The principle of fundraising is to raise money by asking for it. This might be from individual donors (e.g. through street collections, events or appeals), private businesses (e.g. through sponsorship), or grant funders (e.g. Big Lottery Fund, Esmée Fairbairn Foundation).

Fundraising should complement a VCO’s primary objectives and, ideally, should combine raising funds with effective promotion of the organisation. VCOs also need to ensure the ongoing integration of fundraising plans with wider organisational plans – so that money raised matches organisational need in terms of type, size, duration and appropriateness.