Affiliate Commission Structures to Maximise Charity Fundraising

Best practices for affiliate commission models that work for charities.

Introduction

Affiliate marketing can be a powerful tool for charities to increase donations by incentivising bloggers, influencers, and other partners. Below, we break down key commission structure elements, with examples from UK Islamic charities, major UK non-profits, and global programs, to determine what works best for affiliates while maximising fundraising.

1. Base Commission on Donations

Industry Range 

Most charity affiliate programs offer a percentage commission on donations, often around 5–10% of the donation amount. For example, Muslim Aid UK offers about 7% commission on donations through its affiliate program. Large UK charities like Oxfam and the Royal British Legion (RBL) are at the higher end, offering 10% of one-off online donations. Some programs go lower for certain campaigns (GreaterGood’s base was 2% or higher for special products, Omaze contests up to 5%). Generally, 5–10% is a competitive base rate that balances rewarding affiliates and retaining funds for the cause.

Rationale

A moderate percentage ensures affiliates have an incentive to promote donations, while the charity retains most of the donation. Affiliates prefer percentage commissions (vs. flat amounts) on donations because higher donor generosity directly yields higher rewards. Keeping the base rate in this range aligns with common non-profit affiliate offerings (e.g. CARE International at 6.4% and Plan International at ~8% on certain donations) and signals a fair share without appearing to “overspend” donor money.

2. Tiered Commission Structure for High Performers

Performance Incentives 

To motivate top-performing affiliates, many programs implement tiered commissions – increasing the rate as affiliates drive more donations. For instance, GreaterGood’s affiliate program uses a tiered structure from 2% up to 8% depending on volume. Similarly, Better World Books pays a base 5% but rewards up to 8% for high-performance affiliates who generate large sales volumes. In practice, a charity could structure tiers such as: 5% commission for the first 200 donations referred in a month, 7% for the next 200, and 10% beyond that, as the user suggested. This way, an affiliate bringing in 500+ donations in a month would reach the 10% tier.

Benefits

Tiered commissions incentivise sustained promotion. Affiliates who see a higher rate unlock after hitting a threshold are motivated to push harder, knowing their margins improve with volume. It keeps top partners engaged and rewards them for driving exceptional fundraising. Many affiliate networks support tiered models, and charities can advertise this as a perk for “elite” affiliates. The tier thresholds should be attainable yet challenging, encouraging growth without discouraging smaller affiliates.

3. Phone Donations and Affiliate Tracking

The Issue 

If a charity prominently displays a donation phone number on its site, referrals might call to donate instead of completing the online form. Phone donations are typically offline and not tracked by affiliate cookies, meaning the affiliate would not get credit for those conversions. For example, RBL’s website lists a phone line for donations, but its affiliate program only tracks online actions; any phone pledge would bypass the online tracking.

Solutions 

To ensure affiliates aren’t deprived of commissions by off-site actions, charities can:

• Hide or minimise phone numbers for visitors arriving via affiliate links. For instance, some programs create dedicated landing pages for affiliates without the phone donation option, funnelling referred traffic to the online donation form. By reducing alternate pathways, the affiliate referral is more likely to convert online (and thus be recorded for commission).
  
• Include phone donations in the affiliate mix via codes: A more complex approach is assigning a unique ID or code that an affiliate can give their audience to mention on a call. The call centre could then attribute that donation to the affiliate. However, this is logistically challenging and not common.

Best Practice 

Emphasise online donation for affiliate traffic. In affiliate program terms and FAQs, clarify that only tracked online donations count. Many charities simply accept that phone/mail donations are outside the affiliate scope. Therefore, hiding the phone number for referred users (or providing clear messaging like “To ensure [Affiliate Name] is credited, please donate online”) can maximise the affiliate-attributed conversions. Ultimately, transparency with affiliates about what is and isn’t tracked is key.

4. One-Time vs. Recurring Donation Commissions

One-Off Donations

Affiliates typically earn the agreed percentage on single, immediate donations. For example, RBL pays 10% of the one-time donation amount, and Oxfam’s program gives 10% on each “Single Giving” donation. The commission is earned once per donation transaction.

Recurring Donations 

Handling monthly or recurring gifts is trickier. Charities approach this in two main ways:

• Flat Bounty for Sign-ups: Some offer a one-time flat commission when an affiliate referral converts into a recurring donor. For instance, the Royal British Legion pays £10 for each new direct-debit (monthly) donor sign-up – regardless of the monthly amount or how long the donations continue. This approach rewards affiliates for securing a valuable long-term donor without committing the charity to ongoing payouts. It’s analogous to lead bounty or subscription bounties in other industries.
  
• Percentage of First Instalment (or First Year): Others treat the first recurring payment like a single sale and give a percentage on that. Plan International’s affiliate program historically offered around 4% on “permanent” donations (sponsorships) – effectively a lower rate presuming ongoing value, versus 7–8% on one-time gifts. This suggests affiliates get a cut of the initial payment for recurring gifts (possibly lowered because the lifetime value is higher). After that, subsequent monthly donations are usually not commissioned.
  

Do affiliates get commission each month? 

Generally, no. It’s rare for a charity to pay affiliates every time a recurring donation processes (that would complicate tracking and could divert too much of the ongoing donations). Instead, the affiliate’s reward is front-loaded – either a one-off bonus or first-month percentage – as a finder’s fee for that recurring donor. This is consistent with standard practice in subscription affiliate programs: e.g., a donor platform like Donorbox pays 15% of its fees for up to 3 years for referred clients, but that’s a B2B software context. For pure charitable donations, the one-time commission model is prevalent.

Recommendation 

Offer affiliates a clear incentive for recurring donors (since those are highly valuable to the charity), such as a fixed bonus or a smaller percentage of the estimated annual donation. This ensures affiliates are still motivated to promote recurring giving (like monthly sponsorships) and feel compensated for those conversions, even though they won’t receive ongoing monthly commissions.

5. Lead Capture Incentives

Email Newsletter Sign-ups & Other Data

Converting a visitor into a lead (e.g. capturing an email via newsletter subscription or petition signup) can be valuable for a charity’s donor pipeline. However, most charity affiliate programs focus on revenue actions (donations or sales) and do not pay for newsletter sign-ups by default. The affiliate model usually emphasises “pay-per-action”, where the action is a donation or purchase. That said, some programs, especially those aiming to grow donor lists or memberships, might experiment with pay-per-lead:

• For example, Fundraising.com (a nonprofit-oriented company) offers affiliates $3 for each free fundraising guide request (a lead-generation action) in addition to sales commission. This shows a hybrid approach: small lead bounty plus commission. A charity could similarly offer a nominal reward (e.g. £1–£2) for a referred user who signs up to the charity’s newsletter or fills a “request info” form.
  
• Another angle: if the charity runs campaigns like petition sign-ups or pledge drives (which collect user data for later fundraising), they could tag those as affiliate conversions (perhaps rewarding a small fixed amount or just counting them towards performance tiers).

Pros and Cons 

From an affiliate’s perspective, getting paid for leads (not just donations) is attractive, especially since not every referred visitor will donate immediately. It rewards them for driving engagement. However, for the charity, each lead has uncertain monetary value, so offering cash for sign-ups could be an inefficient use of funds if those leads don’t convert to donors. Thus, few charities publicly offer newsletter sign-up commissions.

Best Practice 

If a charity chooses to include data capture actions in the affiliate program, make the reward modest and perhaps conditional (e.g. only if the user also eventually donates, or capping the number of paid leads). The program terms should clarify the criteria (verified email, unique users, etc.). For most charities, it may suffice to focus affiliate payouts on actual donations, but savvy ones can run short-term incentives like “Earn £0.50 for each email sign-up during our campaign month” to boost their mailing list growth. Such incentives should be used sparingly and tracked closely.

6. Including Charity E-Shop Sales in Commission

Many charities operate online shops selling merchandise, charity gifts, or event tickets. Including these e-commerce transactions in the affiliate program can significantly widen earning opportunities for partners:

• The Royal British Legion’s affiliate program explicitly covers their merchandise site (“Poppy Shop”) with a 10% commission on the purchase price of goods. That means whether a referral donates or buys a charity t-shirt, the affiliate earns 10%. This integration is ideal because it captures all revenue streams on the charity’s web domain.
  
• Similarly, other UK charities have separate shops (e.g. British Red Cross gifts, WWF merchandise). They often either run separate affiliate programs for the shop or fold them into one. It’s better to have a unified program so affiliates don’t have to sign up twice. For example, RBL lists both donations and shop sales under one program in Awin.

Why it matters

Affiliates (especially bloggers or influencers) might find it easier to promote tangible products or gift purchases for charity, as those have a retail appeal. If those sales count for commission, affiliates can diversify their content (e.g. holiday gift guides featuring the charity’s shop items) and still earn. From the charity’s view, merchandise purchases bring in funds and new supporters, so rewarding affiliates for those is a win-win

Best Practices

Apply a similar commission rate to shop sales as to donations – often around 5–15%. (In RBL’s case, 10% for both donations and shop ensures consistency) Ensure tracking covers the shop subdomain or platform. Clearly list shop purchases as eligible actions in the affiliate terms. By incorporating the e-shop, the charity maximises the affiliate program’s scope and appeals to content creators who focus on products.

7. Payment Methods and Consistent Commission

Variety of Donation Methods

Modern donation platforms allow donors to give via credit/debit cards, PayPal, digital wallets, bank transfers, etc. (For example, Donorbox’s form accepts cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay, ACH/SEPA bank payments, PayPal, etc.) Generally, the commission should not vary by payment method – it’s based on the donation itself, regardless of how the donor pays.

Important considerations

• Ensure the affiliate tracking (cookie and conversion pixel) works across all payment methods. If the donation flow redirects off-site (like to PayPal or a bank portal), the affiliate tracking must still register the completion. Usually, this is handled by a return “thank you” page or by integrating the tracking on the final confirmation. Charities should test that a referred donor using each payment option triggers the affiliate conversion.
  
• Same commission rate for all online payment types: Affiliates should be confident that whether their referral uses a card or PayPal, or Apple Pay, they’ll earn the same percentage. There’s typically no reason to differentiate. The only case of difference might be if a particular payment method incurs drastically higher fees to the charity (e.g. some platforms might offer a slightly lower commission on very high-fee methods, but this is uncommon). Simplicity and fairness dictate a uniform rate.
  
• If a charity accepts offline methods (like “pledge now, pay by bank later” or check by mail), those likely cannot be tracked or commissioned unless handled like phone donations (i.e. outside scope).

In summary, to maximise affiliate trust and effort, offer the commission on all standard online donations regardless of payment method. Make it explicit that any completed donation via the affiliate link counts the same.

8. Cryptocurrency Donations in Affiliate Programs

With the rise of cryptocurrency philanthropy, some charities now accept Bitcoin and other crypto donations (e.g. the Red Cross and United Way – two of the world’s biggest non-profits, both accept crypto gifts). Incorporating this into affiliate structures is new territory:

Tracking Challenges 

If crypto donations are processed through a third-party platform (such as The Giving Block or Coinbase Commerce), tracking an affiliate referral may be difficult. These platforms generate a unique wallet address or link for the donor and may not seamlessly trigger the charity’s usual affiliate pixel. Unless the crypto donation form can accept affiliate URL parameters and confirm the gift back to the affiliate network, affiliates might not get automatically credited.

Possible Solutions 

Charities serious about crypto fundraising could work with their crypto donation provider to enable tracking (for example, The Giving Block integration might allow a callback URL or tagging donors). Another approach is manual reconciliation: if an affiliate drives a user to a crypto donation landing page, perhaps the affiliate could be given a unique link or code to include, and the charity manually awards commission if a donation comes through that link. This is cumbersome but feasible for low volume.

Commission Approach 

Assuming tracking is solved, the commission structure for crypto donations should mirror that of cash donations – e.g. the affiliate earns the same percentage on the USD (or GBP) equivalent of the cryptocurrency contributed. If a donor gave £500 worth of Bitcoin via an affiliate link, and the base commission is 5%, the affiliate should get £25, just as they would for a £500 card donation.

If not integrated 

If it’s not technically integrated, charities might exclude crypto donations from the affiliate program to avoid disputes. Affiliates should be informed if that’s the case. As crypto grows, we expect platforms to improve, because crypto donors tend to be generous (the average crypto donation was reported as very high).

Recommendation 

Charities accepting crypto should strive to include it in the affiliate mix – even if via a custom arrangement – to ensure affiliates are credited for all the donations they drive. This not only maximises fairness but also encourages affiliates to tap into crypto-donor audiences. At minimum, clarify the policy: for example, “Affiliate commissions are paid on cryptocurrency donations initiated through your referral link, calculated on the fiat value at the time of donation.” This clarity will build affiliate confidence in promoting all donation methods.

9. Cookie Duration and Attribution Window

Cookie (Tracking) Period

The cookie duration determines how long after a click an affiliate referral remains eligible for commission. In the charity sector, cookie windows are often 30 to 45 days, comparable to retail norms, though some programs extend further:

• Many programs use 30 days as a standard. For instance, CARE International and Plan International each have a 30-day cookie. The Royal British Legion also uses a 30-day cookie window. This means if a user clicks an affiliate link and donates any time in the next 30 days, the affiliate is credited (assuming no other affiliate or channel overrides the cookie).
  
• Some use 45 days. Oxfam’s affiliate program gives a 45-day cookie. GreaterGood also uses 45 days, likely to account for longer consideration periods for purchases/donations.
  
• A few extend to 60 or 90 days for higher-value actions or stores. Better World Books provides a generous 90-day cookie window, beneficial because donors or shoppers might take time to decide, and affiliates can still earn if the conversion happens up to three months later.
  

Implications 

A longer cookie period is generally more attractive to affiliates, as it increases the chance of earning commissions for delayed conversions. Charities, however, might keep it moderate because a very long cookie could attribute donations that came much later (possibly via other marketing channels) to the affiliate. 30-45 days is a balanced choice in most cases. It’s long enough for a user to return and donate after thinking it over, but not so long that attribution becomes very murky.

Multi-Action Attribution 

Within the cookie period, any number of qualifying actions by that user should credit the affiliate. For example, if an affiliate’s link brings a donor who makes an initial £50 donation, and then two weeks later that same person comes back (directly) to set up a monthly donation or buy an item from the charity shop, the affiliate would get commission for those too. As the RBL program states, “You can benefit from any purchase or donation within 30 days of the customer’s first click”. This encourages affiliates to bring in people who may engage in multiple ways.

Last-Click Model 

Most affiliate programs use last-click attribution; the last affiliate link the user clicked before donating gets the credit (within the cookie window). Charities should adhere to this standard unless they have a multi-touch arrangement (rare in affiliate platforms).

Best Practice 

Be transparent about the cookie length in the affiliate program description. Providing at least 30 days is recommended so that affiliates can earn commissions even if donors take some time. Also, avoid very short cookies (except maybe special cases like Omaze used 7 days since it’s contest-based and urgency-driven). A longer cookie can be a competitive differentiator when recruiting affiliates. For instance, highlighting a 45-day cookie (as Oxfam does) or a 90-day cookie in your program benefits will attract more partners who value a longer attribution window.

10. Other Fundraising Channels 

(Events, Lotteries, Peer-to-Peer) and Affiliate Credit

Charities often have additional revenue streams beyond the main online donation funnel, such as ticketed events, lotteries, peer-to-peer fundraising platforms, or corporate partnership campaigns. Ensuring affiliates get rewarded for driving these conversions can be complex:

Charity Events (Tickets/Registrations) 

If a charity sells event tickets or registration fees online (e.g. a charity gala or a paid challenge event entry), those could be treated like shop purchases. If they occur on the main website or a trackable sub-site, include them for commission. For example, if a user clicks an affiliate link and then registers for a £30 charity run, the affiliate could earn the base percentage (say 10%, = £3). The affiliate network would need conversion tracking on the registration confirmation page.

If the event sign-up is on a third-party platform (like an external ticketing site), it likely won’t be tracked in the main affiliate program. In such cases, charities typically exclude it or arrange manual tracking (which is rare). One solution is to provide affiliates with a special referral code for event sign-ups, but again, it’s manual.

Charity Lotteries or Raffles 

These often operate like a subscription or product purchase. RBL’s program shows a great example: they pay £8 per sign-up to their Poppy Lottery (a weekly draw). This flat bounty likely corresponds to the expected value of a new lottery player. If your charity runs a lottery or regular raffle, consider offering a similar incentive per acquisition. It acknowledges the affiliate’s role in recruiting a long-term donor (lottery players usually contribute weekly/monthly).

Peer-to-Peer Fundraising Pages 

Sometimes, affiliates might inspire someone to become a fundraiser (not just a donor). However, if an affiliate sends a user who ends up creating a fundraising page on JustGiving or the charity’s peer-to-peer platform, tracking that as an affiliate conversion is very difficult. Most programs do not cover “secondary” actions like that, since the affiliate drove a lead (the fundraiser) rather than a direct donation. Unless the charity can track that journey and assign a value (which would be highly custom), affiliates likely won’t be paid for that scenario. It’s acceptable to limit commissions to direct revenue actions (donations, store sales, etc.) for simplicity.

Corporate Donations or Major Gifts 

These usually happen offline or through relationships, and affiliates aren’t involved. So they are outside the affiliate structure.

Recommendation 

Charities should enumerate which actions are commissionable in the affiliate program description. RBL did this by listing four product types (donations, shop, regular donations, lottery). Affiliates then know exactly what they can promote and earn from. If the charity has a donation event or campaign not tracked online, either exclude it from the program or create a mechanism before inviting affiliates to promote it.

If a charity introduces a new fundraising product (say, a new merchandise line or a ticketed webinar), it should consider affiliates in the planning: can the affiliate link to it and get a commission? Keeping the program comprehensive ensures affiliates feel all their efforts to drive any kind of support are rewarded.

Finally, maintain open communication with affiliates. Encourage them to ask if they have an idea (e.g. promoting a charity auction) to see if it can be tracked. Sometimes bespoke arrangements can be made for a big affiliate partner to promote something unique, but generally, stick to reliably trackable, online transactions for the standard commission structure.

Additional Considerations and Best Practices

Before concluding, here are a few extra tips and any overlooked options:

Regular Incentives and Contests 

Beyond the baseline and tiered commissions, keep affiliates engaged with occasional bonuses. Many charity programs offer “regular incentives and promotions”, for example, a bonus of £50 to the top affiliate of the quarter, or a temporary commission boost (say +2% during Ramadan or Christmas donation drives). This can spur activity during crucial campaigns.

Two-Tier Programs 

A niche idea is giving a small commission for referring other affiliates (second-tier commission). This is rare in nonprofits, but could help grow the program. It should be used carefully, if at all, to avoid complexity.

Transparency and Ethics 

Charities should ensure it’s public knowledge (at least on their site) that an affiliate program exists, so there’s no negative PR about “donation money going to commissions.” In reality, affiliate marketing is a performance-based fundraising cost, akin to advertising – for example, paying 5% commission is like saying “we’re willing to spend 5p per £1 raised to get more donations,” which is quite efficient. Being transparent with affiliates about terms and internally about ROI will maintain trust. 

Affiliate Network Choice 

Many UK charities use established affiliate networks (Awin, CJ, FlexOffers, ShareASale, etc.) to manage tracking and payouts. For instance, Plan International runs via Awin, GreaterGood via CJ, Royal British Legion via Awin, and Muslim Aid via TradeDoubler. Choosing a network with good reach among content creators in your niche (and that handles international payouts if needed for global affiliates) will maximise program success.

Program Policies 

Make sure to address common policy points: cookie overwrite rules, any disallowed promotional methods (e.g. no bidding on the charity’s brand keywords on Google Ads, etc.), and how returns or refunded donations are handled (if a donation is refunded or a product returned, typically the commission is reversed).

By covering all these bases, a charity can create a comprehensive affiliate commission structure that motivates affiliates (including bloggers, content creators, and influencers) to actively promote donations, while ensuring the charity achieves a strong net gain in funds raised.

Below is a summary table of the commission structure elements and recommendations:

Website Element / Action	Commission Structure (Recommended)	Notes
One-off Online Donation	Percentage of donation amount (e.g. 5%–10%)	Common range: 5–10%. UK charities are often at 10%; some are lower, like 6.4%.
Recurring Donation Sign-up	One-time bounty (e.g. flat £X) or lower % of first instalment	Ex: £10 for a new monthly donor, or ~4% of initial gift. No ongoing monthly commission.
High-Volume Affiliate Bonus	Tiered rate increases at volume thresholds	Ex: Base 5%, rising to 8% for top performers. Motivates large-scale promotion.
Phone Donation (Offline)	Typically not commissioned. Suggest hiding the phone number for referred traffic	Phone donations aren’t tracked by cookies; encourage online donations to credit affiliates.
Newsletter/Lead Sign-up	Optional: small fixed bounty per qualified lead (e.g. £0.50–£2)	Rare in charity programs. If used, ensure lead quality. Most focus on actual donations/sales.
Charity E-Shop Purchase	Percentage of sale amount (match donation commission, e.g. 5–10%)	Include merchandise and gift shop sales. Track like e-commerce retail.
Donation Payment Method	No change – commission applies equally to all online payment methods	Card, PayPal, Apple/Google Pay, etc. all eligible (assuming tracking on the confirmation page).
Cryptocurrency Donation	If tracked, same % of donation value (in fiat equivalent)	Include if possible. If using integrated crypto forms, treat them like any other donation. Otherwise, may be excluded due to tracking limits.
Cookie Length (Attribution)	30 days minimum; 45 days ideal; longer (60–90) if feasible	Within that period, any donation/purchase by the user counts. Last-click attribution standard.
Other (Events, Lotteries)	Commission if trackable: e.g. flat bounty per event registration or lottery join	Ex: £8 for lottery sign-up. Event tickets, like shop sales (percentage of price), if sold on site. Offline/3rd-party events are usually not included.

Each charity can tailor these structures to its specific context, but the overriding goal remains: align affiliate rewards with valuable actions that drive fundraising. By doing so, affiliates are fairly paid for the traffic and conversions they generate, and the charity benefits from expanded reach and donations that might not have occurred otherwise. The right commission structure creates a win-win partnership for affiliates and nonprofits alike, ultimately resulting in more funds for the charitable mission.

Conclusions

Designing the right affiliate commission structure is key to maximising both charity fundraising and affiliate motivation. The most successful programs strike a balance between fair rewards and sustainable fundraising costs.

Core Takeaways:

• Offer a competitive base rate (5–10%) on one-off donations to stay attractive to affiliates.
  
• Use tiered commission structures to incentivise high-performing affiliates to scale their efforts.
  
• Ensure recurring donations are rewarded with a flat bounty or first-month commission to motivate affiliates to drive long-term donors.
  
• Include e-shop sales, lotteries, and event registrations where possible, expanding earning opportunities for affiliates.
  
• Keep commission consistent across payment methods, and clarify policies on phone or offline donations.
  
• If accepting crypto donations, strive to track and include them in commissions.
  
• Provide a 30–45 day cookie window (longer if feasible) so affiliates benefit from delayed donor decisions.
  
• Consider small lead incentives for email sign-ups or petitions, but prioritise donation-driven rewards.
  
• Maintain transparency and fairness, clearly listing what actions are commissionable.
  
• Use seasonal bonuses or contests to keep affiliates engaged during peak fundraising campaigns.

By following these best practices, charities can build affiliate programs that fairly reward publishers, expand donor reach, and ultimately raise more funds for their mission.

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