Majority of cost-of-living hit donors already reigning in their giving, research reveals

More than three quarters of charity donors who are struggling with the cost-of-living crisis are already reigning in their giving, research has found.

Around one in five of those struggling to cope with rising inflation say they have stopped making donations altogether, while six in ten say they are being more selective about the charities they give to or are giving smaller amounts.

The findings have emerged in a survey of 2,000 Brits carried out by Enthuse for its summer 2022 Donor Pulse report.

Rising inflation is also a factor in a fall in the proportion of people likely to give to charity over the next three months, the report suggests.

Among all those surveyed 73% said they would give to good causes, compared to 75% when asked earlier this year.

Three out of five people surveyed said they feel worse off than they did six months ago.

“The pressure on people’s disposable income is continuing to grow and this is going to carry on having an impact on the amount they are able to donate, more than their desire to donate,” states Enthuse’s report.

It urges charities to focus on “what they can control” as they seek to encourage people to give.

This includes “showing people where the funds go and driving traffic to their own websites for donations where, on average, giving is higher”.

Enthuse chief executive Chester Mojay-Sinclare said that the latest figures also show how the public’s focus has shifted from the Covid pandemic to the cost-of-living crisis.

“The shift in people’s worries from the pandemic to personal finances has been incredibly rapid - three months ago less than half the public had the cost of living as a primary concern, now it’s 76%,” he said.

“For charities this is a dual issue. The pressure on people’s wallets mean they have less disposable income to give, and the economic situation leads to increased demand for many charities’ services. The sector did a phenomenal job of handling the pressure on services and income generation during the pandemic and will need to repeat this over the coming months.”

He added that overall giving has still remained “robust" saying three quarters of the public gave over the last three months.