More than one third of the donating public believe they would be just as likely to give to charity without being asked by a fundraiser, according to new research.

A YouGov poll, commissioned by the Institute of Fundraising, found that two thirds of donors admitted that a fundraising ask had prompted them to donate, but a significant minority (34 per cent) believe they gave unprompted.

The impact of asking on the amount given was less emphatic. Just under half - 46 per cent - of individuals who had given to charity in the previous three months felt they would have given less, or not at all, if they were not asked by a fundraiser.  Fifty-four per cent believe they would have donated the same amount regardless of asking, but 38 per cent believed they wouldn't have given at all if not asked.

Men were less inclined to discount the impact of fundraising, with 45 per cent of male respondents saying they would not have donated at all had they not been asked to.

But while many people believe their donations are not impacted by asks, most appear to welcome the concept of charities employing fundraising staff.

Peter Lewis, chief executive of the Institute of Fundraising, said: “Indeed, nearly three-quarters of people surveyed thought that it was a positive thing for charities to employ staff to undertake fundraising.”

“It is gratifying to see that the public recognise the vital importance of employing properly-trained staff to foster relationships with donors and raise funds.”

In a wide-ranging survey which brought up many findings that repeated much received wisdom and well-trodden previous studies’ results, the YouGov poll also found that women are more likely to donate to charity than men and that those in the relatively rich London region are more prone to donate larger amounts of money than those in less affluent regions. 

YouGov polled just under 2,000 British adults in the last week of January for the survey.