The best days for charity donations during the Christmas period have been revealed in latest research.

This found that in terms of volume of donations the first Friday in December last year was the best day for charities last year. Almost one in 20 of all donations in the run up to Christmas were made on Friday December 1 last year.

The following Tuesday (December 5) and Thursday (December 7), as well as the Friday (December 22) before Christmas Day were also strong days in terms of volume of donations, the research by fundraising platform Enthuse found.

Meanwhile, Thursday December 21 was the best day for fundraisers in terms of the day with the highest value of donations, suggesting people become more generous with their gifts as they get closer to Christmas Day itself.

Across Christmas campaigning last year Friday emerged as the most popular day for donations. On average 3.8% of Christmas donations were made on this day.

2024’s best festive fundraising day

This indicates that 2024’s best day for attracting the highest volume donations could be next Friday (December 6).

“Targeting the latter part of the week for donation appeals and campaigns is likely the best route forward for charities,” advises Enthuse.

However, it urges charities against weekend fundraising activity.

“Weekends are typically quieter for giving all-year round and December is no exception. Saturday and Sunday both averaged 2.7%, despite December 23rd and Christmas Eve falling across the weekend.”

It adds that Mondays are another weaker day for donations, based on last year’s experience.

The best time of day for garnering donations was between 10am and 1pm. This was the case in 2023 and the previous year. The research also found that 11am is best time during this period for donations.

Another strong day last year was Thursday November 30, the final day of the month.

This suggests that today (November 29) could see more people give to good causes as it is the final weekday of the month ahead of the festive period.

“When it comes to the festive giving season, charities can start their Christmas appeals in late November confident that plenty of people will donate to their cause early on,” said Enthuse founder Chester Mojay-Sinclare.

“December 1st was the most popular giving day last year and 30th November came in at number two, fashioning a place for itself as ‘Christmas Giving Eve’. Focusing efforts close to the typical November and December paydays could prove fruitful for charities.”

He added: “Charities should also be aware that the larger donation amounts may come closer to Christmas itself after presents have been bought and people are in the festive spirit.

“As ever, timing is crucial for Christmas campaigns and targeting the right days of the week and hours of the day could help charities maximise their festive season.”

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