Only 18 per cent of British people will donate online during the holiday season due to complicated processes and deficiencies of charity websites, according to new research.

Some 23.5 per cent of British donors said that the main barrier to donating online was that it was a “complicated process”, while 20.7 per cent cited “slow websites” and 14.7 per cent cited “incompatible websites”.

“Passwording problems” were considered a barrier to donating online by 9.2 per cent of British respondents and 9.4 per cent of donors said that their favoured charity website did not allow for online giving.

Of the 1,400 people questioned in both North America and the UK, a third of people (470) said they were more likely to donate to charity during the holidays. While 966 people said that they were no more likely to donate during a holiday than at any other time.

British people are likely to donate an average of £19, while their more generous North American friends said they would donate an average of £90.

Sheila Bouman, executive vice president and managing director of Peer 1 Hosting, who carried out the survey, said that a seamless online experience is the key to attracting online donors: “In today’s modern world, people are increasingly carrying out their lives online; whether it’s connecting with family and friends via social media, managing their finances with internet banking, or buying and selling goods.
 
“People now expect to be able to carry out tasks seamlessly online, and this is no different in the charity sector. However, it is clear that even though the motivation is there, people are struggling to donate to their chosen charities, which means these organisations are missing out on vital donations, which ultimately impacts those in need over the holiday season.”
 
The survey was commissioned online to canvas the opinions of 700 UK and 700 North American consumers last month.