Charities Aid Foundation says interim figures show there was a spike in donations in online giving on Tuesday
This year’s Giving Tuesday was the UK’s most successful yet, according to initial reports.
Organised by Charities Aid Foundation (CAF) and fundraising software provider Blackbaud, they say interim figures show there was a spike in donations in online giving on Tuesday.
Final figures are yet to be released, but by midday on December 1 the hashtag #GivingTuesday had been used 115,000 times globally, and 24,000 times in the UK.
It is fantastic to see so many people join together to give something back for what has become the UK’s biggest day of grassroots giving
Now in its second year in the UK, the day which is seen as an antidote to the consumerism of Black Friday and Cyber Monday, had 1,400 UK charities and businesses taking part this year with charities using the day to promote the work they do and appeal for donations.
It was also abcked by celebrities, sports stars and politicians including Stephen Fry, JK Rowling, Tom Daley, Gary Lineker, Lily Allen and David Tennant.
In Scotland one of the biggest highlights was Project Scotland’s inventive donations appeal.
Chief executive Paul Reddish donned a pink tutu and raised over £1000 by promising to release videos of him dancing to popular songs online.
With a target of £500 Paul certainly took the internet by storm – even earning a retweet by Britiain’s Got Talent dance troupe Diversity – and ended up performing to songs such as Gangnam Style, Whip Nae Nae and YMCA.
The National Trust for Scotland also got in on the act – rather more sedately mind you. It wrote to 40,000 of its members to inform them of its I’m In For The Future appeal which aims to raise £150,000 for conservation work across the trust’s properties.
Elsewhere, online payments system PayPal attempted to set a new Guinness World Record for the Most Money Donated Online for Charity in 24-Hours and promised to match 1% all donations from around the world.
Hannah Terrey, head of policy and campaigns at CAF, said: “It is fantastic to see so many people join together to give something back for what has become the UK’s biggest day of grassroots giving.
“We have great tradition of being one of the world’s most generous countries. The huge response to #GivingTuesday from people of all walks of life has really demonstrated that we are a country which loves to get behind a good cause.
“There is an appetite to give back, do give time to good causes and to talk about helping each other.
"That is what #GivingTuesday is all about.”
