Questions raised about validity of government research into volunteering and giving

Professional Fundraising

September 2007

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A government research project that cost over half a million pounds has been described as “bewildering” and “surprising” by fundraising professionals after the findings implied UK giving was worth over £1bn more than previous estimates.

The report, Helping Out: a national survey of volunteering and charitable giving, aimed to establish if there are links between why and how people give to charities, either in the form of time or money, and what stops them from continuing with this support. Using a sub-sample of respondents to the 2005 Citizenship Survey, it reported that 81 per cent of those interviewed had donated money to charity over the last four weeks, mainly by putting money in collecting tins or by buying raffle tickets. The average amount donated was £25 per adult or £31 per donor over the four week period.

However, Lindsay Boswell, chief executive of the Institute of Fundraising, queried the findings, saying:

“The research comes out with a very surprising set of results. On the face of it, these seem rather unlikely; 81 per cent of the adult population giving £25 average per month is something like £9.7 billion raised per annum. This is far above the figures produced by NCVO and CAF where the level of giving is more like 60 per cent of the adult population raising £8.2bn.”

Joe Saxton, driver of ideas at voluntary sector think tank nfpSynergy, also raised concerns, suggesting that if each individual gave £25 a month via collection tins, they must have made several donations every single day. “The research is nothing short of bewildering. The problem is that asking people about giving inevitably means you’re asking them if they want to admit to being a decent, kind, warm human being. This research appears to have uncovered a particularly warm and generous sample of the Great British population,” he said. The Office of the Third Sector, which commissioned the research from the National Centre for Social Research and the Institute of Volunteering Research, defended the findings, pointing out that the report states within it that the figures should not be compared with other research.

“It is likely that the particular combination of factors including the focus of the survey, fieldwork period (which included Christmas), question methods and the profile of respondents, are responsible for a slightly higher reading for the overall prevalence of giving in this report than in others,” said a spokesman.

The inconsistencies between the various reports into voluntary income trends has added further weight to the call for individual giving to be a priority focus of the Charitable Giving and Philanthropy Research Centre.

“It highlights the need for consistent ongoing research so we can understand giving patterns,” says Saxton, before adding that future projects should be driven by the needs of fundraisers and philanthropists.

However, the Office of the Third Sector said the report wasn’t intended to replace the work of the Centre. “The report is designed to update the previous National Survey of Volunteering carried out in 1997 as well as provide similar insights on charitable giving. The data has already been used to influence the Third Sector Review and will be used in the period before the Charitable Giving and Philanthropy Research Centre is established and delivering data,” said the spokesman.

The Centre aims to conduct research that will provide a “more effective understanding of charitable giving and philanthropy issues”. In addition it wants to act as a hub for engaging and influencing policy and other stakeholders. For more, visit www.esrc.org.uk

Helping Out: the main findings

59 per cent of respondents had formally volunteered over the past year, while 39 per cent had done so at least once a month.

* Fundraising and handling money were the most common forms of volunteering, with 67 per cent claiming they had participated in this type of activity. 50 per cent had helped organise and run events.

* 81 per cent had donated money over the last four weeks, mainly by putting money in a collecting tin, followed by buying raffle tickets. The average amount donated was £31 per donor over that four-week period.

* Women, the employed, white respondents, higher income groups and those practising a religion gave the most.

* 64 per cent had heard of gift aid althoughonly a third of the sample had used it. 40 per cent and 24 per cent had heard of payroll giving and legacies respectively. These mechanisms were used by less than 5 per cent of the sample.

* 52 per cent of donors gave because they thought the work of the charity was important. 41 per cent gave because they believed it was the right thing to do.

* 37 per cent had increased the level of their donations over the last year, mainly due to a rise in their disposable income.

* A “sizeable minority” had reduced the level of their donation as a consequence of dissatisfaction with a charity.

* 58 per cent had volunteered and donated to charity over the last year.

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