Ireland, the United States and Australia have scooped the top three places in crowdfunding platform GoFundMe’s annual report, which includes a list of the Most Generous Countries.
Compiled by looking at the number of donations per capita, Canada, the UK, Switzerland and Luxembourg come fourth, fifth and sixth, while Netherlands, Denmark and Norway round off the top ten.
The document, called A Year in Giving, reveals the fundraisers that donors respond to and the frequency of donations. In total more than 6.75 billion pounds has been raised via 120 million donations since GoFundMe launched in 2010.
The report shows a donation is made every second, with 40 per cent of all donations less than £40. In 2019 there has been more than a 65 per cent increase in fundraisers mentioning climate change and more than a 20 per cent increase in fundraisers mentioning reproductive rights. A fundraiser is started every eight seconds and nearly 20 per cent of fundraisers in 2019 received donations from more than one country.
The most generous cities in Great Britain are Edinburgh, Cambridge and Bath, with community competitions and events the fastest growing fundraising categories in the UK, excluding emergencies. Friday is the most popular day to donate in Britain, with one in seven Brits having donated on the crowd-funding platform.
GoFundMe CEO Rob Solomon said: “We all want to be reminded of the good in humanity and inspired by uplifting news – not just during the festive season, but every day.
“Helping people and causes is what brings us to work every day and we are grateful that we get to empower others to make a lasting difference.
“As we enter a new decade, GoFundMe is committed to spreading compassion and empathy through our platform. We know we can’t do it alone, so we are excited to work with our community who share this vision of positive change. This festive season, we hope that you are motivated by the power of kindness and inspired to lend a hand to those in need. Together, we can bring more good into the world and unlock the power of global giving.”