Charitable giving drops by £1.3bn – British public urged to keep on giving to their favourite charities

UK Giving report 200923 September 2009

Donations made to the UK’s 170,000 charities (1) have dropped by 11 percent (£1.3bn in real-terms) to £9.9bn according to UK Giving 2009, the most comprehensive research into UK charitable giving habits, published today by the Charities Aid Foundation (CAF) and the National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO).

The survey of 3,316 UK adults, carried out in June and October 2008 and February 2009 shows that the median amount donated per month was £10 per person in 2008/09, a decrease of £1 on the previous year.

Whilst the economic downturn has affected the total amount given there has only been a two per cent fall in the number of adults in the UK who donate to a charity each month, to 54 percent. This equates to 774,000 fewer people giving.

Medical research (20 percent), hospitals and hospices (15 percent) and children and young people (14 percent) are the most popular causes.

Cash remains the most common method of giving with nearly half of donors (48%) giving cash and around a third of donors (31 percent) giving via direct debit. Every year it is estimated that around £750m of Gift Aid goes unclaimed (2) on donations. UK Giving found that only four in ten donors Gift Aided their donations.

% giving to charity by cause

(Click on image to view)

% of charity causes graph

Commenting on the research, CAF Chief Executive John Low said, “Even though there are welcome signs the recession is technically ending, the economic downturn is still severely impacting charities, many of whom have had to cut jobs while facing increased demand for their services.

“It’s a reminder of what a generous nation we are that people are continuing to support their favourite causes, helping others when they themselves are feeling less wealthy. If all taxpayers tick the Gift Aid box, or give through Give As You Earn it would go a long way to make up the shortfall in funding without costing them a penny more.”

Stuart Etherington, CEO, NCVO said: “Inevitably the recession is having an effect on charities, and on the levels of giving. But it would be wrong to predict the collapse of the sector because of the current climate. It is reassuring to know that the public are continuing to support the vital work that voluntary and community organisations do in local communities across the country. We would like to thank people for their on-going generosity.”

Download the report

Download UK Giving 2009 >>

Media Contacts:

CAF

James Ketchell
T: 0207 832 3014
E: jketchell@cafonline.org  

NCVO

Grant Imlach
T: 0207 520 2468
E: Grant.Imlach@ncvo-vol.org.uk  

Footnotes:

(1) Based on figures from NCVO Almanac.

(2) See our press release for more information. Gift Aid allows charities to reclaim 25p in the pound on donations from UK taxpayers. In addition to this the Government has agreed to additional transitional relief of 3.2p for every pound donated until 2011.

Notes to Editors

1. UK Giving 2009 The annual UK Giving survey is carried out through a module of questions which are run as part of the Office of National Statistics Opinions (Omnibus) survey. The survey of 3,316 UK adults aged 16 and over was conducted between June and October 2008 and in February 2009. UK Giving has been published for the last five years.

2. The National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO) is the umbrella body for the voluntary sector in England, with sister councils in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. NCVO has over 7,300 members, ranging from large national bodies to community groups, volunteer centres, and development agencies working at a local level. With over 280,000 staff and over 13 million volunteers working for our members, we represent and support almost half the voluntary sector workforce.

3. The Charities Aid Foundation (CAF) is a charity set up to help other charities by working with donors, companies and charities to encourage and facilitate a culture of giving. They do this by offering products and services that make giving easier, tax efficient and help charities to make the most of donations through their banking and fundraising support services.