Charities running pre-Christmas campaigns should prepare for two donation spikes in the week before Christmas – Friday December 20 and Monday 23 – according to an analysis of festive giving.
Carried out by charity payments technology company goDonate – which provides next-generation digital donation solutions to organisations in the UK and beyond – the analysis pinpoints that the last Friday before Christmas Day is the day when the highest number of single donations were made online in December 2023 and also the highest average one-off gifts were recorded.
In 2024, the final Friday before Christmas Day is December 20 – when many people will receive their salary.
This year, however, is expected to offer a second donation spike: Monday December 23 because many pensions payments will be made on that date, along with some final pre-Christmas salaries.
The findings of goDonate’s study point to the need for charities to focus their fundraising efforts on connecting with supporters close to Christmas. In 2023, the third week of December accounted for 27% of all single donations made during the whole month.
The full analysis – Online Donations December Insights Report 2024 – was produced by collecting anonymised data from the online donation funnels of leading UK charities. With goDonate managing more than £35m in charitable income in 2023, the report offers valuable insights into donor behaviour ahead of December 25, to help charities optimise their online fundraising strategies for this critical period.
The report includes ‘time of day’ donation volume data, with the period between 10am and 6pm the most popular for donating.
goDonate managing director Vicky Reeves commented: “Our in-depth analysis of donations data from three previous Christmas periods provides invaluable insights for fundraisers seeking to make the most of the festive period in 2024.
“It’s interesting to see that in 2023, the top donation date was December 22, which was the last Friday before Christmas. In 2022, the top donation date was 23 and 2021, the 24; both of which also fell on the last Friday before Christmas.
“From this consistent trend, we can see that the Friday before Christmas is the most popular day for giving. This coincides with the tradition for many people being paid their monthly salary on that day.
“In 2023, most salary and pension payments were made on that Friday. This year, however, fundraisers should have another bite at the cherry when many pensions will be paid on the last Monday before Christmas Day. In conjunction with their own data, charities can use our analysis to consider tailoring their fundraising campaigns to take December donation insights into account.”
Related stories
Gen Z save first student loan payment for festive offers
Jingle bells: Retailers set for bumper ‘golden quarter’
Brands eye festive bonanza as shoppers plot £600 spend
‘Holidays are coming’… Brits begin festive shop early
goDonate secures deal to help charities accept crypto
Next-gen tools that even you technophobes can build
Charities embrace tech to combat cost of living crisis
