training, qualifications and events, and networking opportunities. Priced from £9.75 per month.
• Organisational Membership Annual subscription membership for UK charities and nonprofit organisations providing access to best practice guidance, learning and development opportunities, and sector knowledge for all fundraisers within the organisation. Priced from £225 per year.
• Corporate Membership Annual corporate membership for organisations that support or serve UK charities, providing access to decision makers and leaders in fundraising organisations. Priced from £895.83 per year.
• Free Small Charity Membership Complimentary organisational membership available to UK charities with voluntary income under £50,000 per year, providing full organisational membership benefits at no cost.
• Training Courses Short courses and virtual training programmes covering topics such as legacy fundraising, fundraising strategy, and compliance. Delivered live online via Zoom, with member and non-member pricing tiers (e.g. £211 member vs £277 non-member for Legacy Fundraising Practitioner Level).
• Qualifications Accredited professional qualifications including the Certificate in Fundraising, Diploma in Fundraising, International Advanced Diploma in Fundraising, and the Future Leaders Programme. Designed to develop fundraising expertise and career progression.
• Events Sector events including the annual Fundraising Convention and the National Fundraising Awards, providing learning opportunities, networking, and recognition of UK fundraising achievements. Ticketed with member and non-member pricing.
• Public Fundraising Services Levy-based compliance and support services for charities engaged in public fundraising, including the management of 100+ street fundraising diaries across England, Wales and Scotland via Site Management Agreements with 100+ local authorities, mystery shopping programmes, and benchmarking. Charges are per sign-up (£0.70+VAT street regular giving, £0.65+VAT private site regular giving and lottery, £0.55+VAT door-to-door regular giving).
• Fundraising Library and Resources Online hub of fundraising resources including curated collections, detailed guides by fundraising type, the Let's Talk Fundraising podcast series, webinars, and EDI materials, available to members.
• Remember A Charity Initiative and consortium of 200 UK charities that works with the legal sector, government and private sector partners to raise awareness of legacy giving through gifts in Wills. Hosted and managed as part of the CIOF programme.
• National, Regional and Special Interest Groups Volunteer-led networking and professional groups including National Groups for Wales/Cymru, Scotland and Northern Ireland, regional groups across the UK, and Special Interest Groups formed around specific areas of fundraising practice.
• Policy and Advocacy Policy influencing and research service advocating on behalf of the UK fundraising sector with government, regulators and other change makers at the highest levels across the four nations.

Quantifiable outcome

• Public Fundraising levy scheme covers costs of public fundraising activities

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Remember A CharitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerConsortium of 200 UK charities working closely with partners in the legal sector, government and private sector to raise awareness of gifts in Wills. CIOF hosts and manages Remember A Charity as part of its programme.
• Fundraising RegulatorcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOfficial regulator for fundraising in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. CIOF members must adhere to the Code of Fundraising Practice set by the Fundraising Regulator. Partnership includes compliance services and mystery shopping programmes.
• European Fundraising Association (EFA)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEuropean umbrella organisation for fundraising associations. CIOF maintains membership and alignment with European fundraising standards and practices.
• UK Local Authorities (Site Management Agreements)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFormal agreements with over 100 local authorities across England, Wales and Scotland managing street fundraising sites. Covers major cities including London, Birmingham, Manchester, Glasgow, Cardiff and more. Includes Business Improvement Districts (BIDs) in locations like Bath, Brighton, Croydon and Wimbledon.
• Rogare (Fundraising Think Tank)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic/practitioner think tank focusing on fundraising ethics and professional standards. Collaborated on research including the Donor Code of Conduct initiative and fundraiser safety research.
• Fundraising Convention Sponsors and ExhibitorsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate supporters and sponsors that engage with the fundraising community through the annual Fundraising Convention and other CIOF events.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO): The umbrella body for the UK voluntary sector, providing membership, research, training, policy advocacy and events to charities. Comparable to CIOF in audience, services and policy influence, but with a broader charity (rather than fundraiser-specific) remit.
• Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM): A UK chartered professional body offering tiered membership, qualifications, training and events to marketers. Highly comparable operating model — Royal Charter equivalent recognition, qualification ladder, paid membership tiers — providing a benchmark for CIOF's member economics.
• Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR): UK chartered professional body for PR professionals with individual and corporate memberships, CPD, qualifications and a Code of Conduct. Mirrors CIOF's structure of chartered status, member tiers, disciplinary processes and CPD-led retention.
• Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP): AFP is the largest global professional association for fundraisers, offering membership, credentials (CFRE), training and an annual conference. It is the most direct international analogue to CIOF's chartered professional body model for individual fundraisers.
• European Fundraising Association (EFA): EFA is the European umbrella organisation of national fundraising associations; CIOF itself is a member. It is the closest continental counterpart and a direct peer in setting cross-border fundraising standards and policy advocacy.
• Fundraising Regulator: The official regulator of fundraising in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. CIOF members must adhere to its Code of Fundraising Practice, making it a tightly coupled peer with overlapping standards-setting and compliance remits.
• Institute of Legacy Management: UK professional body focused specifically on legacy fundraising and gifts in Wills administration. Directly comparable niche remit to CIOF's Remember A Charity consortium and overlapping qualification/training offerings in legacy giving.

Broad incumbents

• Chartered Management Institute (CMI): UK chartered body for managers and leaders, offering qualifications, membership tiers and CPD. A broader incumbent than CIOF but directly comparable in operating model — Royal Charter status, qualification ladder, organisational and individual memberships — useful as a scale and monetisation benchmark.

Others

• Charity Commission for England and Wales: Statutory regulator of charities in England and Wales. Not a commercial peer but a core ecosystem participant whose registration framework defines CIOF's own regulatory standing and adjacent to CIOF's policy and advocacy function.

Emerging players

• Directory of Social Change (DSC): UK charity-sector training, publications and resources provider. Overlaps with CIOF in training, qualifications and the fundraising resource library, but operates without chartered status or a regulator-adjacent remit.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/CIOFtweets
• YouTubeyoutube.com/c/charteredinstituteoffundraising
• Facebooken-gb.facebook.com/charteredinstituteoffundraising
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/chartered-institute-of-fundraising
• Instagraminstagram.com/ciof_uk

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Chartered Institute of Fundraising