Almost 1 in 3 are considering donating to a charity for Christmas instead of giving a gift
Charity regulator issues advice to donors on how to donate safely during festive period
The Commission is issuing advice to help the public give safely to charity during the festive period, as findings reveal that almost a third of the public say they are considering donating to a charity for Christmas instead of giving a present.
The Commission welcomes the findings and is encouraging the public to follow some simple steps to ensure that their donations reach their intended causes.
Findings from research, carried out by YouGov, found that 28% of those surveyed are considering donating to charity for Christmas this year instead of giving presents and that:
- over half of those are driven to do this by a desire to support specific causes
- 28% per cent want to do this to give back to society generally (highest amongst 45-54 year olds (34%)
- 10% said this as they are conscious of the environmental impact of gifts and want to reduce waste; the highest number of these respondents are London-based (18%)
- 3% said donating is easier than buying a gift
Further analysis of the findings shows that women are more likely to consider swapping Christmas presents for charity donations than men*, though men are twice as likely to do this because it is easier than shopping for Christmas gifts. Households with 3 or more children were also more likely to consider donating to charity for Christmas than giving a present than any other group**.
At this time of increased giving, the Commission wants to ensure donations do not end up in the wrong hands. The Commission is urging people to follow its top tips for giving safely (see below).
Helen Stephenson CBE, Chief Executive of the Charity Commission for England and Wales said:
We already knew that the British public are generous, and so I am thrilled that almost 1 in 3 of us are considering giving to charity instead of giving presents this Christmas. I want to make sure this benefits legitimate charities, so it’s really important that people give with their heads as well as their hearts by carrying out some simple checks.
Swapping presents for donations is a purposeful step for many and we want to help people who will be thinking carefully about who to give to. There’s a charity for every cause - our online register allows the public to access key information about registered charities, including how they spend their money, what they do, and who their trustees are. I encourage everyone to use this tool to inform their choice.
The Commission’s top tips for giving safely are:
- make sure the charity is genuine before giving any financial information. You can do this by checking the charity’s name and registration number (most charities with an annual income of £5,000 or more must be registered)
- check whether street collectors are wearing a proper ID badge and that any collection tin is sealed and undamaged
- never feel under pressure by a fundraiser into making a donation immediately. Ask the collector for more information if in doubt
- carefully review collection bags for clothing and household goods to check whether they are from a genuine charity
- check whether fundraising materials are genuine. They should feature the charity’s name, registered number and a landline contact number (check their contact details on the register
After making these checks, if you think that a collection or appeal is not legitimate, report it to the police. You can also complain about a charity to us and the Fundraising Regulator.
Read the full results of the survey
Ends
Notes to Editors
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*1 in 3 women said they would consider doing this versus almost 1 in 4 men.
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**38% of households with 3 or more children said that they were likely to consider donating to charity for Christmas than giving a present
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The Charity Commission is the independent regulator of charities in England Wales
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All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov Plc. Total sample size was 2077 adults. Fieldwork was undertaken between 16th - 17th December 2019. The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all GB adults (aged 18+).
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