Pre-crisis cash donations down £367m

Fundraising | 7 Jan 2009

Cash donations to charity fell in a year by £367m even before the credit crunch really hit, according to the latest UK Giving Survey, and cash donations remain the most popular way to give.

The UK Giving 2008 Survey of UK charitable giving habits by the Charities Aid Foundation (CAF) and NCVO, reveals that although almost half (47 per cent) of donors prefer to donate cash, donations via this method fell from £1.7bn in 2006/07 to £1.3bn in 2007/08.

But the survey of 3,322 adults, carried out before the banking crisis, showed that total giving, by all methods, had risen by 8 per cent to an estimated £10.6bn in total, and regular methods of giving including direct debit, payroll giving or membership fees continued to rise slowly.

The statistics show the amount given by direct debit went up from £2.4bn to £2.5bn while the amount given by payroll giving increased from £88m to £96m.

The mean average monthly amount given by donors increased from £29 in 2006/07 to £32.83 in 2007/08. In a typical month 28 million people in the UK donated - 56 per cent of the population.

John Low, chief executive of CAF (pictured), said: "While the rise in committed giving is more welcome than ever, should the serious decline in cash donations continue at this rate or even accelerate due to deteriorating economic conditions, charities will need to react quickly and decisively if they are to secure their income."

Directory: Charities Aid Foundation | National Council of Voluntary Organisations (NCVO)

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