The Charities Aid Foundation has launched a social media campaign to get people to share their motivations behind their charitable giving.

The campaign hopes to get more people talking about their views on charity and why they support charitable causes. Charities Aid Foundation (CAF) has launched #whywegive alongside figures released today which find that nearly two thirds of CAF’s most generous donors believe the wealthy need to be more open about their giving.

CAF surveyed 722 of its most generous donors last year, those that are in the top 10 per cent of CAF account holders. The findings have been released in a report out today, entitled Why We Give.

It found that just 26 per cent of respondents believe the government already does enough to encourage giving to charities.

The research, which looked at donor attitudes and motivations, also showed that nearly half of those asked believe that society is too cynical about those who give, yet donors feel that the wealthy should give away at least 10 per cent of their wealth in their lifetime.

CAF’s report also suggested there are concerns over knowledge of charitable tax incentives. Of those questioned, 77 per cent said there needs to be a better understanding of tax incentives in the UK in order to boost giving.

A further 76 per cent of donors called for more generous tax breaks to be introduced.

In looking into why people donate to charity, the report revealed that three quarters of the donors who took part attribute belief in a specific cause as the reasoning. While a further 71 per cent donated to a cause because of their faith. 

Over 80 per cent of those asked believe more hard evidence of the impact of charities’ work would help people give more.

John Low, chief executive of the Charities Aid Foundation, said: “The UK has one of the best environments in the world for giving to charity – but our research shows that more needs to be done to get the word out there about the amazing work charities do and the incentives available to donors.

“In this country, we need to be more open about giving in the public eye, with high profile advocates ready to stand up and talk about the essential support they give to charities, and inspire others to do the same.”

Personal values, morals, ethics and experiences are among the most important motivations behind giving.