Checkout Charity Fatigue Is Rising

“Would You Like to Round Up?”

Fatigue toward checkout charities is on rise. In recent years, consumers in the checkout line have gotten used to a familiar refrain: “Would you like to round up for a good cause?”

Customers have donated far less this year than in years past. While it can feel good to know your money is going to a good cause, the growing frequency of these requests is leaving some customers burnt out.

Swipe Fatigue

Between tipping and charity donations, customers are longing for the days when they were only asked to pay the number of a price tag.

Accordingly, the number of consumers who donated to a charity during checkout dropped from 80% in 2021 to 59% in 2023.

But despite this steep decline of charitable rounding, these campaigns remain very successful, and can raise millions of dollars in mere weeks. Despite the charity fatigue, U.S. companies still raised more than $749 million via checkout counter contributions in 2022.

Attention to detail

Besides the fatigue, some customers also find themselves trapped in automated donations, accidentally or unknowingly selected at the checkout counter. Companies, meanwhile, can leverage donations as tax benefits but only if they go straight from the register pin pad to a good cause.

This may not change your charity fatigue, but it’s nice to know that when you do choose to round up it really is for a good cause.

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