Let your family raise money for your expedition just by doing their normal online shopping. Free to set up. Takes 10 minutes. Runs in the background forever.
Most teenagers think fundraising means running events, knocking on doors, or asking people for money. But there is one method that requires none of that — and it quietly ticks away in the background, adding money to your pot every single week without you having to do anything.
It is called EasyFundraising, and it is one of the most underused tools available to teenage fundraisers in the UK.
EasyFundraising is a free platform that turns your family's everyday online shopping into free donations for your cause. Here is how it works in plain English:
When your parents, grandparents, aunts, or uncles want to buy something online — whether that is the weekly grocery shop, a new pair of trainers, booking a holiday, or switching their car insurance — they start at EasyFundraising first. EasyFundraising then sends them to the retailer's website as normal. Because the retailer knows the customer came via EasyFundraising, they pay a small commission. EasyFundraising passes that commission directly to your fundraising cause as a free donation.
The shopper pays exactly the same price. Nothing costs more. The donation comes entirely from the retailer's marketing budget — it is money they would have spent on advertising anyway.
Retailers pay EasyFundraising a commission for sending them customers — this is called affiliate marketing. EasyFundraising then shares that commission with your cause. Over 7,000 retailers are signed up, including Tesco, Amazon, ASOS, Booking.com, and most major UK insurers.
The amounts depend on how many supporters you recruit and how much they shop online. But the numbers add up faster than most people expect.
| Shopping Type | Typical Spend | Typical Rate | Donation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weekly groceries (Tesco/Sainsbury's) | £100/week | 1% | £52/year |
| Summer holiday booking | £2,000 | 2% | £40 one-off |
| Car insurance renewal | £600 | £20 flat rate | £20 one-off |
| Christmas shopping | £300 | 1.5% | £4.50 |
| New laptop or phone | £800 | 1% | £8 one-off |
If you recruit just five family members who each do their weekly food shop online, you could raise over £250 a year without anyone spending an extra penny. Some of the most successful teenage fundraisers on Ways2Raise have raised over £1,000 through EasyFundraising alone, simply by recruiting their extended family.
Go to EasyFundraising.org.uk and click "Register your cause". You will need to create an account — use your parent or guardian's email address if you are under 18.
Set up your cause. Give it a name that is specific and personal — for example "Amelia's World Challenge Kenya 2025" rather than just "My expedition". Add a photo of yourself and a short description of why you are raising money. People are far more likely to use the platform if they feel connected to your goal.
Copy your unique cause link. This is the link you will share with supporters. When they sign up using your link, their shopping will be linked to your cause automatically.
Send a WhatsApp message to your supporters. Keep it short and friendly. Something like: "Hi! I'm raising money for my expedition to Kenya. I've set up a free EasyFundraising page — if you sign up using my link, every time you shop online it raises free money for me without costing you anything extra. Takes 2 minutes to set up! [your link]"
Ask them to install the Donation Reminder. This is a free browser extension that pops up whenever your supporter visits a partnered retailer, reminding them to activate the free donation with one click. Without this, most people forget. With it, the donations happen automatically.
Check in monthly. Log into your EasyFundraising dashboard to see how much has been raised and which supporters are most active. Share updates with your supporters — a quick "We've raised £47 this month — thank you!" message keeps people engaged and motivated to keep using it.
Install the Donation Reminder browser extension on your family's computers and phones. The biggest reason people stop using EasyFundraising is that they simply forget. The extension removes that problem entirely — it does the remembering for them.
Think beyond just your parents. The more supporters you recruit, the more you raise. Here is a target list:
Ten supporters who each do their weekly food shop online could realistically raise £500+ per year — entirely passively, with no events, no selling, and no awkward conversations about money.
EasyFundraising is not going to pay for your entire expedition overnight. But it is the perfect foundation — a reliable, passive income stream that runs in the background while you focus your energy on your bigger fundraising events and challenges.
Set it up today, recruit your supporters this week, and then forget about it. Check in once a month to see how much has been raised. By the time your departure date arrives, you may be surprised how much it has added up to.
It takes 10 minutes and costs nothing. Start today and let your family's shopping work for you.
Set Up EasyFundraising →