Mintel view of the charitable giving landscape

According to a recent Mintel Report, Charitable Giving, awareness is crucial in connecting with existing and potential donors, and charitable selfie campaigns have proved to be effective at gathering large-scale support for marginal causes during 2014. However, it remains important for charities to continue building greater trust amongst donors, such as through greater transparency about how donations are spent and measuring their impact, which would ultimately have the most effect on charities’ overall fortunes.

Donating via collection boxes in stores and, indirectly, by shopping at charity shops are the most common ways Britons contribute to charitable causes, with over a third (34%) of adults donating each way in the 12 months to July 2014. These are closely followed by street collections, with over a quarter (27%) of adults donating money to charity in response to street fundraising.

However, Mintel data shows that these more conventional ways of donating generate some of the lowest average contributions: adults donating in the street and at charity shops gave on average £43, whilst average collection box donations amounted to just £36 in the three months to July 2014.

There is a definite age bias amongst people donating to charity, with adults aged 55+ more than twice as likely to donate money to charities, compared with young adults (16-24). However, young people are considerably more likely to donate via their mobile phones: 14% of 16-24-year-olds made a charitable contribution this way in the 12 months to July 2014, compared with 8% on average.

2014 has been the turning point for the fundraising power of social networks and charitable organisations seeking to utilise them to appeal to younger donors, who have traditionally less actively engaged with charitable causes. Several major charitable campaigns, such as #nomakeupselfie and #IceBucketChallenge, have been conducted via social media and have been hailed a game changer in the charitable giving landscape.

At the same time, even though older adults are the most reliable charity contributors, charitable organisations should not be complacent and could benefit from asking whether they are doing enough to fully engage their core supporters who also make the largest contributions. This includes looking beyond direct mail to engage with older demographics, as their online and mobile presence increases.

For more information on Charitable Giving you can contact Mintel directly on info@mintel.com or call 0207 606 6000.

Find out more by attending our CIM London event on 19 March on Not-for-profit fundraising and the #nomakeupselfie. Delegates will receive an infographic take-away from Mintel as well as qualifying for a discount on the Mintel Charitable Giving report.

Join in on twitter @CIMInfo_London using #charitymarketing