Aussies give more than ever to charity

There are millions of charities worldwide, each competing to provide funding for a massive range of causes. Cash raised by charities improves and even saves lives, which is why charity causes are established every day to fight some of the worst diseases, threats and disasters that develop continuously.

There are 600,000 registered charities in Australia, according to the Australian Charity and Not-for-profit Commission, so there is heavy competition for organisations to find the funding that allows them to make a difference.

However, with charities and non-profit organisations (NPOs) embracing direct debit as a payment method, they are finding funding easier to come by.

In its latest biannual Charitable Giving Index, National Australia Bank (NAB) found that charitable donations in Australia have reached an all-time high. The average annual donation size increased by $11 to reach $315 per donor during the 12 months to August 2014.

However, NAB said the growth is slowing. Earlier in 2014, donations reached a record-high growth rate of 9 per cent; while still positive, the recent 6.4 per cent increase in the November report is almost a third less than at the start of the year.

In fact, when NAB discussed the giving in relative terms, people spend more money on gambling, cakes and biscuits than they do on donating to good causes, showing there are still improvements to be made.

Direct debit for charities

Direct debit and BPAY now make up 10 per cent of all charity donation, NAB explained, with credit card and EFTPOS the methods through which the remaining 90 per cent are made.

While one-off payments form the large majority of donations, direct debit should not be understated; in fact, it is proving essential as a means to establish a recurring revenue.

For instance, if a donor makes an annual payment of $100 dollars through their credit card or EFTPOS payment routes, they can put that money to good use and hope the donor gives again in the future.

If a charity offers a subscription payment method and signs the same person up with a $10 per month direct debit donation, the charity or NPO can find themselves earning 20 per cent more funding over the course of a year. In one decade, the charity can increase that one revenue stream by 200 per cent.

Branded web page

While direct debit is great for the future, some donors will still want to give their money via online donations. If your charity wants to establish an online donation method, it pays to know the most fruitful options.

A charity or NPO will want to represent themselves in a professional manner, and linking your online activity to an online portal (the type you see individual fundraisers use) will not do much to encourage more donations.

Instead, a branded web page can be used to explain your causes, what you do to confront them and, in the process, reassure your donors that their money will be used in the most effective way possible.

Branded web pages represent 58 per cent of all online giving, whereas web portals only amassed 8 per cent, according to Networkforgood.org. With a more professional look, your charity can take the next step to increasing funding and, as a result, its capacity to help others.

Help yourself to help others

The chances are, if you run a charity or non-profit organisation (NPO), the subject will be very close to your heart and you’ll want to see your efforts going as far as possible.

With funding rising at a steady rate, it is a good sign that your organisation will be on the right path to helping, or even solving, the issues you support. However, there will still be work to do in the meantime.

Maximise your donations and provide more for your beneficiaries by integrating a simple, quick and cost-efficient direct debit solution.