Smile Fundraising Ltd

What Smile Fundraising Ltd does

Smile Fundraising Ltd is a UK-registered private limited company (company number 08573627) founded on 18 June 2013 by Ryan Patterson and Joe Harrington in Newcastle upon Tyne. The company operates as a face-to-face fundraising agency for UK registered charities, executing campaigns across door-to-door, private site, events, street, lottery, and sponsorship channels. As of June 2026, SMILE serves 42 charity partners — spanning hospices, animal welfare, disability, visual impairment, cancer research, mental health, housing, older people, and first-aid causes — and has cumulatively engaged 9,979 fundraisers to raise over £256.78 million for charity partners since inception, with 23 active campaigns and 552 fundraisers currently active across the UK. SMILE's revenue model is transaction-based: the company earns a commission or take rate on funds raised for charity partners through regular giving and lottery campaigns, billed monthly.

SMILE's underlying technology stack is built around a proprietary tablet-based application (the SMILE App, launched June 2018) and a campaign management database (the SMILE Portal). The platform integrates Google Maps API-powered demographic heat maps that target affluent areas for higher-quality donor acquisition while excluding vulnerable populations, GPS-based geo-checking for fundraiser safety and accurate attrition analysis, duplicate detection to safeguard data integrity and identify vulnerable individuals, customisable direct debit forms, and real-time attrition and cancellation reporting accessible to subcontractor partners. An in-house Welcome Call Service — staffed by experienced fundraisers — conducts post-signup calls that the company reports reduce no-show rates by 50% and increase first-donation likelihood by 50%. Supporting modules include verification call/SMS, welcome SMS, DBS checking, and bespoke campaign customisation.

SMILE operates a hybrid go-to-market model combining directly employed PAYE fundraisers (with living wage, travel expenses, pension, and uncapped commission) with a subcontractor partner network of independent fundraising agencies that operate under SMILE's systems, training, and oversight. Subcontractors receive access to the database, tablets, recruitment support, venue booking, and licensing, with payments processed within three days. The company is registered with the Fundraising Regulator, is a member of the Chartered Institute of Fundraising, claims GDPR-UK compliance, and is led by its two co-founder Managing Directors with department heads (Operations, Compliance, Partnerships, Administration) averaging 8-16 years of sector experience. The company has no disclosed external funding, no parent company, and operates exclusively within the United Kingdom (England and Scotland).

Name

Smile Fundraising Ltd

Legal name

Smile Fundraising Ltd

Website

https://smilefundraising.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Smile Fundraising Ltd is a Newcastle-based UK face-to-face fundraising agency serving 42 registered charity partners through door-to-door, private site, events, lottery, and sponsorship campaigns, powered by a proprietary tablet app and database platform.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Charity Fundraising Services

NAICS

Other Grantmaking and Giving Services (813219)

SIC

Services-Advertising Agencies (7311)

akta.pro primary industry

Fundraising & Donor Acquisition Calling (Nonprofit) (BPAAADAJ)

Keywords

• Face-to-face fundraising
• Charity donor acquisition
• Regular giving campaigns
• Lottery fundraising services
• Private site fundraising

Headquarters

HQ city

Newcastle Upon Tyne

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Charity Partnership Fundraising Services: SMILE provides face-to-face fundraising services to charity partners, raising donations through regular giving and lottery campaigns. The company generates revenue through commission or fees based on funds raised for its charity partners. They work on a performance basis where fundraisers secure long-term donor commitments.
2. Lottery Campaigns: Specialised lottery fundraising campaigns for charity partners, diversifying the fundraising methods available and generating revenue through lottery sign-ups
3. Subcontractor Partnership Model: SMILE supports subcontractor fundraising agencies with tools, training, and campaign access, generating revenue through the overall fundraising operations conducted by partner networks

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Smile Fundraising Ltd is a UK face-to-face fundraising agency that recruits long-term regular donors and lottery players on behalf of charity partners. It runs door-to-door, private site, events, and street fundraising campaigns nationwide, supported by an in-house welcome calling programme and a proprietary tablet app and database (SMILE App and SMILE Portal) used for donor capture, demographic targeting, GPS tracking, and real-time reporting.

Product overview

Smile Fundraising Ltd operates a unified face-to-face fundraising platform built around a proprietary tablet-based app (SMILE App) and campaign management database (SMILE Portal). The core offering spans three primary fundraising channels — Door-to-Door, Events, and Private Site — supplemented by lottery and sponsorship campaign services. Supporting modules include a Welcome Call Service (contact centre), Welcome SMS, Attrition Analysis, GPS Tracking, Duplicate Detection, and Verification Call/SMS systems. The company also offers optional DBS checking for charity partners requiring background-verified fundraisers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Door-to-Door Fundraising Face-to-face fundraising campaigns conducted at donors' homes, enabling real human interactions and convenient giving in a safe environment. Fundraisers are supported by GPS tracking and demographic heat maps for optimised targeting of quality long-term donors on behalf of UK charity partners.
• Private Site Fundraising Premium venue-based face-to-face fundraising targeting affluent professionals in high-income areas outside their homes, designed to maximise long-term donor quality for charity partners.
• Events Fundraising Fundraising events at charity locations that engage warm supporters already passionate about the cause, leveraging higher propensity to commit to long-term giving.
• Lottery Campaigns Lottery-based fundraising campaigns enabling regular giving through prize-linked donations, diversifying the fundraising portfolio for charity partners.
• Sponsorship Campaigns Campaigns connecting donors with specific charitable causes, enabling direct support for initiatives that resonate with donor values, run as a face-to-face fundraising channel for charity partners.
• Welcome Call Service In-house contact centre staffed by experienced fundraisers who conduct welcome calls to new donors, reducing no-show rates by 50%, addressing vulnerability concerns, and maximising long-term donor retention on behalf of charity partners.
• DBS Check Service Optional add-on service ensuring all fundraisers are DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service) checked, available to charity partners that require background-verified fundraisers.
• Subcontractor Partner Programme Partnership model through which independent fundraising agencies operate their own teams under SMILE's systems, training, and oversight, gaining access to the SMILE database, tablet technology, recruitment support, venue booking, demographic heat maps, and licensing, with 3-day payments, monthly bonds, and 24/7 support.

Quantifiable outcome

• Raised over £256 million for UK charities since 2013
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers25 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature7 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Subcontractor Partner NetworkcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSMILE partners with independent fundraising agencies through a subcontractor model. Partners receive access to SMILE's proprietary database system, tablet technology, demographic heat maps, recruitment team support, venue booking services, and licensing. SMILE provides comprehensive training, compliance oversight, and 24/7 support. Partners operate their own fundraiser teams while benefiting from SMILE's established systems and charity partner relationships. Payments processed within 3 days with monthly bonds.
• StonewallminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSMILE partnered with Stonewall for their first events fundraising venture in August 2018, raising £41,796.90 at a weekend event that broke company records. This marked SMILE's expansion into events fundraising.
• Fundraising RegulatorminorOthersSMILE is registered with the Fundraising Regulator, demonstrating commitment to ethical fundraising standards and compliance with industry codes of practice.
• Chartered Institute of Fundraising (CIOF)minorOthersSMILE maintains membership with the Chartered Institute of Fundraising, the professional body for UK fundraising, demonstrating commitment to industry standards and professional development.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Clarity Fundraising: UK-based F2F fundraising agency serving charity partners with door-to-door and private-site regular-giving campaigns. Directly comparable in business model, target customer (UK charities), and delivery mechanism to Smile.
• The Dialogue: UK-based door-to-door fundraising agency focused on ethical regular-giving acquisition for charities. Directly comparable in product category (F2F regular giving), customer base (UK charities), and fundraising model.
• The Fundraising Company: UK face-to-face fundraising services provider running regular-giving and lottery campaigns for charity partners. Comparable in service offering, customer base, and transaction-based commission model to Smile.
• Wesser: One of the largest UK face-to-face fundraising agencies, directly competing with Smile for charity regular-giving and lottery campaigns across door-to-door and private-site channels. Highly comparable service mix, target customers, and commission-based revenue model.
• Ubico: UK face-to-face fundraising agency providing door-to-door and private-site regular-giving services to charity partners. Comparable in channel mix, customer type, and fee model, though typically smaller scale than Smile.

Emerging players

• Engaging Networks: Digital fundraising, advocacy, and supporter engagement platform serving nonprofits and charities. Not a direct F2F competitor but represents the digital-channel alternative increasingly competing with traditional face-to-face fundraising for charity marketing budgets.

Regional players

• Local Hospice Lottery: UK hospice lottery operator running weekly lottery draws on behalf of hospice charities, overlapping directly with Smile's lottery campaign service offering for similar charity partners. Comparable in revenue model (transaction-based commission) but narrower in cause focus.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/smile-fundraising

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 records

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 Smile Fundraising Ltd