Survey Indicates 37% of Britons are Online Givers

- Britons more likely to donate now charities collect money online - Charity websites top source of information when considering a donation

13 October 2009, London: Britain is a nation of online givers with over a third of consumers (37 per cent) having used a charity’s website as a channel to donate money, according to research released by 1&1, www.1and1.co.uk, the world’s largest web host. The survey of 1700 British consumers found for 31 per cent of Britons, giving money via a charity website is now their preferred way to donate. Second only to donating in-person, the method is now more popular than direct debits, phone payments and the post. In fact, two thirds of consumers believe they are more likely to give to charity as a direct result of the availability of online payment. Furthermore, individual charity websites are now the resource most utilised when people are considering making a donation. Investing in a quality web presence is now a must for all non-profits, with consumers expecting such websites to be as attractive as business ones. In fact, charities can be reassured that three quarters of Britons feel that a charity website can never be ‘too flash’ or ‘too expensive-looking’.

1&1’s ‘Non-Profits on the Web Study’ has found that the individual websites of charities and non-profit organisations are now the preferred port of call for consumers wishing to research causes and donate money without visiting the charity. In total, 60 per cent of Britons have used a charity or non-profit group’s website. Over one third (37 per cent) of respondents have used such a website as a channel to donate money, with 31 per cent now preferring to make their donations to charity via websites. Whilst in-person donations were most popular (42 per cent), making donations online is today more favoured than established fundraising practices such as direct debit forms (16 per cent), posting cheques (8 per cent) and payments by phone (4 per cent). Indeed, two thirds (68 per cent) of respondents believe they are more likely to give to charity today than ever before, as a result of the convenience of being able to pay online.

The data shows that the Internet is now a vital element of how we engage with both local and international non-profit groups. 30 per cent of Britons currently use charity websites to remain connected with overseas appeals and 1 in 5 (21 per cent) to keep abreast of a local cause. When considering whether or not to make an individual donation, a charity’s website is the most utilised source of information for Britons (39 per cent). Other sources utilised were recommendations from family & friends (30 per cent), 3rd party online material (24 per cent), printed materials (21 per cent), charity representatives (16 per cent) and Charity Commission material (9 per cent).

Oliver Mauss, CEO 1&1 Internet Ltd., said “In today’s economic climate, it is vital for non-profit organisations to realise the value of the Internet for making connections and driving revenue. The public now prioritises charities that can inspire them with content and accept payments immediately online”.