As 2023 draws to a close, we’re looking back at some of JustGiving’s biggest moments that mattered.
The impact our community made is jaw-dropping. People gave more than money. They also gave their time, energy, creativity, heart, and soul to the charities and causes they love.
This led to countless heart-warming stories, inspiring efforts, record-breaking achievements, and unbelievable moments – and half a billion pounds raised – in 2023.
Read on for our top stats, stories, and incredible highlights of the year.
| This post highlights only a few of our community’s amazing achievements in 2023. Check out the full collection on our Moments That Mattered page! |
Half a billion raised for UK charities in 2023
Every time someone hit that ‘Give Now’ button, it made a huge difference.
UK charities raised £550 million – that’s half a billion – pounds in 2023 through Campaign Pages, fundraising events, individual donations, and more.
This led to another massive milestone this year: surpassing £6 billion raised for good causes on JustGiving. Simply spectacular!
That’s not all.
More people fundraised on JustGiving this year than ever before.
Charity supporters launched 9% more JustGiving fundraising pages in 2023, sharing their unique stories and raising money through their own networks.
To put that in perspective, about 2,600 JustGiving fundraising pages were created every single day!
And fundraisers went above and beyond for charity. They performed mountaintop harp concerts, hiked the entire length of New Zealand, and everything in between.
Charities launched 19,000 campaigns on JustGiving
In 2023, charities launched 19,000 JustGiving Campaign Pages to raise money and grow their communities through fundraising campaigns, appeals, and events.
This included pages created for annual events like Alcohol Change UK’s Dry January®, those created to for major community events like Great North Run, and many more.
Record-setting fitness fundraising
Whether it was in major community events like London Landmarks Half Marathon, or a solo cycle from coast-to-coast, 2023 was full of movement that mattered.
JustGivers tracked and uploaded 65 million total miles from their Strava and Fitbit apps connected to their fundraising pages. That’s the equivalent of running around the entire earth 2,600 times!
And while running was the most popular activity people took on in 2023, next was walking, cycling, and swimming, then hiking and climbing.
Whether people climbed, wheeled, ran, swam, or danced their way to their fundraising target, every move made an impact for the charities they love.
Plus, the collective strides taken by JustGiving fundraisers in London Marathon 2023 resulted in over £39 million raised for charities!
Sky-high DIY fundraising
There’s true power in encouraging people to get creative with their fundraising. And fundraisers who set their own challenges achieved some monumental milestones in 2023!
40% more skydives happened on JustGiving this year, amounting to almost £5.5 million raised for charities.
People raised £1.5 million by live-streaming their activities on Twitch, TikTok, and YouTube.
Internet icons KSI and iShowSpeed even jumped in the ring for a self-initiated charity boxing match, donating all proceeds and YouTube ad revenue to charity.
And 3,600 people shaved their heads, losing their locks for causes they love. On top of that, 13% more hair-riffic pages were created this year specifically by fundraisers sporting (or preparing to lose) their mullets!
The most inspiring night of the year
One of the biggest moments that mattered was the 2023 GoCardless JustGiving Awards.
We celebrated 13-year-old Gabriel, who went viral with his carpentry skills after crafting the Hope Bowl, which raised over £278,000 for Save the Children.
Another award went to Strictly Come Dancing legend and comedian Bill Bailey, who took on a 100-mile walk to honour his close friend Sean and raised £140,000+ for Macmillan Cancer Support.
And those are only two of the stories we celebrated at the Roundhouse in September. Talk about a room full of tears, laughs, and endless inspiration!
With over 15,000 nominations, 20,000 votes, and 24 finalists, and nine awesome winners, the 2023 GoCardless JustGiving Awards made 2023 a year like no other.
Click here to see the winners and highlights
Compassion from across the country
Giving knows no borders. While Norwich topped the list of the UK’s top 10 most generous areas in 2023, next in line was Bristol, Reading, Cambridge, and Manchester.
Our JustGiving President & General Manager Pascale Harvie said,
“The sheer generosity of people across the country never ceases to amaze me, particularly at a time when so many people are struggling financially themselves.”
In addition, the JustGiving community raised more than £564,000 in 2023 to help others ease their burden during the cost-of-living crisis. This included raising money for rent, food delivery, and more.
But wait…there’s even more!
Those are some seriously impressive numbers, but we’re not done yet. Here are even more major moments of 2023:
6+ new features and optimisations released for charities
We launched new features for Campaign Pages including cover videos and livestreams, easy sharing, and more.
2 new integrations launched for charities using JustGiving
Charities can now accept contactless donations with LibertyPay and integrate seamless Facebook fundraising challenges with GivePanel.
10+ new features and optimisations launched for JustGiving fundraisers
We announced exciting new features to help JustGiving fundraisers boost their charitable impact, including new In Memory page creation journeys, streamlined pages, and more.
1 incredible AI-powered fundraising page Story Enhancer
One of these new features is Story Enhancer: a fundraiser’s storytelling sidekick! Powered by AI, this new tool helps fundraisers raise more money by improving their story and helping them launch their page with confidence.
New resources for charities
We added even more charity fundraising strategies, tips, interviews, and announcements on our blog, plus launched our cost-of-living crisis Resource Hub for charities and a brand new support area specifically for vulnerable customers.
Thank you
These are just a few of 2023’s moments that mattered. See the full list on our Moments That Mattered page.
Whether you’re a charity, fundraiser, crowdfunder, donor, or a mix of those, your efforts built a year that will be remembered forever. Thank you for being the driving force behind the moments that mattered in 2023.
FEELING INSPIRED?
Kick off your 2024 fundraising by empowering supporters to raise money for you in events, campaigns, or appeals. Create a Campaign Page or learn more.
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