Giving Tuesday “has stagnated in the UK” raising around the same amount each year for the last three years “without really breaking through with consumers”, warns a report on fundraising in the run up to Christmas.
Instead, fundraisers in UK are urged to consider focusing on more lucrative days for festive giving, rather than this annual event.
The fundraiser originated in the US in 2012 to take place the Tuesday after their Thanksgiving holiday in November. The UK became an official partner of the movement two years later.
But for the last three years it has raised approximately the same amount in the UK, £20m, and has failed to increase its reach among consumers, according to this year’s Christmas Giving Insights report from fundraising organisation Enthuse.
This stagnation has come amid increasing popularity in giving on the day in the US. The research found that in the US the day is “going from strength to strength”, raising $3.1bn in 2022, a 15% increase on the previous year.
This is “largely due to its connection” in the US with Thanksgiving as well as consumer spending events Cyber Monday and Black Friday “something the UK hasn’t been able to lean on in the same way”, said Enthuse.
In addition, Giving Tuesday’s share of pre-Christmas giving among Brits has reduced in recent years.
“Although Giving Tuesday has been in the UK for some time now, it has a long way to go to reach the awareness and significance that the day has earned in the USA,” says Enthuse’s report.
“The last few years have seen Giving Tuesday reach roughly the same amount of donations, so it may even have peaked without ever really establishing itself in the same way as the US.
“The data would suggest that, for now at least, it’s not worth UK charities homing in on, particularly if advertising rates are higher on that day.
“While there may be plenty of noise, getting cut through might be a challenge. Instead, charities could look to open up their campaigns with a bang on December 1st, which has a track record of performing well and should be considered the curtain raiser for Christmas giving.”
❄️Christmas... in July? 🤔
— Enthuse (@enthuseco) July 11, 2023
That's right, our Christmas Giving Insights report is here, ready to help you plan your festive campaigns!
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Research into Giving Tuesday in December last year, by global online organisation Benevity, found that UK consumers gave less than the previous year.
Based on evidence from more than 3,000 using its platform on the day last year the average donation was £345, down on the previous year’s average of £387.
The global partner for Giving Tuesday in the UK is the Chartered Institute of Fundraising (CIoF).
It found that more than a third (35%) of 2,000 people polled said such a recognised day “would make them more likely to donate”. This support is particularly strong among young people aged 18 to 34, its survey found.
Commenting on Enthuse’s research CIoF policy and communications director Daniel Fluskey said: “Planning the end of year fundraising campaigns is really important for charities with it being such a key time for engaging with supporters.
“Giving Tuesday works well for some organisations who have seen some great results with their campaigns and have made it part of their annual planning.
“A big part of Giving Tuesday is the non-financial aspect - charities also use it as a day of raising awareness, saying thank you, or launching volunteering initiatives.
“And it’s important to remember that companies – including NatWest and Whistles – also use it as a day to raise money or show their support for good causes.”
Better days to target
In the UK Giving Tuesday landed on November 29th, which accumulated 3.5% of the festive season’s share of donations. While this is above the average daily donations in the run up to Christmas, of 3.2%, it is below 2020’s Giving Tuesday share of 4.2%, as well as 2021’s share of 3.9%.
Also, its 3.5% share is the average for the week it took place last year. “This makes it harder to make a case for Giving Tuesday as the start of the Christmas giving season,” says the research.
In contrast the research argues that instead December 1st “stands clear as the best day” to launch Christmas fundraising, as its share of giving was 4.3% last year – the joint fourth highest fundraising day of the month.
“This points to charities getting a better return by focusing on allocating their budget for Christmas campaign launches from December 1st rather than from Giving Tuesday,” says Enthuse’s report.
“Giving Tuesday is yet to cement itself as a key pillar of the Christmas fundraising period in the UK, which is underlined by the fact that it was only the third best performing Tuesday of the giving season in 2022.”
Another strong day for fundraisers to focus on next year is December 21, which was the best performing day for pre-Christmas giving. On this day 4.9% of pre-Christmas donations were made. This is the first time this day has been the strongest performer, with Christmas Eve being the peak day between 2019 and 2021
Enthuse says it is “surprising to see Christmas Eve not in the number one spot, with only 4% of donations in 2022” adding that a factor could be that it fell on a Saturday in 2022 and “weekends perform less well generally”.
It warns that “this year, Christmas Eve falls on a Sunday, which would again likely make it less popular for giving. It's possible that with the 21st falling on a Thursday this year it could again be the most popular donations day”.
Wednesdays and Fridays have also emerged as strong days for giving, according to Enthuse.
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