Giving Tuesday campaign was a success - and an antidote to Black Friday
Charity donations online rose sharply on #GivingTuesday, figures have revealed.
JustGiving said total donations were up 46% compared to the same day last year and text donations were up by 80%.
Visa Europe said that more than £2,500 was donated every minute on Visa cards in the UK and donations were up by 10% on last year.
Stewardship, a charity which promotes tax-effective giving, said donations increased by 16% on last year.
The Charities Aid Foundation, which promoted #GivingTuesday in the UK working closely with software company Blackbaud, said that the number of spontaneous donations through the organisation increased by 35% on last year.
It has been truly inspiring to see how much the nation embraced #GivingTuesday
Localgiving.com, which helps small charities to fundraise, said the total raised yesterday was £75,736 – an increase of 885% on last year when they raised £7,693.
Shopping and fundraising website Give as You Live, which gave increased charity donations when people purchased from major stores via the site, said shopping was up by nearly a quarter on last year.
Charities small and large across the country reported a huge surge in support on the day.
Fundraiser Polly Kersys-Hull from Hand in Hand, which helps impoverished communities in Africa and South America, said: ‘’As a small charity, Hand in Hand were delighted to be involved and it gave us a platform to engage with a whole cross section of the public who we might not normally have contact with.’’
A spokesperson for Visa Europe said: “Data is still coming in but early indications suggest the number of donations made with Visa cards on #GivingTuesday was up around 10% week-on-week and year-on-year.
‘’That’s the equivalent of more than £2,500 donated every minute on Visa cards in the UK”.
JustGiving’s co-founder, Zarine Kharas, said: “At the heart of #GivingTuesday is the desire to bring people together to show the world why it’s good to give, which is why JustGiving is pleased to be a key partner.
‘’The social nature of the campaign is in tune with JustGiving’s role as a social platform that unites people around the world with the causes they care about.
‘’It is a perfect antidote to Black Friday and Cyber Monday - a day dedicated to thinking about and taking action together for charitable causes close to everyone’s hearts.”
Celebrities including David Tennant, Carey Mulligan and Tom Daley took to Twitter in their droves to lend their support to #GivingTuesday.
The British campaign trended on Twitter across the UK for 11 hours and reached more than 180 million people worldwide.
Over 2,500 tweets an hour were posted about #GivingTuesday and hundreds of charities and good causes were highlighted.
#GivingTuesday simply asked people to mark the day by doing one thing for a good cause after the shopping days of Black Friday and Cyber Monday.
Hannah Terrey, head of policy and campaigns at the Charities Aid Foundation, said: ‘’It has been truly inspiring to see how much the nation embraced #GivingTuesday.
‘’We have been receiving such lovely messages from charities about what an amazing day it was for them.
‘’#GivingTuesday was all about giving back and helping others and people took it to their hearts. We are so proud to have helped bring this special day to the UK.’’
