Released today, the report shows a drop in charity Direct Debit cancellations rates last year but that charities also recruited far fewer new supporters – almost a third less than in 2017. However data for the first quarter of 2019 indicates a more positive year ahead with a strong rise in the acquisition of regular givers. Online regular giving continued to grow with a 55% increase in online Direct Debit sign ups last year.
Rapidata has been providing the charity sector with information on regular giving trends as well as Direct Debit benchmarking data through its sought after Tracking Report for 15 years. It’s a free resource and allows charities to compare performance on their individual giving programmes, to improve results and help plan for the future.
As well as providing data on cancellation rates and supporter acquisition rates, this year’s report examines the trends in online Direct Debit sign-ups and introduces a benchmark for no show payments – the percentage of new donors who do not progress to making their first gift payment by Direct Debit. This follows Rapidata’s 2017 introduction of the Charity Cancellation Average Benchmark (CAB) – a recommended charity ‘industry standard’ for monthly Direct Debit cancellation rates, which for 2019 remains fixed at 3%.
Also covered in the 2019 report:
- Direct Debit cancellation rates: the impact of fundraising regulatory reforms
- Regular giving acquisition rate: what can affect charities’ acquisition programmes
- Cancellation Average Benchmark (CAB): giving a guide for charities
- ‘No show’ payments: what can cause that first payment to fail and recommendations
- Online Direct Debits: testing and optimising regular giving webpages