The value and number of direct debit donations to charity slightly rose over 2009, according to the latest figures.

The volume of direct debit donations increased by 2.7 per cent in the ten months between January 2009 and November, while the value of the donations rose similarly marginally – increasing from an average monthly gift of £7.46 to £7.60.

Michael Chambers, managing director of Bacs Payment Schemes which compiled the figures based on results of 15 charities, said the results show that direct debit is becoming “a critical tool for the sector”.

“For the cross section of charities we reviewed we have seen that charitable donations by direct debit have risen from approximately 2.2  million transactions in January 2007 to around 2.8 million in November 2009,” he said.