Average donations to charities in the run-up to Christmas Day last year were 37% larger than in the first fortnight of the month, research has found.
Fundraising platform Enthuse found that 20 December had the highest average donation value of the month last year, about 35% above the monthly average.
However, Enthuse found that the top-performing days in terms of donation volume fell on 1, 2, 3, 11 and 12 December, all in the first half of the month.
Its report says: “While the first two weeks of December are strongest for donation volume, the days closer to Christmas tend to attract higher-value gifts.”
The first week of December was the best for donation volume last year, Enthuse stated, followed by week two, three and five.
Despite week four being the weakest for donation volume, the average donation value was 13% higher than the rest of December.
“Charities may want to note that while donation volume is strongest early in the month, the average donation value tends to be higher closer to Christmas,” the report reads.
Weekday campaign activity advised
The report states that Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays shared the top spot for most donations after Mondays and Fridays.
“When it comes to scheduling festive campaign activity, any weekday has the potential to be successful for charities,” it reads.
“What’s clear is that weekends are less effective [for volume of donations].”
It says Sundays and Saturdays drew fewer donations due to “people’s attention [being] elsewhere”.
Eddie Allenby, general manager at Enthuse, advised charities to have their festival appeals ready for December.
“For the third and fourth weeks of the month, that’s where campaign messaging has to be tailored for donation value,” Allenby said.
Charities that can adapt to these donor profiles will put themselves in the best position to maximise fundraising, he added.
