Digital Business Cards for UK Charities

Digital Business Cards UK Editorial Team — UK professions

Digital Business Cards UK Editorial Team · Published 31 October 2026 · Updated 31 October 2026

Charities rely on introductions as much as any business. Staff and volunteers meet donors, funders, partners and the people they help, often at events, in community spaces and online. Each of those people needs a simple way to find the charity again.

This guide is for charities, community groups and social enterprises in the UK. It covers showing your registered status, donation and Gift Aid links, volunteers and fundraising events, and why a one-time cost suits a small budget.

For the general buying checks, start with our UK buyer's guide to digital business cards.

What a digital business card does for a charity

A digital business card is a web profile with its own link and QR code. A supporter scans the code with their phone camera, or you text them the link. One press of Save to Contacts puts your details into their phone. No app is needed on either side.

For a charity, it means:

• No print runs. Change a phone number or a staff member, and every link shows the update.
• One place for the essentials: who you are, your registered status, how to donate and how to volunteer.
• Something staff and volunteers can share at events, without carrying boxes of leaflets.
• A known cost. One payment, no monthly fee.

Show your registered status and charity number

Supporters and funders want to know they are dealing with a genuine charity.

In England and Wales, the Charities Act 2011 requires a registered charity with gross income of more than ten thousand pounds in its last financial year to state that it is a registered charity on certain documents, including those that ask for money. You can read the rule in section 39 of the Charities Act 2011. The Charity Commission's guide to charity fundraising and trustee duties explains what trustees must think about when they ask the public for money.

On your profile:

• State that you are a registered charity and show your registered charity number.
• Link to your entry on the register of charities, so supporters can check it.
• If you are also a company, show the company details too. Our guide to UK company details on a digital business card explains what companies show.
• Charities in Scotland and Northern Ireland follow their own regulators' rules. In Scotland, check OSCR.

Many charities show their registered status and number on everything, whatever their income. It is a simple signal of trust.

This is general information, not legal advice.

Donate and Gift Aid links

Your profile can make giving easier.

• Link to your donation page. Put the link near the top of the profile, with a short line such as "Support our work".
• Explain Gift Aid simply. Gift Aid lets charities claim back basic rate tax on eligible donations from UK taxpayers. GOV.UK explains it for donors in Gift Aid and for charities in claiming Gift Aid.
• Make the Gift Aid declaration on your donation page, not on the profile. The profile links to the page where donors make it.
• Do not take donations through profile forms. Use your existing donation platform, which is set up for payments and Gift Aid.

Volunteers

Volunteers are often the first contact someone has with your charity. Give them a simple way to share.

• Give key volunteers their own profiles, or one shared volunteer profile, using the charity's template.
• Link to your volunteering page so new volunteers know how to sign up.
• Add a Documents section with your volunteer handbook or role descriptions as PDFs.
• Keep personal numbers off. Use Contact Display to show the charity's number and email rather than a volunteer's own.

Fundraising events

At a fundraising event, people are already interested. Make it easy for them to stay in touch.

• Show your QR code on a banner, table sign or the last slide of a talk.
• Put it on printed programmes with a line such as "Scan to stay in touch".
• Use Gallery to show photos from past events, with permission from the people in them.
• Follow up within a day or two with a thank-you and a link to donate or volunteer.

Our guide to UK networking events covers sharing at local business events, which many charities attend to find corporate supporters.

Paper leaflets vs a digital business card

Corporate partners and sponsors

Local businesses are often a charity's best supporters, through sponsorship, payroll giving or volunteering days. They meet charities at business breakfasts, chamber events and local shows.

• Have a profile for whoever leads corporate partnerships, with a short line on how businesses can help.
• Add a Documents section with a partnership pack or sponsorship options as a PDF.
• Show your impact with a few photos in Gallery and short testimonials from partners, with permission.
• Follow up within a day after meeting a business, with a thank-you and your link.

Trustees and staff

Trustees, managers and fundraisers all represent the charity. Give them profiles that look the same.

• One template and the charity's colours for every profile.
• The same registered status and charity number on each profile.
• Role titles that make sense to the public, such as "Community Fundraiser" rather than an internal job code.
• One person responsible for updating profiles when staff or trustees change.

Collecting supporters' details

If you use Business Add-ons to collect supporters' details, for example through Contact Leads or Subscribers, that information is personal data under UK GDPR. Your charity is usually the controller for it.

• Tell supporters what you will do with their details when they share them.
• Ask before adding anyone to a fundraising email list. Marketing emails generally need consent.
• Keep only what you need, and delete it when asked.

The ICO's advice for small organisations covers charities too. Our guide to digital business cards and UK GDPR explains the basics.

This is general information, not legal advice.

Common mistakes

• No registered status or charity number on the profile.
• A donation link buried at the bottom.
• Volunteers' personal numbers shown publicly.
• Old event photos at the top of the gallery.

A one-time cost that suits small budgets

Many small charities avoid subscriptions because they are hard to budget for and easy to forget. Both plans on this site are a single payment in pounds with UK VAT included.

• Brand Presence (£45) gives you the profile, QR code, Save to Contacts, Documents, Gallery and Analytics. Most small charities need nothing more.
• Business Add-ons (£90) adds Contact Leads, Subscribers, Forms, Enquiries, Bookings, CRM and Export, if you want to collect supporter details or take bookings for events.

There is no renewal fee and every edit is free. Start on the online business card page if you mostly share by link.

Frequently asked questions

Should we show our registered charity number on the profile?

It helps supporters check you. Charities in England and Wales above the income threshold must state their registered status on certain documents, including those asking for money. This is general information, not legal advice.

Can people donate through the profile?

Link to your existing donation page instead. It is set up for payments and Gift Aid declarations.

What is Gift Aid?

It lets charities claim back basic rate tax on eligible donations from UK taxpayers. GOV.UK explains how it works for donors and charities.

Can volunteers use the charity's profile?

Yes. Give key volunteers their own profiles with the charity's template, or share one volunteer profile.

Is there a monthly fee?

No. Both plans are a single payment with UK VAT included, and edits are free.

Do supporters need an app?

No. They scan your QR code or open your link, and save your details in one step.