Pledge Model FAQs

Our campaigns make use of the Big Give’s pledge model of fundraising, which has three main parts: 

1. Your charity will first need to apply with a campaign target in mind (the minimum campaign target to participate is £8,000). Once you have determined your campaign target, 25% of the target will need to be secured via pledges from supporters or donors.  
2. If your application for match-funding is successful and your pledges have been secured, an offer of up to 25% of the target will be offered to you by The Childhood Trust.  
3. To unlock your match funding, you will need to 50% of your campaign target. This must be raised online during the campaign – either in June or December, depending on which campaign you are taking part in. Your charity will have its very own campaign page on the Big Give’s website, complete with a fundraising progress bar and information on the work you do to attract donations. 

A “pledge” is a commitment of funding/donation made by a supporter of your charity. It is a promise to match online donations raised during the campaign. A pledge can be from an individual, a corporate, business or community partner that you already have a relationship with, trusts/foundations, or various supporters of your charity. 

To participate in the pledge-model campaign, you will need to approach your supporter/s who may potentially pledge to ask them to commit to donating 25% of your campaign target. They will be required to complete a form stating that they will be making this donation to your charity, provided you successfully hit your campaign target. This form is on the Big Give portal.  

The amount you raise in pledges will be the same amount you can access from The Childhood Trust. For example, if you raise £5000 in pledges, you will be eligible to receive an offer of a £5000 grant from The Childhood Trust (subject to your application meeting our eligibility criteria, is approved by our grant-making committee, and successfully unlocks all match funds in the campaign).  

Once the campaign is over, anyone who has committed to a pledge for you should then make the transfer to your charity’s bank account. Proof of this transfer is required and will need to be sent to the Big Give.

No, the deadline to have pledges confirmed is usually about a month after the application deadline. However, we recommend you start conversations as early as possible to ensure you can meet the pledge confirmation deadline. 

Key dates, including the deadline for confirmation of pledges, are listed on this page. 

Your Big Give portal contains a unique form – you will need to share the link to the form with anyone who has agreed to pledge. They must fill out this form to confirm their pledge by the deadline. 

Your campaign target will be automatically adjusted according to your pledges secured (your total campaign target is your pledges secured multiplied by four). You will still need to have a minimum of £2000 secured in pledges to participate, as the minimum campaign target is £8000.

Pledge funds should not be sent to your charity until after the campaign, as they are unlocked based on your campaign performance. You will need to contact your pledger to ask them to send the funds after the campaign. Pledge funds may be sent to you via cheque, bank transfer or to your charity’s Charities Aid Foundation (CAF) account. 

There is no limit on how many pledgers your campaign can have. However, please note that the minimum pledge commitment that a pledger can make for your campaign is £100.