Online one-off donations see volume increase of 26% in a year
Melanie May | 28 April 2020 | News
Online one-off donations grew in volume by 26% year on year in 2019, while overall value increased by almost 20%, according to data from digital agency WPNC.
For its Online Donations Report 2020, WPNC studied anonymised data from its online donations platforms, which include goDonate and which raised more than £37m income for charities in 2019.
The report examines trends in both one-off and regular giving comparing 2019 to 2018 and focusing on online donations under £75, which account for 78% of all one-off online donations, and all first regular payments made through its platforms, as well as donor behaviour across the board in 2019 covering geography, seasonality, day of the week and time of day. It also examines alternative payment methods such as digital wallets, which saw increased share for both one-off donations and regular gifts.
Online one-off donations – key findings
WPNC found a 26% increase in the volume of one-off donations and a 19.85% rise in overall value through the charity donation funnels that were directly comparable to those used in 2018.
The majority of online one-off donations were under £25, with £10 the most common one-off donation amount in 2019. This made up 16% of all one-off donations, and is frequently used as the lowest suggested amount in many of WPNC’s donation funnels.
However, while the volume of donations has risen, the average one-off gift amount was lower year-on-year, dropping from 25.14% in 2018 to £23.92 in 2019.
The data also suggests that new payment methods are starting to have an impact for one-off online donations, with card payment volume in slight decline, and Apple Pay and PayPal showing a slight increase. According to WPNC, a number of leading UK charities are receiving over 40% of their donations via PayPal with one seeing more than half of their donations coming via this payment method. One charity also saw 10% of its one-off donations come via Apple Pay. Card payments however still have the highest average value for one-off donations under £75.
WPNC also looked at Gift Aid take up on one-off online donations, and found that on average Gift Aid is claimed on 65% of all one-off donations under £75.
Online regular giving – key findings
Online regular donations are also increasing, with WPNC seeing a 12.31% increase in volume and a 19.85% increase in value going through donation funnels that were also live in 2018.
Donations under £49 account for 99% of all online regular donations with the largest regular donation bracket between £5.00 and £10.00.
The average value of an online regular donation increased during 2019, from £7.90 in 2018 to £8.10. The most common donation amount is £5, which makes up 35% of all regular donations. Again, this is a common prompt amount that WPNC sees charities using in their regular donation funnels.
Regular givers are also starting to use digital wallets for giving. For donation funnels where card is offered as an option, the average take up is 29%, For donation funnels where PayPal is an option average take up is 10% and for those where Apple Pay is offered, average take up is 2%.
On average Gift Aid is claimed on 74% of all regular donations.
For both one-off donations and regular giving online, November and December are the peak giving times, with 45% of donations made during these months, and Sunday and Monday the most popular days for giving.
The report is available as a free download, and also contains a section on tips and tools for online giving.
Vicky Reeves, Digital Managing Director, WPNC, said:
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“The trends we share in the report give a clear picture of the rise in online donations and profile today’s donor behaviour.
“When we first conceived of the report the world was a very different place. The global pandemic we find ourselves living through will doubtless change the giving landscape, but we will emerge from this as generous as before – perhaps more so – and with a refreshed view on how technology and everyday life come together.”
About Melanie May
Melanie May is a journalist and copywriter specialising in writing both for and about the charity and marketing services sectors since 2001. She can be reached via thepurplepim.com.