From everyday saving to lasting impact: how Cluberly turns membership into meaningful support

Chapter 4

From the outset, Cluberly was designed around a principle that goes far beyond conventional ideas of corporate responsibility. As far as we are aware, Cluberly is the first commercial company — excluding charities and not-for-profit organisations — to commit to donating 50% of its primary revenues to causes chosen by its members, permanently. This is not a time-limited pledge, a marketing initiative or a discretionary decision taken year by year. It is a fixed commitment embedded into the structure of the business itself.

In addition to this core promise, further donations will be generated through secondary revenue streams, including merchandise sales and other initiatives currently in development. However, it is the primary revenues that sit at the heart of the model, both in terms of scale and intent. These revenues are generated from two main sources.

The first is membership. Cluberly operates on a simple subscription basis, with memberships starting at £2.99 per month. Of this amount, £1.50 is donated to community causes every month for as long as the member remains subscribed. The impact of this becomes meaningful very quickly. For every 1,000 members, £1,500 is donated each month, equating to £18,000 per year, before taking into account any additional activity on the platform.

The second source of primary revenue is a modest transaction fee applied to deposits. A notional fee of 0.5% is charged when members add funds to their account. In practical terms, this means that for every £100 deposited, 50 pence is charged, and of that amount, 25 pence is donated directly to community causes. Based on conservative assumptions that the average member will save around £2,000 per year, this mechanism alone generates an additional £10,000 annually for community-backed causes per 1,000 members.

This structure has been deliberately designed to ensure transparency, fairness and reach. From the moment a member signs up, there are two distinct ways they can join Cluberly, depending on how they wish to support the causes they care about.

Members can join independently and nominate a cause of their choosing. As long as the cause is a registered club, charity or school, the choice rests entirely with the member. This has been extended further to include individual athletes, provided they are registered with an registered club. In these cases, the 50% donated by Cluberly is itself split again. Half is directed straight to the member’s chosen cause, while the remaining half flows into the Cluberly National Pot.

The National Pot exists to ensure support reaches beyond the most visible or well-connected organisations. It is specifically designed to benefit smaller clubs and standout charities that may not yet have the scale to attract large volumes of direct nominations. Allocations from the National Pot are shaped by member participation and voting, ensuring that support remains community-led rather than centrally dictated.

Alternatively, members can join through one of Cluberly’s affiliate partners. Affiliates include clubs, charities, schools, as well as selected ambassadors and influencers who are closely connected to a particular cause. When a member signs up through an affiliate, the full 50% of Cluberly’s donated revenues is directed straight to that affiliate cause. In these cases, no split with the National Pot is required, reflecting the role affiliates play in actively growing and engaging the community.

Beyond these core mechanics, members are also able to actively increase the level of support generated through their participation by completing profile challenges within the app. These challenges are intentionally straightforward and closely aligned with behaviours that strengthen the community as a whole. They include inviting friends to join Cluberly, following and engaging with Cluberly on social media, keeping up to date with supported causes, and achieving personal savings goals.

Each completed challenge increases the overall contribution generated through the member’s activity, enhancing the split directed to their chosen cause and the National Pot without requiring any additional financial contribution from the member. In this way, giving becomes active rather than passive. Members who engage more deeply, help grow the platform or make progress towards their own financial goals are able to unlock greater impact for the causes they support.

It is important to be clear on one fundamental point. Members’ savings are never donated. The money individuals save belongs entirely to them. Cluberly’s contributions come solely from its own revenues, not from member balances or capital.

What members receive in return is more than the quiet satisfaction of knowing their subscription supports something meaningful. The platform is designed to keep them connected to the impact they are helping to create. Updates, news and progress from their chosen cause are surfaced within the app, alongside wider Cluberly initiatives, making the outcomes of their support visible and tangible.

This approach reflects what Cluberly ultimately stands for. Not one-off gestures, but sustained support. Not passive giving, but ongoing connection. With its community at the centre, Cluberly is building a model that demonstrates how meaningful impact can be delivered at scale when people are given a simple, transparent way to support the causes that matter most to them.