Charitable giving would increase over time if people had access to digital solutions that allowed them to easily increase or decrease their regular donation according to their finances. That’s the message from digital payments expert PayPoint, who commissioned research into the effect of the pandemic on charitable giving.

The company found that almost two-thirds (64%) of people who make regular donations to a charity would support the possibility of changing the amount and timing of the donation. Another 42% went on to say that if they had the means to do so, they would give more over a period of time than they currently do with a fixed monthly donation.

“This is great news for the charitable sector and shows that despite the economic fallout from the coronavirus, the public’s appetite to give has not been curbed,” said Danny Vant, director of customer services at PayPoint. “As people’s disposable income fluctuates, it is only natural that their ability to make charitable donations fluctuates. So providing them with convenient digital solutions to simply change their monthly donation is an easy way for charities to make it easier to increase long-term donations. ”

Indeed, it is clear from PayPoint’s research that sustaining digital donations remains a priority for many charitable supporters. Although 42% of people agree that changes in their financial situation might prevent them from giving, almost half (46%) of those surveyed would prefer to suspend regular donations to a charity until they are on a more positive financial basis, rather than canceling them out altogether.

PayPoint research also found that while 40% of people made no changes to the way they donated to charity during the pandemic, 1 in 5 switched to donating to local charities over small and the same number of people wanted to support charities helping UK families facing hardships. .

Clearly, the impact of the pandemic on the UK has brought people closer to home and underscores people’s desire to be more spontaneous and adaptable with their charitable giving. Of course, this means that charities need to match that desire with the agility to find and accept all impulse donations, using appropriate payment options like SMS donations and flexible direct debits.

Research from PayPoint, which acquired charity-based payment provider RSM2000 in April this year, supports fieldwork carried out in August by the Charities Aid Foundation (CAF). The organization found that more than two in five charities surveyed (45%) have already increased their capacity for card, contactless and digital payments.

Danny Vant concludes: “While traditional fundraising activities are not lost, it is clear from our research that charities large and small that have already gone digital are likely to reap the most benefits. Providing multiple payment methods to people not only opens the door to spontaneous charitable giving through online engagement, but also gives donors the power to increase the value of their regular charitable giving when they are financially able. . ”