Unsure...? Consider some research...

Internet Usage

• 76% of British people use computers, up 17% from 2002
• Women have accounted for much of Britain's increase in computer users. In 2002 just over half (55%) of British women utilised computer technology, now three quarters say they do, only two percentage points fewer than men.
• Internet penetration now stands at 71% in the UK, an increase of 24% in 3 years.
• While the internet user population in 2002 was dominated by younger people, since then the growth rate for adults over 50 has outpaced that for young adults both in the United States and throughout Western Europe. In Great Britain, 67% of 50-64 year olds now use the internet - a dramatic increase from only 30% in 2002.
• By the end of September 2005, Ofcom's data showed that 57% of the country's 15.5 million internet connections were over broadband, and latest figures show that by December 2005 there were almost 9.8 million broadband connections across the UK.

Mobile Phones

• At the end of September 2005, Ofcom's research showed that there were 62.5 million mobile subscriptions - a figure that is higher than the total UK population. Further consumer research by Ofcom showed that around 80% of UK adults (some 40 million) use mobile services, suggesting that a significant number of people now have two or more mobile subscriptions.

Fundraising Issues

Two issues dominate the list of public concerns about charities:

1. the way that money is spent and
2. specific fundraising activities.

This former set of concerns appears to focus around whether enough of a donation goes to 'the charity' or 'the cause' or is spent on salaries or administration. Put simply the public has a high level of concern about whether charities spend money well. A Unique Selling Point of the Charity Mobiles proposition is that the full £25 is donated to charity with nothing deducted to cover our administration costs.

As regards the second, direct mail was considered the most off-putting / irritating issue about charities (61%), followed by a telephone call at home (43%). A website link, for example to the CharityMobiles.co.uk site, gives the public the choice to click if they wish to with no obligation or pressure to do so.

Corporate Links

So what does the public really think of charity / company tie-ups?

In 2002, the Charity Awareness Monitor found that 31% of those surveyed could definitely recall an occasion where a company had offered to donate to a charitable cause if their product was purchased (59% had no such recall, and 10% couldn't remember).

The other message that comes out of this research is that the public as a whole are not hankering for charities to have guidelines for who they accept donations from - indeed significantly more people wanted charities to accept donations from anyone (55%), than wanted guidelines (36%).

Donor Loyalty

Why do donors defect? - Many reasons!

• No longer able to afford support
• No memory of ever supporting
• Relocation
• Not reminded to give again
• Not informed of how their donation was used
• Charity communications were inappropriate
• Inappropriate sums were requested

Charity Mobiles can help you with some of these issues with our specially constructed systems. At the end of a mobile phone application form, we ask one easy question:

Would you like to know how the donation you have facilitated will be spent? Yes / No

Consumers who reply in the affirmative then have the opportunity to confirm that we may pass their details to you, and thus you can keep in touch by electronic means, regardless of whether they ever move house!

Advantages

1. No cost to the charity
2. No cost to the consumer
3. Improves fundraising costs as a percentage of total income
4. Can increase supporter database
5. Any registered UK charity can benefit regardless of size, location or cause
6. Mobile phones are an ideal product with high levels of regular repeat purchases and are used by all age groups
7. Charity Mobiles is an ideal partner - every single handset sold via this website generates a donation to charity, and all orders are processed by Mobiles.co.uk, winner of the Mobile Phone Industry's "Best Small Retailer 2006"
8. Charity Mobiles is part of the Carphone Warehouse, a FTSE 100 company.
9. All Charities Commission guidelines are adhered to.
10. No complications regarding appropriate level of donation from supporters
11. Increased exposure for the charity

Disadvantages

We can't think of any but we understand you may have further questions, so please do contact us directly using the details below: