Record digital gifts to DEC Syria Crisis Appeal
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More than half the money so far given directly to the Disasters Emergency Committee by the public for the Syria Crisis Appeal has come via digital sources, the charity said today. This is the first DEC appeal to pass this milestone.
The DEC also announced today that the Appeal total has now passed £10.3m. This figure includes funds raised by member agencies as part of the appeal, money from trusts and estimated gift aid so the percentage figures below cannot be applied to this total.
Of the money given directly to the DEC by the public 55% was donated digitally, including 12% donated via phones or tablets:
> 37% was given via credit or debit card using the My Donate platform provided by BT on a pro bono basis, with card providers waiving all transaction charges.
> 12% was given via PayPal either using a new mobile donations platform produced by Home Made Digital with funding support from PayPal, or via the main DEC website.
> 4% was given via SMS using a system provided by Open Market for which all network providers waive charges.
> 2% was given via other online platforms including Just Giving and Virgin Money Giving.
PayPal also supported the DEC Syria Crisis by emailing 8.5m service users encouraging them to donate to the appeal.
Funds given to the appeal will help some of the more than five million people affected by the crisis by enabling the DEC’s member agencies to provide food, water, emergency shelter, medical care and other aid to people across Syria and to refugees have fled to surrounding countries.
Disasters Emergency Committee Interim Head of Fundraising Helen Calder said:
“The support received so far for the appeal has been fantastic and we are particularly pleased with the very impressive level of giving via our various digital platforms. The new partnership with PayPal has made it easier than ever for many people to give online and particularly via mobile devices.
“The varied ways donors can now choose to support the appeal has really helped us to reach a wider audience and bolster our fundraising figures. This will allow our members to reach many more people affected by the crisis in Syria.”
More traditional methods of giving remain extremely important with 28% of donations coming via post using a free service provided on a pro bono basis by Royal Mail and 16% coming from telephone donations using the automated platform provided by Spoke, with all transaction charges waived by card providers.
The appeal has also seen a decisive shift towards more web traffic on www.dec.org.uk being from mobile devices, jumping from 7.6% for the 2011 East Africa Crisis Appeal to 27.8% for the Syria Crisis Appeal. More of the mobile traffic is now from tablets than phones with Apple devices being over-whelming predominant.
Fundraising for the DEC Syria Crisis Appeal will continue until 20 September 2013 and the number of people needing help are sadly continuing to grow.
To make a donation to the DEC Syria Crisis Appeal visit http://www.dec.org.uk, call the 24 hour hotline on 0370 60 60 900, donate over the counter at any high street bank or post office, or send a cheque. You can also donate £5 by texting the word SUPPORT to 70000.
Stay up to date with developments in Syria, the emergency response and the fundraising efforts with the DEC on twitter or on Facebook.
For regular updates on the DEC Syria Crisis Appeal visit the appeal page.
