Mobile savvy Aussies kick the donation bucket Aussies may be throwing less money in charity buckets but we're giving more online. Picture: Ross Schultz Source: News Limited IT'S official - the humble donation bucket and doorknock appeal is dying a slow and miserable death. But the good news is Aussies seem to be more generous than ever and are using their phones to give to charity with donations via mobile devices up by 293 per cent in the past year alone. In fact we're so generous we gave more than $6 million to charities in the past 12 months, accounting for just over half of overall PayPal donations to charities. And we're feeling at our most giving between 6pm and 8pm when most people are using multiple devices. According to PayPal figures, one in four transactions occur on mobiles, with Australians also giving smaller amounts but more often. The number of donations given to charities via a mobile has almost quadrupled compared to the previous year with 75 per cent of money going directly to local charities. On a global scale, the total value of mobile donations using PayPal jumped 242 percent compared to the same time in December 2011. PayPal spokesperson Adrian Christie said the ease and convenience of mobile devices meant charities had become an unexpected beneficiary of Australia's changing spending patterns. UNICEF is just one of the charities cashing in on the mobile donation boom. Jonathan Dawson, Direct Marketing Manager-Acquisition, UNICEF Australia said donations from mobile devices had quadrupled in value over the past three years and now form 10 per cent of digital donations. Mr Dawson said Australians had always been generous but mobile phones meant it was easier for people to give, but stopped short of saying mobile donations meant the death of the charity bucket. "I think there's still space for the bucket, but the more ways and the quicker they are the better," he said. Mobiles can be used whenever it's the right time for the supporter, they don't have to sit in front of a computer screen. Also with a mobile versus a bucket it gives the charity a huge opportunity in following up with the supporter to show them how their money has been put to good use to change the life of children. With a bucket you might just give and forget. Other charities such as The Leukemia Foundation and MND and Me Foundation are also cashing in on the boom. Both charities are among PayPal's top five Australian merchants to receive the largest amount of donations via mobile.