DID YOU KNOW:

The average Briton gives away £10 a month to good causes, but many more devote thousands of pounds a year to doing good.

To find out the key motivations for their charitable giving, we asked more than 700 donors for insight into why they donate. Here are some of the key findings:

1 PERSONAL VALUES. A SENSE OF MORALITY AND ETHICS

96% of people gave to charity as they felt a sense of duty to give back to society and tackle inequality, using their own good fortune to help others.

2 BELIEF IN A SPECIFIC CAUSE

Almost every donor interviewed identified with a specific cause they felt passionate towards - and for 75% of people this was the key influence behind their giving.

The causes that donors supported were varied, with some concerns broader than others - such as international development or the arts - compared to others that were more specifically focused, for example restoring old buildings.

Use our charity search to find a cause close to your heart.

Young girl with a horse

3 FAITH AND RELIGION

Selfless giving is often a key component of many spiritual and religious belief systems and an overwhelming 71% of donors pointed to their religious values as a key motivation for their commitment to charity.

4 PERSONAL EXPERIENCES

61% of people interviewed spoke of personal, life-changing experiences that sparked their giving. These varied from having directly experienced the hardships of the developing world, to suffering a loss of a family member who battled a disease.

The reasons for giving are diverse and most people have more than one influence motivating them to give. Some of the other driving factors for giving included:

  • a belief that charities cannot do enough alone
  • family
  • the satisfaction they get from giving
  • determination to leave a positive legacy