Skiddle commits £500k to support OnSide Youth Zones

Skiddle has unveiled a new long-term charity partnership with national youth organisation OnSide, pledging to raise at least £500,000 over the next four years. The collaboration aims to channel support from the live events and ticketing ecosystem into OnSide’s expanding network of Youth Zones across the UK.

The agreement extends Skiddle’s ongoing commitment to social impact and charitable initiatives, while giving the ticketing provider’s event partners and audiences a structured way to contribute to youth-focused projects. Funds raised will help OnSide deliver safe spaces, activities, and support programmes for young people in communities where opportunities can be limited.

Background and industry context

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Skiddle is one of the UK’s largest independent ticketing platforms, supporting a broad range of live events, including concerts, festivals, nightlife, and cultural experiences. Operating at the intersection of ticketing and event discovery, the company connects organisers with audiences predominantly made up of younger demographics, many of whom reflect the age groups OnSide serves.

OnSide is a national youth charity that develops and supports a network of Youth Zones – purpose-built spaces offering activities, mentoring, employment support and social opportunities for young people. Each Youth Zone is typically a partnership between local authorities, businesses, philanthropists and community organisations, designed to provide affordable, accessible support in areas that may lack dedicated youth facilities.

For the events sector, charitable partnerships have become an increasingly visible component of corporate social responsibility strategies. Ticketing and event technology providers are in a distinct position to mobilise large customer bases, enabling fundraising and awareness-raising at scale. This has led to a rise in integrated donation tools, charity ticket types, and cause-related campaigns embedded directly into ticket purchasing journeys.

Key developments in the Skiddle–OnSide partnership

Under the new collaboration, Skiddle has committed to generating a minimum of £500,000 for OnSide over a four-year period. While detailed mechanisms may vary across campaigns and partners, the funding effort is expected to combine direct corporate contributions, fundraising initiatives involving Skiddle’s staff and partners, and donation opportunities for ticket buyers.

The partnership builds on Skiddle’s previous charitable activity, in which the platform has leveraged its technology and audience reach to support a range of causes through fundraising and awareness campaigns. By focusing on OnSide, the company is aligning its efforts with a single national youth charity for a sustained period, rather than short-term or one-off initiatives.

OnSide’s Youth Zones typically offer a mix of sports, arts, digital skills, music, and training opportunities for young people, often during evenings and weekends. Funds from the partnership with Skiddle will contribute to maintaining and expanding these facilities, as well as supporting programming that helps young people develop confidence, skills and pathways into education or employment.

The four-year duration of the agreement provides both organisations with a multi-season horizon to plan campaigns, align with key event calendars, and build consistent messaging to audiences and stakeholders across the live events ecosystem.

Industry impact for ticketing and live events

For the event technology and ticketing sector, this partnership illustrates how platforms can embed social value into core operations without disrupting the user journey. Integrating charity support into ticket sales, marketing campaigns and event partnerships can create new touchpoints for engagement while maintaining focus on the primary service of event discovery and ticketing.

By partnering with a national youth charity, Skiddle is likely to work with organisers on collaborative fundraising events, charity-focused festivals, and themed campaigns that highlight OnSide’s work. This can open up new programming opportunities for venues and promoters aiming to connect more directly with local communities.

The collaboration also underlines a wider trend: event and ticketing businesses are increasingly evaluated not only on technology performance and commercial terms, but also on environmental, social and governance (ESG) commitments. Structured, multi-year partnerships give clients and stakeholders more visibility into how providers are approaching social responsibility beyond ad hoc campaigns.

Why this matters for event professionals and technology providers

For event organisers, working with a ticketing partner engaged in long-term charitable initiatives can provide added value in several ways:

Integrated fundraising options: Organisers may gain access to pre-configured donation tools at checkout, charity ticket types, or opt-in campaign templates aligned with the Youth Zones initiative.
Audience engagement: Aligning events with youth-focused causes can resonate strongly with younger attendees, volunteers and local communities, offering additional storytelling and content opportunities.
Local community links: OnSide’s Youth Zones are embedded in specific regions and cities, creating potential for organisers to connect with local groups, talent and outreach programmes.

For event technology providers, the partnership demonstrates how CSR strategies can be integrated into platform roadmaps and user experiences:

Product and feature design: Building donation prompts, charity event branding and reporting tools into ticketing systems can make it easier for organisers to activate cause-based campaigns at scale.
Data and transparency: Platforms can provide reporting on funds raised and campaign engagement, supporting both organisers and charities in understanding impact.
Partnership models: Long-term agreements with national charities offer a framework for co-branded campaigns, shared communications, and structured annual targets, which can be replicated in other markets or sectors.

As venues, promoters and technology vendors face increasing pressure to demonstrate positive social impact, such partnerships may become a differentiator in competitive tender processes, particularly for public sector or large-scale cultural events that prioritise community benefit.

Conclusion

Skiddle’s commitment to raising at least £500,000 for OnSide over four years signals a deepening link between the live events ecosystem and youth-focused community support. By focusing on OnSide’s network of Youth Zones, the ticketing platform is aligning its CSR activities with the demographics and communities that intersect closely with the audiences it serves.

For event professionals and technology providers, the partnership underscores how integrated, long-term charity collaborations can complement commercial objectives, enrich audience engagement and strengthen ties with local communities. As the campaign progresses, its outcomes may provide a practical reference point for other ticketing and event technology companies looking to formalise or expand their own social impact strategies.