Fundraising
Organising a fundraiser with Mieux Donner: birthday, wedding, sporting challenge
A birthday, a wedding, an ultra-trail. What if the occasion became the starting point for a donation that truly makes a difference?
Ombline Planes
Director of Communications · Mieux Donner · Reading time: 7 min
Organising a fundraiser with Mieux Donner isn't about launching yet another crowdfunding campaign. It's about giving your friends and family a simple way to contribute to charities selected for their genuine effectiveness — and helping them discover, perhaps for the very first time, that there's a different way to give.
What sets a Mieux Donner fundraiser apart from a standard campaign
Most fundraising campaigns rely on emotion: a touching cause, a personal story, an appeal to generosity. That's not what Mieux Donner does.
Here, the recommended charities have been independently assessed for their cost-effectiveness: we know, backed by concrete figures, what each pound or euro actually achieves. This isn't a popularity ranking or a measure of media visibility — it's a rigorous, evidence-based selection. And the difference is not marginal: for the same amount donated, giving to an effective charity can have up to 100 times more impact than a donation to a typical charity.
In practical terms, this changes two things for your fundraiser:
1
You can explain the impact of each donation — not in vague terms ("helping children in need"), but in a precise and verifiable way.
2
Your loved ones discover that there are charities far more effective than those they already know. The fundraiser becomes a double gesture: raising funds, and opening a conversation about what "giving well" really means.
A key decision: fix a charity or let participants choose?
When you create your fundraiser on Mieux Donner, you can choose between two options — and this choice is worth thinking through carefully.
Option 1
You choose a charity
You select one charity from those recommended by Mieux Donner, and all donations go to it. This format works well when there's a cause you feel strongly about — global health, animal welfare, climate, existential risks — and you want to centre your message around it.
Your fundraiser has a concrete anchor. You can explain precisely what donations make possible, which builds trust and encourages participation.
Global Health
Animal Welfare
Climate Change
Risk Prevention
Global Health
Against Malaria Foundation
Distribution of insecticide-treated bed nets to combat malaria. £5 protects 1–2 people for 2–3 years. £100 protects 40 people for a year. Between 2004 and 2019, bed nets helped prevent 816 million cases and saved 4.8 million lives.
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Global Health
Helen Keller International
Vitamin A supplementation for children under 5. Just £2 provides supplementation for one child for a year — an intervention that reduces child mortality by 4–12% and prevents blindness. £100 covers 50 children for a year.
Donate →
Global Health
New Incentives
Financial incentives to Nigerian families to vaccinate their children. £100 enrolls approximately 5 children in a vaccination programme, reducing infant mortality from preventable diseases by around 50%.
Donate →
Animal Welfare
The Humane League
Reform of factory farming practices. Over ten years, THL has secured commitments from more than 400 companies to end battery cage eggs, sparing millions of animals each year.
Donate →
Animal WelfareClimate Change
Good Food Institute
Development of alternatives to conventional meat. £1 invested in GFI can avoid more than one tonne of CO₂ emissions and spare hundreds of animals from factory farming, by accelerating the transition to alternative proteins.
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Climate Change
Clean Air Task Force
Advocacy for clean energy policies. £1 donated to CATF avoids approximately one tonne of CO₂ emissions. CATF contributed to the first methane regulation in the EU and to the US Inflation Reduction Act.
Donate →
Risk Prevention
Fund for the Preservation of the Future
Reducing existential risks: pandemics, nuclear war, advanced AI. Beneficiaries include Blueprint Security (pandemic prevention) and the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Impact per pound is hard to measure directly, but targeted interventions on these risks are among the most underfunded in the world.
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Risk Prevention
Centre for AI Safety (CeSIA)
French research organisation working on AI-related risks. £200 enables awareness-raising for 720 people. In 2024, CeSIA reached around one million people in France and contributed in 2025 to the codes of practice underpinning the EU AI Act.
Donate →
Option 2
You let participants choose
Each participant chooses for themselves from the full range of charities recommended by Mieux Donner. This format is particularly interesting from an awareness-raising perspective: you're inviting your friends and family to explore the options, research them, and make their own informed choice.
You're not presuming your loved ones' priorities. And simply browsing the recommended charities — their results, their methods — is often a revelation for people who have never come across the idea of effective giving before.
In short: if your priority is a clear message and concentrated impact, pick a charity. If your priority is helping people discover a new way to give, let them choose.
Three formats that work well
Story · Sporting challenge
Thibault is 27. An engineer based in Annecy, he took on the Infernal Trail des Vosges — 100 km of mountain running, two sleepless nights. But before setting off, he'd decided that every kilometre covered would serve a purpose beyond personal performance. He'd considered a humanitarian trip, then ruled it out: without local contacts or the right language skills, it risked doing more harm than good. His conclusion: the most effective lever remained financial donation, provided it was directed wisely. So he linked his challenge to a Mieux Donner fundraiser. During the race, in moments of doubt, he thought of the cause. The effort had taken on a different dimension.
Read Thibault's story →
How to build your fundraiser
A message in five lines
There's no obligation to write at length. What triggers a donation is clarity, not word count.
1The occasion: birthday, wedding, challenge.
2The why: why you're doing this, in one sentence.
3The destination: the charity you've chosen (or the fact that participants can choose from Mieux Donner's recommendations).
4The concrete impact: what a donation makes possible, with a specific figure if you can.
5The invitation: even a small donation counts — say so explicitly.
A realistic goal and an end date
Start with a simple estimate: how many people will see the link? Set an achievable target — even slightly below what you actually hope for. Exceeding a goal creates more momentum than a goal that's never reached. And set an end date: a fundraiser with no deadline gives the impression that nothing is really happening.
Tax relief: useful information, not a sales pitch
In France, a donation to an eligible organisation entitles the donor to a 66% tax reduction.
"
If you want to donate €30, the 66% tax reduction lets you triple your impact: donate €90, reclaim €60 on your taxes — your real cost stays €30, but the impact is three times greater. A tax receipt will be sent to you automatically.
This applies to the four charities eligible for French tax relief: Against Malaria Foundation, Helen Keller International, Good Food Institute, and the Centre for AI Safety.
Mobilising without pressuring
Start with a short list
Before going to social media, send a personal message to 10–20 close contacts. The first donations always reassure those that follow. A fundraiser at zero feels less compelling than one that's already under way.
Messages tailored to the occasion
🎂
Birthday
This year, for my birthday, I'm launching a fundraiser with Mieux Donner instead of receiving gifts. If you were thinking of getting me something, a small donation can have a real, measurable impact. Here's the page: [link]. Thank you!
💍
Wedding
For our wedding, we're running a fundraiser rather than a gift list. Entirely voluntary, no minimum. Two lines on what we're supporting and why: [link].
🏃
Sporting challenge
I'm taking on [challenge] and turning it into a fundraising commitment. Goal: [amount] by [date]. If you'd like to support: [link].
💬
All our tips for communicating about a fundraiser
Read →
FAQ
What's the difference between choosing a charity myself and letting participants choose?
If you choose, your message is more focused and the impact clearer. If you let participants choose, each one explores Mieux Donner's recommended charities — which is often a discovery in itself.
How do I talk about the fundraiser without making people feel awkward?
Be upfront about the fact that it's entirely optional and there's no minimum. The most important thing is explaining why you're doing it.
Are donations tax-deductible?
In France, a donation to an eligible organisation generally entitles the donor to a 66% tax reduction, depending on their tax situation and the charity's eligibility. A tax receipt is issued where applicable.
How long should an online fundraiser run?
Two to four weeks tends to work well. For a dated event, align the end of the fundraiser with the day itself or shortly after.
Must I choose a charity from those recommended by Mieux Donner?
Yes — that's what guarantees every donation has a real, verified impact. It's also what sets a Mieux Donner fundraiser apart from an ordinary crowdfunding campaign.
Want to go further?
Browse our selection of effective, eligible charities and build a giving strategy tailored to your situation.
See the recommended charities →
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