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Flexible payment dates key to charitable Direct Debit sign-up

Published on Wednesday, September 22, 2010

The latest statistics from Bacs show that the number of Direct Debits which are being returned unpaid to UK charities is falling.

The figure is down 7% compared to the same period last year.

Bacs' head of marketing, Mike Hutchinson, welcomed the news but remained grounded, commenting: "When presenting potential payment options, charities need to consider that not everyone is paid at the same time. Salaries and wages can be paid weekly, fortnightly, monthly, or even on an ad hoc basis so, what for one person is the perfect date to donate, may not be suitable for another."

"Our experience shows that offering customers the option of various payment dates can cut down on unpaid Direct Debits and encourage sign-up."

As the industry body responsible for regulating UK payments, Bacs commits a huge amount of research into monitoring annual payment trends, and has previously highlighted inflexible payment dates as a key barrier standing in the way of Direct Debit sign-up.

The figures also show an increase of more than 340,000 donations on the previous period last year, a statistic which clearly shows the charity sector is moving from strength to strength and defying the downturn.