Donations via charity websites surged to tenfold in value during first weeks of lockdown
Melanie May | 18 June 2020 | News
Donations made via charities’ own websites rose tenfold in value during first weeks of lockdown, according to data from The Access Group.
Access examined one-off donations made via the donation pages of 423 small and medium sized charities’ websites between January and May this year and compared these with the same months in 2019.
The data reveals that that more than twice the value of online donations were made as during the same period last year and, at some points during lockdown, this increase was ten-fold. The significant increase in donations began in mid-March 2020 – at the start of lockdown. It continued to increase into April 2020, where levels of donations hit over 10 times their normal amount.
Month by month, donations increased by 36% and 24% respectively in January and February, compared to the same period in 2019. They then rose by 112% and 304% in March and April compared to the same months in 2019. Online donations then decreased into May 2020, but charities still experienced donations twice that of 2019 on a weekly rolling average.
Of the charities with the largest amounts raised, half of the top ten are hospital/hospice related. However, according to Access’s data, causes across the board experienced a major uplift.
Simon Baines, Managing Director, Not for Profit at The Access Group, said:
“What’s clear from our data is that those charities ready with websites set up for online giving were one step ahead. They were able to react quickly with their calls for support, ultimately benefitting from the public’s sentiment to give during lockdown.
“This highlights just how crucial it is for charities to have a strong presence online, in both their websites and their use of digital engagement with supporters. Charities behind the curve may have missed out and it’s all the more important now that those charities give focus to their digital transformation to be able to compete. It’s about making it as easy as possible for the public to give so that charities can achieve more.”
The Access Group’s latest data forms part of its wider research and guidance into the topic of digital transformation for charities. This includes a new free downloadable guide to help charities with their digital transformation.
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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.