Revealed: Thinking of others is the secret to keeping your New Year’s Resolution

The solution to the age-old problem of sticking to your promise is to make it about charity fundraising

With the usual January vows to lose weight, drink less, and exercise often abandoned, research from BT reveals the nation’s attitudes to New Year’s resolutions.

While self-improvement-focused resolutions such as saving more money and starting a new hobby proved popular among respondents, more than a quarter (28 per cent) said that they would be more likely to adhere to New Year’s resolutions if they involved a charitable cause. This was particularly prevalent among the younger demographic, with 38 per cent of 18-24 year olds declaring themselves more motivated to keep a resolution which is linked to charity.

One in six people who plan to make a new year’s resolution also stated that they will do something for others through charitable activities in 2017, either through fundraising, giving money or volunteering.

Increasingly busy lifestyles were shown to have an impact on the nation’s outlook towards charitable giving, finding that, while 71 per cent of Brits report having given to charity in the past year, only 14 per cent actively fundraised. Indeed, this trend was borne out by 37 per cent of respondents reporting a preference for giving money to charity, rather than dedicating time to volunteering, although 24 per cent of people like to give both.

The impact of social media was also highlighted in the survey as an important factor in charitable activity – nearly one in ten (9 per cent) of 18–24 year olds admitted that the kudos of being able to share their fundraising activity on social media sites such as Twitter and Instagram was a key factor in their wanting to fundraise.

With 54 per cent of Brits agreeing that their chosen charity receiving an additional incentive would encourage them to raise more money, BT will be hosting a prize draw to boost the nation’s fundraising –MyDonate’s Donation Doubler. Any fundraisers who create a page on the platform and raise over £100* between 5 January and 20 February 2017 will be entered in to a prize draw to double the donations received on their fundraising page, up to a value of £1,000.

Suzy Christopher, Charity and Community Director, BT, said: “With nearly three quarters of us having donated to charity over the past year, it’s clear that we’re a generous nation. As 54 per cent of us will make exercising more our priority in 2017, tying this into a charitable New Year challenge could be the perfect way to combine fitness and fundraising – from embarking on a sponsored bike ride to scaling a mountain summit. I’m running the London Marathon in April and fundraising for charity has certainly motivated me to keep training!”

With 42 per cent of resolution-makers vowing to save more money, BT MyDonate offers the ideal solution. It’s is one of the few platforms available to UK charities that doesn’t take commission or charge charities a registration fee or monthly fee subscription. That means charities can receive an additional £3.60 per £50 donation** with gift aid when using MyDonate

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* Excluding Gift Aid and offline donations

**Based on the 5% commission charged by a leading competitor on the combined value of your donation, and Gift Aid (where applicable).

Research conducted by YouGov Plc after speaking to 2,038 respondents in December 2016. The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all GB adults (aged 18+).

About BT MyDonate

MyDonate is a not-for-profit, online fundraising service for UK charities, launched in 2011. BT MyDonate does not charge any commission fee, subscription fee or registration fee. The only charge made against your donation is the credit/debit card charge from the bank. (1.3% of donation on credit cards and 15p for each debit card transaction).

The service provides a secure, easy-to-use way for millions of people to raise money for the charity of their choice. Charities receive the money that has been donated weekly.

BT invests at least one per cent of its corporate pre-tax profits in the community and environment every year. At the end of March 2016, BT’s investment in society amounted to £35m over the previous 12 months - a combination of direct funding and in-kind support. This equates to 1.10% of our pre-tax profits.

• Over 10,900 charities are now live on MyDonate
• MyDonate currently has 13,400+ live fundraising pages
• Since MyDonate launched in 2011 over £113m has been processed in donations and gift aid

Key features of BT MyDonate

• Commission free
• No set up fee
• No monthly subscription fees
• MyDonate automatically reclaims gift aid free of charge
• Charities are paid weekly ensuring they receive funds as quickly as possible
• Fundraisers can support up to six charities per fundraising page
• Fundraising pages are social media shareable
• Facebook login option
• Mobile optimised fundraiser and donor journeys
• Fundraisers can track their donations on the MyDonate app
• Fundraisers can upload a banner image and extra gallery pictures to their fundraising page
• Donors can set up a single or regular donation