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Increased environmental awareness does not lead to increased donations 1

Fundraising | Celina Ribeiro | 9 Jan 2009

Nearly all consumers are prepared to make lifestyle changes to reduce their impact on the environment, but fewer than one in ten have actually donated to an environmental cause, according to new research.

A survey of more than 2,200 people in the UK, conducted by CCB fast.MAP, found that 92 per cent were prepared to invest time in changing their lifestyle to reduce their carbon footprint. Yet although nearly half said they would consider making a donation  to an environmental organisation, just 9 per cent of respondents had.

Young people and northerners were  the most supportive  of environmental charities, with  24 per cent of those who have donated  to such charities falling within the 18 to 34 age range and 29 per cent  of northerners surveyed having made a donation to a green cause.

Women were also twice as likely as men to have donated to an environmental organisation.

Ninety per cent of all respondents believed that preventing climate change is the responsibility of every individual in society.

Pressure to reduce impact on  the environment has spread to  non-environmental charities too, according to a recent report by the Charity Commission entitled ‘Going Green: charities and environmental responsibility'.

The report found that charities which had implemented green initiatives had largely done so as  a result of action from individuals within the organisation.

The Commission has moved  to encourage charities to develop more eco-friendly methods of working after discovering that less than half either have, or are working on, a defined environmental strategy - many blaming a lack of time and resources.

Dame Suzi Leather, chair of the Commission, said: "As environmental sustainability moves up the agenda for all sectors, it's important that charities explore the opportunities open to them. This report tells us that ‘greening' your organisation needn't be complex and can actually save money."

Given rising concerns regarding the environmental impact of fundraising methods such as direct mail, it may not be long before consumers begin thinking about the carbon footprint of the fundraising they react to.

Almost two-thirds of people already do not buy items they perceive to use excessive packaging and it may only be a small leap of thinking for donors to apply the same attitudes to fundraising techniques.

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Who's Who: Celina Ribeiro