Almost 90 per cent of donors prefer to donate directly via their website instead of through third-party fundraising websites, new research has revealed.

According to the recent report, The Future of Online Giving, commissioned by Charity Checkout, 89 per cent of donors said they would be more likely to give again when donating directly through a charity’s website, while just 19 per cent said they would be likely to give again after using third-party fundraising platforms.

The results also found just under half (47%) of donors don’t remember the charity they donated to when they last sponsored a friend online. Of those who were willing to receive follow-up communications after making an online donation, 76 per cent said they were happy to be contacted by the charity itself, while just 10 per cent said they preferred to hear from a third-party fundraising platform.

Charity Checkout founder Chester Mojay Sinclare said the results from the survey “clearly indicate” issues it has been aware for some time, including that donors “greatly value” the direct relationship with the charity itself over an intermediary platform.

“Issues like the ease of giving, trust and transparency have for some time been considered key barriers to giving. Providing a seamless donor journey through a dedicated website can not only attract more donations but actually increase the level of giving - nearly half of donors said they would give more generously via a charity’s own website.”

Other findings in the report indicate that there are other areas of concern around donor loyalty, charity brand, identity and consent which has direct implications on the level of giving that a donor makes to their charity of choice.

Honeypot Children’s Charity fundraising and marketing director, Peter Suchet added: “Currently, the status quo is to encourage charities to use third-party fundraising websites who insist on putting their consent statement before the charity.

“This results in charities missing out on obtaining permission to contact their donors in the future, as donors are often unwilling to provide their consent to both parties. The data shows that the vast majority of donors only want to receive communications from the charity, yet the third-party fundraising platforms are attempting to put themselves first in the relationship.”

He added that overall, the report provides “very actionable and useful insights” including evidence that people are more likely to give generously when they engage with a charity directly, and are more willing to be contacted by a charity when the subject matter coincides with their existing interests.

“Charities cannot afford to ignore or underplay this shift towards online activities. They need to understand and act upon the opportunities these present – from how people prefer to be contacted to the information donors want to receive about the impact of their gifts,” he said.

The report was carried out by independent research company Maru/Usurv and surveyed 1000 members of the public in Q1 2018.

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