What you need to know
The rapid rise of digital payments in the UK has been accompanied by a relatively sharp decline in cash-based transactions. For the third sector, where cash has traditionally been a key source of income, this is a major threat. Many charities have already made progress in terms of adopting digital payment options, including experimenting with contactless donations for street collections, but there needs to be much more progress if the sector is to maintain and even grow donation levels in the future.
There is also scope to boost donations by nurturing the charity shops sector. The so-called “Marie Kondo effect” helped to drive donations to charity shops in the first part of 2019. Charities can now capitalise on this heightened engagement with the sector by exploring partnerships with mainstream retailers, both online and in-store.
