Tuesday mornings could be the best days and time of day for charities to fundraise ahead of Christmas, research is indicating.

The research by fundraising platform Enthuse found that last year Tuesdays were the most popular day for giving with the most donations received, followed by Thursdays. Weekends saw the least giving, Enthuse also found.

Last year’s top day for giving was 12 December, a Thursday, which replaced 1 December as the most popular day from the previous year.

Figures for 2020 to 2022 indicate that the middle of the month could be the most lucrative time once again. In each of these years the top donation days only emerged from this point.

Last year 3 December was the only top donation day at the start of the month. The rest were 10-11 and 13 December.

However, in terms of donation value the start of the month still saw the best day, with 3 December taking that title in 2024.

“When it comes to scheduling festive campaign activity, any weekday has the potential to be successful for charities. What’s clear is that weekends are to be avoided,” said Enthuse.

“The idea that festive giving doesn’t kick in until the week of Christmas is outdated - it’s starting much earlier,” said Enthuse founder and chief executive Chester Mojay-Sinclare.

“Charities should expect donations from the start of December, as we know the volume of donations is highest in those first two weeks.

“And good causes should consider the immediate run up to Christmas as the perfect time to engage with their high value donors, as this is when the most generous donations tend to come in.”

He added; “As ever, timing is crucial for Christmas campaigns and targeting the right days of the week and hours of the day could help charities maximise their fundraising at this important part of the year.”

Golden hours for giving

Enthuse also found that 10am to 1pm is “the golden slot for donations”.

On average last year 10am secured 7.6% of the day’s donations in December, closely followed by 11am.

The fundraising platform added that 2pm to 5pm “is still a fruitful time for charities, with people perhaps having more flexibility around when they donate while working from home”.

Donations “tend to hold firm” until 9pm, but then drop off later into the evenings.

“Charities will want to avoid scheduling appeals, social media posts and emails before 9am and after 9pm as they will see diminishing returns,” added Enthuse.

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