eBay’s ‘Give at Checkout’ scheme, which gives buyers the option to add a small charitable donation when making purchases, has raised £2.54m since it was launched in November 2008.

The website has revealed that up to May 2010 the functionality, which allows users to add a donation of £1, £2 or £5 to their order, has benefited 533 charities, 57 of which have received more than £10,000 each.

The biggest beneficiary has been the DEC’s Haiti appeal, which received over £300,000 this year, while in June the website raised a total of more than £10,000 for three small charities that entered a Small Charities Week competition.

“Give at Checkout creates a frictionless online equivalent of a collecting tin on shop counters across the country,” said Nick Aldridge, CEO of eBay’s partner charity MissionFish.

“We’ve been surprised and delighted by the enthusiasm of eBay users for supporting a good cause as they shop online. eBay users have continued to give generously during the recession, and we are seeing 20-40 per cent growth in funds raised year-on-year.”

eBay is now looking to adapt the functionality to its mobile app, and is confident that it will not fall foul of Apple’s stringent rules on donations as the app includes sufficient other content.

However, it has denied reports that it is lobbying Apple to include such a donation facility on its own stores or set a precedent that would make it easier for charities to have their own donation apps accepted.