Vast majority still donate to charity despite downturn

The majority of Irish people still donate to charity on a regular basis despite the squeeze on household income, according to new research.

The study of charitable giving and donor behaviour in Ireland found that 85 per cent of adults claim to have donated money to a specific cause or charity in the last three months and almost two-thirds within the past month.

Signficantly, it indicated that causes related to illness and disease, especially cancer, accounted for more than 25 per cent of all donations.

Irish people are also more likely to favour local and intervention-based charities over other types of appeal.

The research was conducted by Behaviour & Attitudes for Fundraising Ireland, the umbrella group for professional fundraisers, which holds its annual conference in Dublin tomorrow.

The study provides a valuable insight into how donors view the various fundraising activities of charities at a time when many are being forced to introduce cost savings as a result of a fall-off in public donations and reductions in official funding.

It noted, however, while people continue to give to charities, donations were unplanned and predominantly (58 per cent) made through church gate and street collections.

Almost one quarter (24 per cent) of those surveyed said they donated through door-to-door collections, with a similar proportion opting to donate by direct debit.

The single biggest winner of last year’s annual Christmas charity appeal was St Vincent de Paul, with over a third of donors claiming to have contributed to its seasonal appeal.

The study found the majority of Christmas givers contributed more to local bodies with only one in five people opting to give to overseas charity appeals.

"Fundraising has never been so critical to the survival of charities and non-profits to carry out their work," said Fundraising Ireland chief executive Anne Hanniffy.

“The spread of donations and the strong focus on church giving and on street suggest that very few people give in a planned fashion which is what we are trying to encourage at Fundraising Ireland.

“If fundraisers are to be successful in this increasingly competitive arena, they need to become more vocal and more strategic in how they appeal to people and how they manage regular giving.”