How can we grow giving in the UK?

However, it’s clear that the amounts being raised are coming from a shrinking part of the population.  This isn’t a one-off drop linked to the pandemic: it’s a trend that’s developed over time, and if it continues, will lead to long-term consequences for the causes and people that our organisations and sector exist for.  

So what’s causing this decline in people giving? What needs to change so that more people give to charity? And who can make it happen and how? 

Those are the questions we really need to get to grips with to see a step-change in giving in the UK. And we are asking them now as part of a new project that we are working on with one clear objective: to grow giving in the UK by inspiring more people to donate.  

Our members will be in a better place than anyone else to know what’s going on and what needs to be put in place to re-engage with the public at scale. As fundraisers you are the people closest to donors and the public, with first-hand insight and evidence of how people are responding to fundraising and why giving behaviours may be changing. You’ll also know how levels of fundraising activity and investment have grown or decreased, and how fundraising strategies have changed over recent years. 

That is why we are asking all of you to be involved by contributing to this project to grow giving.  

UK Giving research from Charities Aid Foundation (CAF) shows a clear year on year decline in the number of people making a charitable donation since 2019. For every month of 2021, donation levels were lower than their 2019 counterpart. This is echoed by the UK government’s Community Life Survey which found that in 2021/2022, approximately 30 million people in England donated to charity, compared with 33 million pre-pandemic.  

CAF also found that in 2021, 32% of people were not asked to give to charity at all, an 11 percentage point increase from 2016. We believe that the decline in numbers of people giving is a direct consequence of the decrease in asking. The link between asking and giving is clear – research has shown time and time again that people give when they are approached or asked to do so, rather than a spontaneous decision.  

We are confident that people’s desire to give and their care for causes is still strong. Recent years have seen historic highs in giving as people came together to combat climate change, support the NHS, send aid to Ukraine and in response to national disasters, and fight for racial justice.  

In each of these moments, fundraising brought more to the table than income - it became a force for social good. Through fundraising we are also raising awareness of big societal problems, letting them know about what’s happening in their communities, connecting people with others, providing health benefits and information, and reaching more beneficiaries. And on top of this, when people give a donation to charity, it improves their wellbeing as they take positive actions as a result.  

Giving plays a crucial part in building civil society as well as meeting a fundamental human need. Inspiring more people to give will have benefits way beyond the cause and directly contribute to health and wellbeing of people all across the UK. 

We believe that a cause of the decline in asking is likely to be because fundraising has not been sufficiently supported and invested in by charities over that time. From speaking to our members, it’s clear that many fundraisers are struggling to get the support and budget within their organisations that they need to fully achieve the potential that they see is there. Disinvestment in fundraising budgets, alongside an often-cited lack of understanding and appreciation within charities means they are under-resourced and under-valued. 

We’ve seen countless times that when fundraisers do have the right resources, they can do truly ground-breaking things. In this project we want to explore the link between investment in fundraising and the decline in giving, and what levers can be pulled to encourage the support needed to turn this around.

This is a big challenge and can’t be solved overnight. We want to start by hearing from our members by asking you some key questions to understand why you think fewer people are giving to charity, and how to grow giving.  

We’ll create as many opportunities as possible for you share your views with us. You can: 

• Share your thoughts and views through our 5 minute survey. 

• Come along to one of our roundtables to discuss with your peers on 18th April at 1pm. Register Here.  

• Or you can share your thoughts directly with me, either via email or over the phone. Just email policy@ciof.org.uk. 

The kinds of questions we’d love to hear from you on are: 

1. What do you think are the reasons behind the year-on-year decline in the number of people giving to charity? 
2. Why do you think fewer members of the public report being asked to give? 
3. What do you think charities/fundraisers should be doing (either individually or together) to get more people giving? 
4. What should others be doing to play their part to encourage more people to give? (Government, media, schools, tech companies, businesses etc.) 
5. What is working in fundraising right now to attract new donors? 
6. Do you have any other thoughts or data/evidence that could help us understand how to grow giving?