NatWest Group to donate £350,000 to charities for #GivingTuesday

Giving Tuesday is an international social media campaign organised by Charities Aid Foundation (CAF) in the UK. It happens on the Tuesday after Black Friday and Cyber Monday; this year it falls on Tuesday 1 December. The campaign encourages people to give their voice, time or money to charity. NatWest Group was the first UK bank to support Giving Tuesday in the UK.

Last year #GivingTuesday was the top trending hash tag on UK Twitter on the day, with the hashtag reaching people more than 487 million times. In the UK, £14.2 million was raised in online donations on the day itself, £10,000 per minute (via Visa alone). This represented a 48% increase in donations on Giving Tuesday compared to an average Tuesday in 2019.

The Covid-19 pandemic has significantly impacted charities, with a projected £10 billion of losses. Therefore, Giving Tuesday presents us with the opportunity to raise much needed funds for charities.

To celebrate Giving Tuesday this year NatWest Group will be donating £350,000 to charities which its employees and customers support. Since our involvement in Giving Tuesday began in 2014, we have committed to give £1,875,000 to encourage our employees and customers to get involved in supporting this global day of giving,

How employees will support

NatWest Group employees will be encouraged to sign up to their Payroll Giving scheme and donate to charity. If a UK employee signs up for Payroll Giving or increases their current donation by 31 December 2020, the bank will give them a charity donation of £125 which they can then donate to charities of their choice. The UK payroll giving scheme is run through HMRC and provides a simple, tax efficient way for employees to make regular and one-off donations to charity direct from their salary.

How customers can support

NatWest and Royal Bank of Scotland Reward current account customers can also support the campaign by exchanging their MyReward points for a charity donation. There are currently eleven charities to choose from. NatWest Group is making £100,000 available to match customer donations; the bank will match donations up to £50 per customer.

Gráinne Mathews, Giving Tuesday UK Campaign Lead, said: “Charities have given us so much this year, from vital food deliveries during lockdown, to developing new ways to deliver services so they could continue to help those in need; all while struggling themselves with cancelled fundraising events and closed charity shops.

“This #GivingTuesday charities need us to be there for them, like they’ve been there for us. It is time to #GiveBack2020. It’s easy, just think of what you have - money, a voice, family, friends, followers, or time - and how that might help.”

Michael Duncan, Head of Giving Strategy & Programmes at NatWest Group, said: “NatWest Group is delighted to be part of Giving Tuesday for the seventh year. 2020 has been a difficult year for many people due to the Covid-19 pandemic, and sadly the charity sector has also been significantly impacted. Therefore, Giving Tuesday couldn’t be more important.

“We will mark Giving Tuesday by helping our employees and customers to join in by raising as much money as we can for charity, as well as encouraging our employees to use their three days volunteering leave.”