Giving and Philanthropy: What's the evidence?

Our Policy, Research and Foresight team have undertaken a wide range of research on giving trends in the UK over the past decade. Here is a selection of the latest data and findings and links to further research.

UK Giving 2011

Findings from UK Giving 2011, the most in-depth and long-running study of charitable giving habits commissioned by the Charities Aid Foundation (CAF) and NCVO, shows that over the last year (2010/11) the UK public gave £11 billion to charity.

An additional 1.1 million people donated money to charity; however, the average amount given per month fell from £12 in 2009/10 to £11. 

Despite more of the public deciding to support charities, in real terms the total value of donations remained the same as the previous year. Donations are now worth £900 million less in real terms than the amount given in 2007/08, the year before the UK entered recession.

Other key findings include:

• Nearly six in ten (58%) UK adults aged 16 years or over gave to charity. The percentage of people giving has increased from 56% in 2009/10. 
• Women aged 45-64 years are the most likely to give and give the most (typical median amount £20 per month). Those aged 16-24 years remain the least likely to give.
• Cash is still by far the most common method of donation, used by almost half of all donors (47%).
• The proportion of donors using direct debit continues to rise, increasing from 26% in 2004/05 to 32% in 2010/11. Direct debit also accounted for the largest share of total donations in 2010/11.
• The number of donors using Gift Aid has increased from 32% to 42% since the survey began seven years ago.
• The most popular cause to support is medical research which over 11 million people give to on a monthly basis. 

Download the full report UK Giving 2011 (PDF, 921KB)

Download the summary report (PDF, 382KB)

Understanding voluntary sector income

Giving and philanthropy only make up part of voluntary sector organisation's income. According to NCVO 's Civil Society Almanac, the main trends affecting this voluntary income are that:

• Voluntary income is often described as 'free' income, as it is not tied to a particular outcome. Increasingly, however, donors seem more inclined to give if there is a specific project.
• Organisations that appeal to the philanthropic motives of individuals are heavily dependent on the trust that has been developed.
• Public confidence in all types of public institutions continues to decline, which is likely to affect levels on giving.
• There is increasing competition, not only among voluntary organisations but with other types of activity, for the disposable income of individuals.

Global giving trends

The international survey conducted by the Charities Aid Foundation (CAF) in 2006 indicates that giving in the 12 countries surveyed represented on average 0.5% of GDP. According to the World Index Report, 30% of the world’s population had given money to charity in the month prior. The United States contributed the most (1.67% of GDP), followed by the UK (0.73%).

Infographic from Participation: Trends, Facts and Figures (2011)

More information

• Participation: trends, facts and figures (March 2011) (PDF 2.4MB)
• Giving: A fundraising activity or act of citizenship (NCVO 2011 Annual Conference). Full notes of the Annual Conference Giving Session (PDF, 34Kb)
• Briefing paper: Why do different surveys of giving report different findings? (2009)
• Briefing paper: What impact does inflation have on charitable giving? (2009)
• Briefing paper: The impact of the recession on charitable giving in the UK (2009)
• UK Giving reports - key findings and downloadable reports of past editions (2010, 2010 Slideshare, 2009, 2008, 2007, 2005/06, 2004/05)