Philanthropy UK research highlights barriers to giving

Lack of confidence in charities and perceived media cynicism continue to pose a barrier to giving, according to recent research by Philanthropy UK.

One of the preliminary findings of the research - due to be published this summer - is that donors are very concerned about the effectiveness and efficiency with which charities will use their money, especially when making significant donations to smaller charities. Indeed, insufficient confidence in a charity is often a barrier to giving. As one advisor noted, whilst many donors have good experiences with charities, "a bad experience in giving is disproportionate".

Yet in donors' quest for more information and transparency, a balance must be struck between the level and frequency of information provided by the charity and the resource requirements demanded in generating that information. In the next article ("Demonstrating impact: a two-way dialogue"), a panel of grant-makers and charities debate best practice in demonstrating impact.

A second key finding concerns the British media. Press coverage of British philanthropy has increased noticeably over the past few years, as can be seen in the growing media round-up column in this Newsletter. Yet there remains a general perception that press coverage of charitable giving is poor, and particularly that giving by the wealthy is often portrayed negatively by the media.

Whilst it is recognised that media coverage of philanthropy "is improving", many still feel that the press can be cynical, assuming self-interest or other ulterior motives when a wealthy philanthropist speaks publicly about their giving. These perceptions are proving to be a barrier to giving publicly, leading to a lack of role models for new givers. In the article below ("The British media: barrier or catalyst?"), a panel of journalists from across the political spectrum respond to the findings.

The original research explores attitudes toward and experiences in giving by Britain's wealthy, as well as the type of support private clients are seeking for their philanthropy, and what may have changed over the last five years. Building on our work published in Why Rich People Give (2004), the survey was conducted through in-depth interviews with professional advisors, including a number who participated in the 2002 research. To be notified when the full research findings are available, please contact us at info@philanthropyuk.org.