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Like waiting for a bus, there’s been little new research on UK philanthropy for ages and then four come along together.
The 21st Century Donor, published by the research consultancy nfpSynergy, is based on public attitude polling and focus groups and is aimed at helping charities to understand modern givers.
The Changing Face of Philanthropy: today, tomorrow and beyond is described in pseudo-parliamentary language as a ‘white paper’ by Barclays Wealth and draws on surveys and interviews with wealthy clients plus comments from a panel of philanthropic ‘thought leaders’.
Wealth and Philanthropy: the views of those who advise the rich, produced by the publishers of this newsletter, Philanthropy UK, is based on a survey of advisers to high-net-worth individuals.
Finally, a new report produced by Scorpio Partnership and commissioned by New Philanthropy Capital (NPC), wise partnership and Bertelsmann Stiftung, Advice Needed: Philanthropy among ultra high net worth individuals and family offices in Europe, compares dynamics of the giving experience in the UK, Switzerland and Germany and is based on interviews with 34 individuals and family offices.
Given the dearth of evidence-based material, all four reports are welcome but are likely to prove useful to quite different audiences.
NfpSynergy’s offering is likely to be of more use to small charities trying to cultivate ordinary donors than big brand names hoping to identify major philanthropists. The report offers a quick and entertaining trot through key demographic trends, cultural change and technological developments; describes key trends for fundraising and provides ten concrete action points to help charities raise money.
The Barclays paper is a more sober read which examines the current climate of giving amongst the very wealthy. It is disappointingly light on facts and figures, given the datasets promised in the introduction, and is overly reliant on the opinions of the eminent, yet small, panel of ‘thought leaders’. It concludes that philanthropy will become increasingly important to wealthy people in the UK, and that their strategic approach to giving will require greater professionalism from charities and more neutral external advice.
Philanthropy UK’s study is based on a survey of advisers to high-net-worth individuals, and builds on an earlier influential study, Why Rich People Give, published by Philanthropy UK in 2004. The new study provides a qualitative assessment of trends in attitudes towards and practices in giving by Britain’s wealthy. Key beliefs held by professional advisers include: more wealthy people are giving; more giving is occurring during the donor’s lifetime; donors are increasingly concerned about how effectively and efficiently their money is spent; feelings of financial insecurity are becoming less significant as a barrier to giving; and more individuals are seeking professional philanthropy services.
The Scorpio research, undertaken in three European countries, covers some similar ground to Philanthropy UK’s report. It finds that wealthy individuals and families are struggling to find the support they need to launch their philanthropic initiatives. Donors are said to need greater help in aligning their personal objectives to their philanthropy, selecting suitable charities, networking with other donors and measuring the success of their donations. These challenges are said to present enormous opportunities for charities, advisers and donors themselves.
All four reports are freely downloadable:
- The 21st Century Donor, by nfpSynergy
- The Changing Face of Philanthropy, by Barclays Wealth
- Wealth and Philanthropy, by Philanthropy UK
- Advice Needed, by Scorpio Partnership
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