Tracking global trends in generosity

The Charities Aid Foundation (CAF) has been connecting donors to charitable causes for 100 years. It’s World Giving Index 2024 surveyed 145,000 people across 140 countries and discovered that people are not just happy to volunteer for the causes they care about, but increasingly, they are also keen to donate.

The headline findings

CAF’s Chief Executive, Neil Heslop OBE, says, “The global index score is at its joint-highest level, only previously matched during the pandemic.” This equates to 73% of the world’s population giving their time, money or helping a stranger during 2023. Other key findings include:

·      Indonesia tops the Index rankings for the seventh year running

·      75 countries increased their world giving score in 2023.

·      Greece has the biggest rise in its giving score, whilst Azerbaijan has the biggest fall.

·      An 800% increase in Moroccans donating money after the severe earthquakes affecting the country in September 2023

Disappointingly, the UK ranks #22, falling out of the top 20 for a second time and continuing a downward trend that’s been evident for a decade. These results reflect the perceptions of the UK public. In a separate poll, only 25% of people surveyed thought that, as a nation, we had become more generous over the last century. The latest figures also show us comparing poorly with other countries, such as Ireland and Australia, both of whom picked up their donation scores in the wake of the pandemic.

“It’s interesting,” says Gifted’s Chief Executive, Amy Stevens. “The UK’s rating may still be aligned to the ongoing effects of the cost-of-living crisis. We’ve certainly witnessed a decrease in the number of smaller gifts to charities over the last few years, although wealthier people are tending to give more.The question is, as Third Sector professionals, what can we do to encourage giving rates in the UK? For us, this is nothing new – whilst of course we must be abreast of new technologies and methods of fundraising, at the core is always the strength of the cause… Can you clearly describe your mission and the impact it will have?”

The takeaways

CAF’s World Giving Index is a valuable tool when it comes to monitoring and evaluating global trends in philanthropy. It also aligns with our recent experience of working with international clients across the Third sector. In African countries, for example, our fundraising partnerships with charities like the IBBA girls’ school have revealed the different attitudes to giving that tend to predominate. In Africa, there’s a focus on giving in terms of ‘helping a stranger’, whereas in the Global North, charitable support is more directly associated with donating money.

One thing definitely worth endorsing in CAF’s report, and which closely relates to our work with clients such as the IUCN Red List of threatened Species, ADVANCE Charity, and RCDSDC, is that “governments should make it easier to give and support efforts to build resilient civil society organisations.”

We also need to recognise that whilst getting major projects off the ground requires money, these ventures frequently depend on enthusiastic volunteer leadership and skills support. Countries like Indonesia top the Index because nine in ten people donate money to charity and more than six in ten volunteer their time. If this pattern of giving caught on, the impact of global philanthropy, in all its forms, would be mind-blowing.

If your organisation is facing a major fundraising challenge in the UK or overseas, get in touch with one of our Directors and ask for an exploratory conversation about planning the next steps.