A new online fundraising platform where 100 per cent of donations go directly to charity has launched today.

Believe.in is already an online space where charities and individuals have profiles about their charitable work. The network includes over 170,000 profiles for registered charities in the UK.

Today it launches its new online charity fundraising platform with a commitment that 100 per cent of money raised goes directly to charity, including any gift aid reclaim. Believe.in has also formed a partnership with PayPal Giving Fund,
which means credit card fees will not apply to donations either.

Speaking to civilsociety.co.uk, co-founder and CEO of Believe.in, Matthias Metternich, said: “We estimate that every year charities lose £750m to middlemen, who take a cut from the donations they help process. Believe.in provides a solution to this that does not tax people’s generosity and enables people to give and fundraise for the charities they care about without a penny lost along the way.”

Metternich said that the company would make money through its technology-focused products such as social media consultancy.

Speaking about how the Believe.in platform engaged with people, Matternich said it gave someone an online charitable identity in a similar way that LinkedIn gave someone a professional identity.

“Ten years ago no-one would ever think about putting their CV online,” he said. “Believe.in begins a journey for someone on what it means to be a charitable person. The profile links with charities on our platform and other social channels such as Facebook. As people do charitable activity things build on their profile – it’s a charitable record to keep.”

Believe.in has received £50,000 in funding from the Cabinet Office’s Innovation in Giving Fund which is run by Nesta. The company’s other investors and partners include Index Ventures, Greylock Partners and the Paypal Giving Fund.

It is one of a handful of free online fundraising platforms in the UK, including  Bmycharity and BT MyDonate.

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