Giving by UK Christian donors to charities is down over the last year, a report has found.

The report by fundraising platform Stewardship found that Christians’ average monthly giving was £116 a month, down on the previous year’s average of £124, but still £44 more than the average donation given by UK citizens of £72.

Giving to Christian causes by those of the same faith is down from £98 a month on average last year, compared to £91 this year. Average monthly giving to secular causes is also down, from £26 to £25 this year.

The report looked at giving trends among a range of groups of Christians, including more than 3,200 who attend church less than once a month, almost 900 who attend at least monthly but read the bible less often, just under 500 who attend church and read the bible at last once a month and almost 1,400 ‘committed Christians who attend church and read the Bible at least once a week.

‘Giving gap’

Among this group of ‘committed Christians’ giving is up from £314 a month last year to £326. They are more likely to take part in tithing, which involves giving around 10% of their monthly income to good causes,

But the report by the Christian fundraising platform says that given wage increases among committed Christians their giving as a percentage of their earnings is down by 0.8%.

Stewardship also points out that if all Christian’s adopted the approach of tithing their monthly average would be £245, £129 more than it is currently.

It warns that the ‘giving gap’ between Christian’s potential to give and their actual giving has increased by £17 over the last year.

Also, the average proportion of income given by Christians is down, from 5.3% last year to £4.7%.

“Our hope is that the findings in this year’s report can help to unlock the giving potential indicated by these numbers,” said Stewardship.

A factor in the decline in average monthly giving by Christians is that fewer are donating.

This year 54% said they gave to Christian charities, compared to 59% last year. Also 46% gave to secular good causes, compared to 48% the previous year. This mirrors a national trend in reduced giving among all people in the UK, Stewardship points out.

Trust issues

It also found that trust levels among Christians in good causes has reduced, for both Christian and secular charities.

Stewardship’s report is calling on charities to ensure they “earn and maintain trust to sustain and grow generosity”.

“In a time when trust is fragile and donors are asking harder questions, organisations must be intentional about how they present themselves,” Stewardship advises.

“This begins with auditing your trust signals; taking a close look at how you communicate transparency, accountability and reliability. Are these qualities visible not just in your annual reports, but on your website, your emails, your social media and in your donor conversations? Every touchpoint is an opportunity to either build confidence or erode it.

It adds: “Sharing impact with honesty means telling real stories, backed by clear data, that show how gifts are stewarded. It means resisting the urge to over-promise.

“Donors need clarity, sincerity and a sense that their generosity is making a difference. When organisations lead with integrity and gratitude, they invite deeper relationships and more enduring generosity.

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