# New Direct Debit Index to help charities improve regular giving income

- Link: https://fundraising.co.uk/2026/03/31/direct-debit-index-helping-charities-improve-regular-giving/
- Published: 2026-03-31T11:51:54+01:00
- Author: Howard Lake

**Graytide has launched a health check tool, the Direct Debit Index (DD Index) for
charities and membership organisations. It is designed to help organisations assess,
benchmark, and improve their Direct Debit performance at a time when recurring income
is ever more essential.**

The launch comes amidst increasing pressure on regular giving, highlighted by recent
data such as the [CAF Giving Report](https://fundraising.co.uk/2026/03/16/public-donations-down-nearly-10-percent-2024-25/),
which pointed to a large number of Direct Debit cancellations. The DD Index is intended
to help charities take a closer look at how their regular gifts are performing and
to identify areas of “leakage or missed opportunity”.

For many organisations, Direct Debit is a vital, reliable payment method that often
runs in the background with minimal review or optimisation. Graytide, a UK-based
consultancy specialising in payments and operational efficiency, created the DD 
Index to address this gap.

## Advertisement

Founder of [Graytide Ltd](https://graytide.co.uk), **Scott Gray**, commented on 
the launch:

“Direct Debit is one of the most effective and resilient payment methods available,
but many organisations don’t regularly review how well their processes are performing.
The DD Index has been created to provide a simple, independent way for organisations
to sense-check their Direct Debit operations, identify opportunities to improve 
performance, reduce failures and protect recurring income.”

![Direct Debit Index healthcheck - on laptop screen](https://wfay6x.infiniteuploads.
cloud/2026/03/graytide-direct-debit-index-healthcheck-screen-202603.jpg)

Image: Direct Debit Index

## Evaluating five areas of operations

The tool allows organisations to evaluate five key areas of their operations, providing
a structured way to review performance and track improvements over time across the
full Direct Debit lifecycle. It draws on Graytide’s extensive background, including
over 25 years of Direct Debit and Bacs bureau experience, and Scott Gray’s history
of [publishing sector tracking reports](https://fundraising.co.uk/2017/07/03/2016-annual-direct-debit-cancellation-rate-lowest-ever-reveals-rapidata-report/)
during his time at Rapidata.

The DD Index is designed to support organisations regardless of whether they manage
Direct Debits in-house or work with a Bacs Approved Bureau or software provider.
For those with established providers, the tool can reinforce strong operational 
performance, and for others, it can highlight where additional support or optimisation
opportunities may exist.

At its launch, the Direct Debit Index Health Check is available to organisations**
free of charge**. Graytide plans to offer additional features for a fee, including‘
Health Check+’ for a detailed audit with RAG-rated recommendations, and ‘Insights’
for enhanced reporting and analysis, with benchmarking capabilities planned for 
the future.

Organisations can register and run their Direct Debit health check at [directdebitindex.com](http://directdebitindex.com).

 * **[Cheshire Community Foundation launches regular giving campaign](https://fundraising.co.uk/2026/01/17/cheshire-community-foundation-launches-regular-giving-campaign/)(
   17 January 2026)
 * **[Direct Debit celebrates 50 year milestone](https://fundraising.co.uk/2020/12/17/direct-debit-celebrates-50-year-milestone/)(
   17 December 2020)
 * **[Supporters seeking more control over regular giving, Rapidata report shows](https://fundraising.co.uk/2018/06/29/supporters-seeking-control-regular-giving-rapidata-report-shows/)(
   29 June 2018)**