There has been much comment about the impact of COVID19 on charitable donations and how organisations might be able to recover their donation income levels post pandemic.
Just today The Daily Express reported that over 50% of people plan not to reinstate Direct Debits that they have cancelled during the lockdown period.
UK Fundraising report that, following a dip in March, cancellations of regular Direct Debit donations returned to normal levels in April.
However, new donor sign ups were down by more than 50% year on year.
Rapidata’s experience over the same period shows that charities in the UK saw cancellations of regular Direct Debit donations return to a more usual level of 2.04% last month, while the number of new supporters signing up to regular giving in April remained low at 54% lower than the same month last year.
For Rapidata, the charity Direct Debit cancellations rate for March 2020 was the biggest swing from February to March seen since they began recording the data in 2003.
Interestingly, Rapidata report that, this level remains significantly lower than the highest ever rate for the same month, recorded during the 2008/9 recession at 4.33%.
“The long-term support and commitment from people giving regular gifts is so important for charities to be able to deliver their work, so it is pleasing to see that the cancellation rates for direct debits has come back to normal. Over the last month or so we’ve seen fantastic one-off giving to fundraising appeals, and some special events such as #TheBigNightIn and the 2.6 Challenge, which demonstrates just how the public do want to support good causes. Over the coming months, we hope to see the number of new Direct Debits rise as charities adapt their fundraising activities and coronavirus recovery begins to take hold.”
Daniel Fluskey, Chartered Institute of Fundraising
Rapidata have taken Daniel’s advice and thought about adapting fundraising activities during a coronavirus recovery phase and have produced ten tips to maximise a charities regular giving programme and increase online donations.
Ten tips to maximise your regular giving programme and increase online donations
Rapidata know how important regular supporters are in helping charities build core funding, plan ahead and budget for the future.
But, as you adapt your coronavirus recovery fund-raising activities could you be doing more to make the most of your Direct Debit programme?
Here are Rapidata’s ten tips to get the most from your regular giving programme:
For the full explanation of each of Rapidata’s tips to maximise a regular giving programme click here: maximising a regular giving programme.
- Sing it from the rooftops: regular giving rocks
- Put security and accuracy at the top of the pile
- Make it easy for people to give
- Go mobile
- Test again and again
- Set up campaign-specific giving pages
- Always say ‘thank you’
- Match your supporter communications around the donation timeline
- Respond to regular giving peaks and troughs
- Listen to your supporters and let them take the reins
The explanation of each of Rapidata’s ten tips to maximise a charities regular giving programme can be found here: maximising a regular giving programme.