# Finances difficult but most want to donate this Christmas, survey indicates

- Link: https://fundraising.co.uk/2021/12/08/finances-difficult-but-most-want-to-donate-this-christmas-survey-indicates/
- Published: 2021-12-08T10:19:24+00:00
- Author: Melanie May

**The latest quarterly Donor Pulse report from Enthuse shows that 73% of the 2,000
people surveyed plan to donate over Christmas (up 5% on last year), despite 43% 
saying that their financial situation makes this more difficult.**

The latest edition of the quarterly [Donor Pulse report](https://enthuse.com/insights/donor-pulse-report-winter-2021/)
shows that just under half (49%) of the public say they are more likely to give 
around Christmas than other times of the year, with 38% of people saying they give
at Christmas because they are asked to, and a further 42% looking out for opportunities
to donate at this time of year.

The average maximum gift indicated by the report’s findings is £41 for the festive
period. Donors planning on giving the most are Gen Z at £53 and the least are 55-
64 year olds with £33. While Gen Z and Millennials are the most likely to donate
over the Christmas period with over 70% of both groups indicating an interest, they
are also the least committed to giving with only 30% and 33% respectively stating
they were very likely to give.

## Advertisement

This edition of the Donor Pulse also looks at fundraising activity among the public.
Among those surveyed, 45% have been asked for a donation by a friend, colleague,
employer or school in the last three months. This figure rises to 62% among the 
under 40s, compared to 34% for those over 40.

Overall, 71% say they have donated in the last three months – the highest level 
for a year. 43% have given online donations, compared to 39% the previous quarter.
Donations directly through a charity’s website remain the most generous with an 
average donation of £42.63 through the site compared to an overall average of £34.46.

78% of donors also say they remember the name of the charity they last gave to when
they donate through the organisation’s site, while only 57% do when using a consumer
giving platform.

Chester Mojay-Sinclare, Enthuse Founder and CEO, said: 

> “The Christmas period is a crucial time for most charities, and even though money
> is tight for many this year the desire to give remains strong, which is testament
> to the quality of work across the third sector. The key challenge for charities
> will be turning those festive donors into regular givers. Taking donations directly
> through their own site and having total control of all supporter outreach will
> be a crucial step for charities in building that supporter relationship so they
> donate time and time again.”

The Donor Pulse report also looks at the idea of ‘in the moment’ giving, and supporters’
feelings on data privacy. On privacy, it reveals that slightly more people reject
opting in to marketing communications (39%) than accept it (36%). For those who 
opt out, over half (51%) of donors say they do not want a charity emailing them 
asking for further donations, or are not interested in receiving the charity’s emails
in general. The second biggest reason for opting out is data management with 49%
of donors citing concerns about how their data would be shared by the charity and
worrying about the potential of a data breach. 

## More Donor Pulse findings from 2021

 * [Public willingness to participate in fundraising events rises](https://fundraising.co.uk/2021/10/26/public-willingness-to-participate-in-fundraising-events-rises/)
   October 2021
 * [New flexible working patterns could impact workplace fundraising](https://fundraising.co.uk/2021/07/13/new-flexible-working-patterns-could-impact-workplace-fundraising-report-suggests/)
   July 2021
 * [Insights into public’s feelings about restarting in-person events revealed](https://fundraising.co.uk/2021/03/24/insights-into-publics-feelings-restarting-in-person-events-revealed/)
   March 2021
