Over 30 per cent of Britons donate to charity by text message and 61 per cent now donate through online giving websites, according to a study by online shopping scheme Give as you Live.
The results come from Give as you Live’s shopper insight study, which questioned 4,000 of its shoppers on their digital charity support. The study by the website, which allows users to raise money for charity as they shop, also revealed that half of Britons still donate to charity using direct debit payments.
The study also revealed that 55 per cent of people follow their favourite charities on Facebook, while 30 per cent follow them on Twitter and just ten per cent keep up-to-date with charities on YouTube. One in five of those surveyed said that they follow a charity's blog or website for updates.
It said that people in the UK support an average of three charities a year, with 40 per cent of people in the UK now supporting five or more charities in one year.
Steff Lewis, head of consumer insights at Give as you Live, said: “Charity donations are rapidly going digital with mobile phones and online giving being two of the most popular ways for consumers to donate to charity.
“Unlike payroll giving and direct debit, many online and mobile donations can be one offs; for example, texting in to support a national campaign like Red Nose Day or sponsoring a friend. The challenge charities now face is finding creative ways to ensure these channels provide regular and dependable funds.”
Top ten charities by Facebook likes
Give as you Live has also compiled a list of the top ten UK charities by the number of Facebook likes they have, based on the Charity Aid Foundation’s UK top 1,000 charities by donations.
These are:
- The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints - 1,328,147
- Imperial Cancer Research Fund - 1,154,094
- Cancer Research UK - 1,153,497
- Dogs Trust - 784,426
- Help For Heroes - 600,242
- Macmillan Cancer Support - 554,234
- RSPCA - 545,643
- Marie Curie Cancer Care - 543,345
- British Heart Foundation - 285,665
- NSPCC - 278,838
