Step-by-step guide to making a donation on givestar, including payment methods, Gift Aid, and platform tips.
You don't need a givestar account to donate — just a link to the fundraising page.
Making a donation
Go to the fundraising page — either via a link you've been sent, or search for the fundraiser's name at givestar.io
Click or tap Give Now
Enter the amount you'd like to donate and select your currency
Fill in your first name, last name, and email address — your email is required so we can send you a receipt
Choose whether to add a platform tip to support givestar (completely optional — you can set this to £0)
If prompted, choose whether to add Gift Aid (UK taxpayers only — see below)
Select your payment method and complete the payment
Payment methods accepted
givestar accepts all major payment methods:
Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Maestro
Apple Pay and Google Pay
Samsung Pay
Gift Aid (UK only)
If you're a UK taxpayer, you can add Gift Aid to your donation at no extra cost to you. This allows the charity to claim an extra 25p for every £1 you donate from HMRC.
To add Gift Aid you'll need to provide:
Your full name and email address
Your house number or name and postcode
Confirmation that you're a UK taxpayer and that your donation isn't part of a raffle, auction, or similar
Note: not all fundraising pages offer Gift Aid — this is set by the fundraiser. If you don't see the option, it isn't available on that page.
Platform tip
You may be offered an optional platform tip to help support givestar. This is entirely up to you — to remove it, select Other, enter £0, and press Continue.
Note: not all pages include a platform tip option — this varies by fundraiser preference.
Having trouble donating?
If your card is being declined, check our article on why cards get rejected
If the donation isn't showing on the fundraiser's page, it can take 1–2 minutes to appear — try refreshing
If you donated to the wrong page by mistake, contact us at support@givestar.io and we'll help reallocate it