Online giving by UK donors doubles during pandemic

Giving online by donors in the UK has doubled during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Latest analysis has found that online donations grew by 115% in volume and by 97% in income over the past 12 months.

The boost is through one-off donations as well as regular gifting and eclipses the 26% increase in volume of one off donations, and 20% rise in the overall value of online giving between 2019 and 2018.

The findings have emerged in creative agency WPNC’s Online Donation Report 2021, through data gathered from gifts made through its online donations platform goDonaate. This represents a total value of £40m, an increase of 29% on 2019.

This also found that the way donors give online is changing, with the volume of card payments falling among many charities, with supporters instead favouring ApplePay.

Across the year 7% of donations were made through ApplePay across all devices, including desktop computers. Use of ApplePay through mobile devices was higher, with one large charity reporting that 46% of its donations were made through this method.

“The trends we share in the report clearly show a significant rise in online donations for both one-off and regular giving,” said WPNC managing director digital and deputy CEO Vicky Reeves.

“Covid-19 has also prompted a rise in giving to related charities, so linking your cause to
topical national and global issues where possible is a key learning for organisations.

“It’s also important to factor into the donor experience an increasing preference for online giving, including aspects such as mobile wallets rather than traditional types of giving.

“Donors want a frictionless experience, and offering them convenient ways to give will increase chances of conversion.”