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Adriana Lowe
Senior Private Client Manager
Donating regularly to charitable causes can play a vital role in sustaining charities and the communities they serve. While they are often set up with the best intentions, these commitments can be easily overlooked over time.
Taking a moment to review and refresh your regular giving can help ensure it continues to deliver meaningful impact, both for the causes you care about and for charities navigating an increasingly challenging environment.
Regular donations make many of us think of signing up to give £10 a month in a hurry at the train station, thanks to the persuasive charm of a street fundraiser, but these types of donations are no small fry.
As CAF’s UK Giving Report 2026 reveals, standing orders and direct debits are worth £2.89 billion to the UK charity sector and are vital for charities as they allow them to plan more effectively. They are popular with donors as well, as they are a great way to make and honour a commitment, without regularly having to remember to donate. According to our research, in any given month, 46% of donors give via direct debit or standing order.
I have seen this way of giving used effectively by donors who commit to covering a portion (or all) of a charity’s core costs, as consistency is particularly vital when the donation is going towards costs like rent and salaries, especially at smaller organisations which tend to have lower reserves.
However, there can be a downside to these so-called ‘set and forget’ types of donations. With recent high inflation, everyone, including charities, has been feeling the pinch and those standing orders donors set up even just a few years ago may be worth much less in real terms than they were originally.
CAF’s resilience research found that while demand has increased for charity services, there is less money to go around, and over 60% of charities report that they are having to do more with less. Those charities which rely at least in part on regular donations from their supporters are often facing the dual challenge of rising costs while their income stagnates.
In my work with CAF’s Charitable Trust clients, I encourage regular reviews of any recurring commitments. While automated payments are incredibly convenient, they are also easy to neglect, and I have seen ones that have been unchanged for years or even, in some cases, decades. These will be worth much less to the charity than when they were set up. It is also easy to accidentally set up more than one payment to the same charity or let one lapse you wanted to keep going.
At a time when charitable gift values are under pressure - average monthly donations fell to £65 in 2025, down from £72 in 2024 - and affordability is cited as the most significant barrier to giving, it’s crucial that those who can afford to give, are actively engaging with their regular donations to ensure the greatest impact.
"Donors who commit to a regular, unrestricted donation – whether that’s via direct debit, subscriptions or payroll giving – are investing in charities’ resilience. The benefit of regular giving is that it enables charities to plan, unlocking income for core costs and provides an opportunity to build deeper relationships with donors who may then go on to support other aspects of the charity’s work."
Ashling Cashmore, Head of Impact and Advisory, Charities Aid Foundation
I have a few basic guidelines for donors to make sure that they are still being strategic, considered givers, without having to give up the convenience of the standing order.
Regular donations are one of the most powerful ways to support charities, especially when they are reviewed and kept up to date. Taking a moment to check your standing orders can make a real difference, helping charities to plan, adapt and remain resilient.
We offer simple, flexible, tax-efficient giving solutions, such as our Charity Account or Charitable Trust, enabling you to give regularly and support your chosen causes in a strategic and impactful way.
If you are a CAF Charitable Trust client and would like to book a review of your account activity with a member of our expert team, please get in touch.
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This year’s UK Giving Report brings together the latest research and insights on how people across the UK are giving today. While it highlights some real challenges, it also reveals the trends shaping public generosity.
Our research found that around two-thirds of all charitable giving is unplanned, prompted by conversations, appeals, or being moved by personal experience rather than by a pre-existing commitment. So, why not be the one to start that conversation?
Rather than spreading funding widely, many donors are focusing their philanthropy on particular places and communities they care about, supporting solutions that reflect local needs, strengths, and lived experience.