Every fifth person donates digitally

Cashless payment is the latest trend. According to the Swiss National Bank (SNB)Click here to go to the SNB survey on payment methods, payment by card or by payment app has increased, particularly since the coronavirus crisis. This development is also reflected in donations. During the pandemic, donors became more digital: according to the latest ZEWO donation reportClick here to view the ZEWO donation report (content in German), 18 percent of the Swiss population donated digitally in 2020. Among those under 35, the figure was as high as one in three.

Cashless payment methods have become an integral part of our lives: Swiss aid organizations are also feeling the effects. In 2020, they received more than twice as many donations via their own website than they did before coronavirus. According to the ZEWO study “Digital donations”Click here to access the ZEWO study on “Digital donations" (content in German) from 2021, the donations they received via payment apps such as TWINTClick here to learn all about the functions of UBS TWINT have even quadrupled. And the importance of digital donations is set to experience a further significant increase over the next five years.

Digital donations – as opposed to regular donations or memberships of charitable organizations – are mainly made as individual donations in specific situations (76%), in the event of acute disasters (35%), or when explicitly requested, for example by email or SMS (33%). Women and men donate digitally with comparable frequency, with 31 percent of women using credit cards and 32 percent using TWINT.

Eighty-five percent of the respondents interviewed for the ZEWO donation report say that donating generally gives them a “good feeling,” and 84 percent appreciate being able to “make a difference” with their contribution. If you too would like to donate, here is a little tip for you: digital and all other donations can be deducted from taxes. Donors receive a donation receipt from recognized non-profit and tax-exempt organizations for all types of donation. This is required from taxpayers in certain cantons as proof of circumstances that entitle them to reduce their taxes. In most Swiss cantons, the tax deduction through donations is regulated in such a way that donations are limited to 20 percent of net income and must amount to at least CHF 100. Information can be obtained from the cantonal tax offices.