“...around last Christmas, Christmas 2020, far fewer people were giving that would normally give, that's really when giving tends to be most widespread, and also the donation amounts tend to be larger, but that was notably subdued...." - Catherine Mahoney
In this episode we speak with Catherine Mahoney about the recent UK Giving Report from the Charities Aid Foundation (CAF).
1. Giving is up but givers are down
It’s a little disconcerting to hear that there are so many fewer donors here in the UK compared to previous years, we're not sure if this is also being seen in other countries too.
However, total giving seems to have gone up, showing that those who are giving seem to be giving more. What we don’t know is why. If we look at the growing wealth gap in our society, and the job losses that have come from the pandemic, the vast furlough scheme which has given many people less over much of the last two years, this might give us some idea.
2. Would could charities do to overcome giving fatigue?
So while the pot may not be getting smaller, the loss of so many donors suggests that competition for support may be on the increase. It would be useful to understand more from charities about whether their funds have gone down or whether their supporter numbers have gone down and they are just seeing larger average gifts. We also don’t know how the emergency appeals of the pandemic will continue to perform, some believe that giving fatigue is setting in, or will do in the short-term.
What does this mean for charities. Well one thing is that we need to continue to find ways of establishing long-lasting and thereby cost-effective relationships with supporters. Providing an authentic personal interaction, along with a reciprocal donor-centred approach to fundraising to help bring supporters into our cause and to live the passion that we, and our colleagues hold for it. With less resource, funding, time and energy this serves to be big challenge for many of us. And so, we must seek out within ourselves and from those around us the support we need to remain resilient, innovative and passionate.
3. The UK Giving Report from CAF
The UK Giving Report from CAF - https://www.cafonline.org/docs/default-source/about-us-research/uk_giving_report_2021.pdf
This episode of Charity Chat has been brought to you by our platinum sponsor, fundraising platform Work for Good and the festive Small Business Star match funding campaign. This year there is a £50,000 match funding pot available. Head to www.workforgood.co.uk to sign-up for free!
We hope you enjoy this week’s episode.
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