The Evolution of Giving

The ways in which people give to charity has changed a lot over the past ten years. Even People’s Postcode Lottery as a charity lottery is a relatively new phenomenon, but it is one that is increasing in popularity. We are proud to have grown hugely across the last few years, as it allows us to not only give bigger prizes to our many winners, but also because we can raise money for more charities and good causes across Britain.

Some facts on your average online donor:

• They are 38 years old (while your average offline donor is 60+)
• They are – in 62% of cases – donating for the first time online
• They donate during the late morning, typically between 10am and 12pm
• The time of year they are most likely to give is in late December

In 2001, only 4% of people had ever given online. By the end of 2011, 65% of people had experience of giving online. The increased ease with which people can donate explains such an increase. With sites like “JustGiving” you can sponsor a friend or donate as easily as you could order your groceries. In the UK, 12,000 people create a JustGiving page every month and so far have raised £770,000,000 for 12,000 different charities.

Charities can now get great results through commercialism. Ebay is a great example of this. Since 2005, UK Ebay users have raised over £31 million for over 6,000 UK based charities. Buyers and sellers are both able to donate. Buyers donate at the checkout and sellers can donate a proportion of the final value of their sold item. Charities can also use Ebay as a platform to have auctions which accounts for over 60% of all funds raised through Ebay. The majority of donations come through sales or purchases in the clothing, shoes and accessories category.

Another way that the internet has triggered an evolution in charitable giving is by creating new ways for people to interact with charities and with fundraising. An example of this is the increase in websites like “Crowdrise”. This is where fundraisers can come together and create projects that are spread around via the internet. Crowdrise is a unique blend of online fundraising, crowdsourcing, social networking, and competitions. It opens up a real dialogue within an online community and makes spreading the word about a charity project that little bit easier.  They even operate with the slogan “if you don’t give back, no-one will like you”, which we like!

40% of people now say that social media is one of the best ways to raise awareness of a charity and their work, so even if people still choose to donate offline, they’re talking about it online. That’s why we make use of Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and our blog. We try to raise awareness of good causes and promote the work of our supported charities.

If you want to be a part of a charity lottery where you could win prizes on a daily basis, and at the same time, support some wonderful causes, click here to sign up!