Online giving increases with a charitable end to 2013
eBay Inc. has seen year-on-year growth in online charitable fundraising
Contrary to some recent reports which suggest charitable donations are declining, eBay Inc. in the UK, including eBay and PayPal, has seen online giving grow by 8 per cent in November of 2013 alone. During that period, eBay Inc. customers raised more than £14 million compared to £13 million in November 2012.
At the end of the 2013 eBay Inc. saw a 29% percent rise in support for charities online , including donations given via PayPal or through sales of items for charity and donations on eBay, as it rose from £111 million in 2012 to £143 million last year.
The most supported charities throughout November across both eBay.co.uk and PayPal were BBC Children in Need, Movember and The Royal British Legion. Support for these charities amounted to more than £14 million in that month alone.
PayPal has made it incredibly easy for anyone to donate in just a few simple clicks, with 66%** of BBC Children in Need’s PayPal donations made through a mobile device during the charity’s busiest time for giving during the evening television event.
Cameron McLean, Managing Director, PayPal UK, ‘At PayPal, we are committed to empowering worthy causes to receive more through harnessing online and mobile technology. Online and mobile giving is on the rise, in demand and has the power to significantly increase fundraising, it is great to see and hear just how much charities are benefiting from this via PayPal.’
The eBay for Charity programme provides additional opportunities for buyers and sellers to support their favourite charities. Buyers can shop for items from charity shops online knowing they are supporting a good cause or give to charities by donating at check out when they shop. Sellers, whether they are individuals or businesses, can donate a percentage from any sale to a charity of their choice and add Gift Aid to their donations.
Spending amongst eBay’s charity givers has continued to show resilience, as eBay’s dedicated onsite charity shops are seeing a further rise in their sales. eBay in the UK has 1,454 charities trading on site with all payments going directly to the registered charity. Throughout 2013 sales made through onsite charity shops saw growth of 49%, surging from £8.5 million in 2012 to £12.7 million at the end of the year.
Tanya Lawler, Vice President for eBay in the UK, ‘It is impressive to see that the eBay community has donated such a tremendous sum to charity over the past year. Charity shops, like other types of retailers, now need to reach customers on multiple devices, and it is particularly pleasing that eBay Inc. technology is helping charities achieve new highs in terms of online giving.’
Through a diverse portfolio of businesses and tools that enable anytime, anywhere transactions, eBay Inc. aims to connect people with easy ways to support the causes they care about, enable non-profits to raise unrestricted funds and interact with donors in new ways, and offer innovative solutions for retail partners and celebrities to extend their positive impact.
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NOTES TO EDITORS:
eBay Inc. (NASDAQ: EBAY) is a global commerce and payments leader, providing a robust platform where merchants of all sizes can compete and win. Founded in 1995 in San Jose, Calif., eBay Inc. connects millions of buyers and sellers and enabled $212 billion of commerce volume in 2013. We do so through eBay, one of the world's largest online marketplaces, which allows users to buy and sell in nearly every country on earth; through PayPal, which enables individuals and businesses to securely, easily and quickly send and receive digital payments; and through eBay Enterprise, which enables omnichannel commerce, multichannel retailing and digital marketing for global enterprises in the U.S. and internationally. We also reach millions through specialized marketplaces such as StubHub, the world's largest ticket marketplace, and eBay classifieds sites, which together have a presence in more than 1,000 cities around the world. For more information about the company and its global portfolio of online brands, visit www.ebayinc.com.