The UK Charitable Giving Market Report identifies consumers’ attitudes towards donating to charitable causes, the impact of inflation on consumers’ willingness to donate and future innovations and launches to help engage prospective donors. Get a 360° view of the UK charity market with Mintel.
Below, we’ve handpicked the key insights analysed in the full report and summarised the core topics.
Topics Analysed in this Report
- The impact of inflation on charities and charitable giving.
- Charitable causes donated to and participation in charitable activities.
- Barriers to donating to charity.
- Amount donated to charitable causes and methods of donation.
- How donors have heard about the charitable causes donated to.
UK Charity Market Overview
The cost of living crisis has created a ‘perfect storm’ of challenging factors for charities. Charities’ costs have risen significantly, demand from service users has surged and the ability to donate, for many, has been threatened. As budgets are squeezed and personal matters become the primary focus, donating to charity is inevitably a lower priority for many.
- Charity market size: As of March 2023, 168,893 charities were registered in England and Wales.
UK Charity Market: Trends and Opportunities
Bring cause closer to home
The most common and consistent way that donors discover a charitable cause they subsequently donate to is through the experience of either themselves or someone they know, having been helped by the charity. Charities should look to ignite feelings of empathy and relatability in fundraising appeals, such as by highlighting familial relationships and shared common experiences.
- UK charity market opportunity: 26% of donors who donated £75+ in the last 6 months donated to a cause that helped them/someone they know.
The potential of young donors
While older adults, typically, earn and donate more, they are also more set in the causes they support. Young donors, such as Generation Z, hold a lot of potential, they are increasing how much they are giving and are more open to hearing about different causes. Charities should build appeal among young donors now so, as their income and donating capacity grows.
- UK charity market opportunity: 21% of donors aged 16-34 have donated to 3 or more causes.
Purchase our UK Charity Market Report to receive a consumer behaviour analysis and recommendations for market opportunities. Readers of this report may also be interested in our UK Ethical Retailing Market Report 2023.
Charities Discussed in the Full Report
Guide Dogs, Cancer Research, Macmilian Cancer Support, Omaze Limted, Alzheimer’s Society, Age UK, Royal National Lifeboat Institute, RSPCA, Unicef.
Additional Features Included with Your Purchase
- Interactive Databook: Each Databook is provided as an interactive website where you can deep dive into our consumer research data on your chosen topic so you can draw your own conclusions.
- Consumer Confidence Tracker: Our Trackers paint the picture of the economic confidence and major concerns of up to 40 different demographics, tracking changes in attitudes over time.
- Custom PowerPoints: Incorporate our consumer research data into your own work so you can win over your clients and stakeholders. Select insights from your report to create a custom presentation that is ready to download in minutes.
- Different Digital Formats: PDF for conveniently sharing with your team, PowerPoint for quickly including in your presentations.
- Mintel’s Clients Portal: Our portal provides instant access to actionable analysis, podcasts, and trend pieces relevant to your industry that are published almost daily, as well as our annual Global Consumer Trends. You can also browse our extensive catalogue of market research reports.
Expert Insights from a Mintel Analyst
This report, written by Francesca Smith, a leading research analyst, delivers in-depth commentary and analysis to highlight trends in the UK charity market and add expert context to the numbers.
Charities are navigating a challenging giving environment, but can focus on embracing flexible donating and volunteering, building trust and engaging young donors.
Francesca Smith
Senior Research Analyst – Consumer Lifestyles
Collapse All
-
- Key issues covered in this Report
-
Executive Summary
- Opportunities for charitable giving
- Market dynamics and outlook
- Graph 1: number of charities in England and Wales, 2013-23
- Graph 2: participation in formal volunteering, England, 2013/14-21/22
- Graph 3: the financial wellbeing index, 2016-23
- What consumers want and why
- Graph 4: charitable causes donated to in the last six months, 2023
- Graph 5: amount donated to charity in the last six months (NET), by annual household income, 2023
- Graph 6: charitable giving behaviours, 2023
-
Market Dynamics
- The market
- Graph 7: number of charities in England and Wales, 2013-23
- Graph 8: participation in formal volunteering, England, 2013/14-21/22
- Macro-economic factors
- Graph 9: the financial wellbeing index, 2016-23
- Graph 10: the financial confidence index, 2016-23
- Graph 11: “The rising cost of living has meant donating to charitable causes is a lower priority to me”, by financial situation, 2023
-
What Consumers Want and Why
- Donations to charitable causes
- Graph 12: charitable causes donated to in the last six months, 2023
- Graph 13: consumers who have donated to an environmental cause in the last six months, by age, 2023
- Graph 14: consumers who have donated to a charitable cause in the last six months (NET), by financial situation, 2023
- Barriers to donating
- Graph 15: reasons for not donating to charity in the last six months, 2023
- Graph 16: mean trust in charities score (on a scale of 0-10), 2008-23
- Amount donated to charity
- Graph 17: amount donated to charity in the last six months, 2023
- Graph 18: amount donated to charity in the last six months (NET), by annual household income, 2023
- Graph 19: amount donated to charity, by age, 2023
- Graph 20: changes in donation amount in the last six months compared to the previous six months, 2023
- How people hear about charitable causes
- Graph 21: how donors have heard about the charitable cause they have donated to in the last six months, 2022-23
- Graph 22: how people heard about the charitable causes they’ve donated to in the last six months, by age, 2023
- Graph 23: donors who heard about the charitable causes they’ve donated to in the last six months via social media/influencer, by generation, 2023
- Graph 24: “I would be interested in attending an online fundraising event in the next six months”, by generation, 2023
- Method of donation
- Graph 25: method of donation to charitable causes in the last six months, 2022-23
- Graph 26: how much people have donated in the last six months, by method of donation in the last six months, 2023
- Graph 27: method of donation in the last six months, by age, 2023
- Graph 28: “I would prefer to donate flexibly to charitable causes than set up a regular donation”, by age, 2023
- Other charitable activities conducted
- Graph 29: charitable activities done in the last six months, 2023
- Graph 30: participation in charitable activities in the past six months, by financial situation, 2023
-
Innovation And Marketing Trends
- Advertising and marketing activity
- Graph 31: total above-the-line, online display and direct mail advertising expenditure by charities, 2019-23
- Graph 32: total above-the-line, online display and direct mail advertising expenditure by charities, by media type, 2019-23
-
Appendix
- Methodology
Market Intelligence Made Easier With Mintel
The first Mintel Market Intelligence report was published over 50 years ago. Since then, we have provided our unique insights and understanding of consumers, innovation and global markets to thousands of customers worldwide. Here’s why our customers rely on Mintel:
- Gain a comprehensive, 360-degree view of the market: Mintel reports blend consumer research, market forecasts, product innovation tracking, and competitive analysis, allowing businesses to see every angle of their industry and identify new opportunities quickly.
- Make decisions with confidence, grounded in robust data: Each report draws on up-to-date, reliable information from trusted sources and industry experts, ensuring your strategies are based on solid evidence rather than speculation.
- Benefit from expert analysis and practical recommendations: Mintel’s reports are written by experienced analysts who interpret complex data and provide clear, actionable insights you can trust to guide your next moves.
- Stay ahead with actionable intelligence on market trends and consumer behaviour: By combining fresh research with long-term market monitoring, our reports help businesses anticipate changes and adapt strategically. So you’re prepared to make informed decisions and drive growth.
What goes into a Mintel Market Intelligence Report?
Curious about how a Market Intelligence report comes together? We like to think of it as building a detailed puzzle. We start with individual pieces: data from consumers, market statistics, industry trends, and online conversations. Then our expert analysts add world-class human insight and industry knowledge. The pieces are assembled to reveal a clear, comprehensive picture of a market.
The Four Pillars of Our Research
We use a combination of four main research methods when creating our reports, each adding a valuable perspective:
- Consumer Research: Direct surveys with real people, giving us clear, current insights into what people think and do.
- Desk Research: In-depth review of trusted data sources. We use this rich database, plus powerful internal tools that track new products and market sizes, to detect trends and guide forecasts.
- Trade Research: Insights from conversations with industry experts. Their real-world experience helps us understand what’s happening behind the scenes.
- Brand and Social Media Research: Analysis of online opinions and trends. This lets us spot trends, measure brand sentiment, and capture feedback in real time, adding further depth to our research.
Bringing It All Together
Each of these four pillars provides a different piece of the puzzle. Consumer research tells us what customers think, desk research provides the factual framework, trade research offers an insider’s view, and social media analysis reveals public sentiment.
Our expert analysts are skilled in weaving these diverse data streams together. They apply a range of quantitative and qualitative analysis techniques to uncover the deeper story, connecting the dots to deliver clear, actionable insights. This comprehensive, multi-layered process is how we transform raw data into a market intelligence report you can trust to inform your most important business decisions.
$ 2,995 (Excl.Tax)
-
Download today with instant access
Pay via credit card or invoice (net 30 payment terms)
-
Multiple formats provided
We send a PDF, Powerpoint and Excel Databook straight to your inbox. An interactive version of the report is also available on our online platform
-
Interactive databook included
Focus on the data that matters most to you with a customisable databook avaliable on our platform
-
Save up to 20% when you purchase multiple reports
Discount automatically applied in basket
Next Starts Here
Whatever your business needs, we have the solution. From market intelligence reports to customised growth strategies.
Learn moreTrusted by global industry leaders
We use Mintel Reports, mostly for financial services and ecommerce markets, plus a few retail and technology ones.
As a leading payments provider, we value additional insights into consumer behaviour, opinions and trends that are shaping the many different markets we operate in. Mintel is a very good and very quick way for us to obtain those insights.
We use Mintel to get a view on where a particular market is going, which can support us in product development and help us identify opportunities or indeed risks, it is a very useful barometer of a market’s potential.
Andrew Neeson, Market Intelligence Manager, VocaLink
There is no question that Mintel is the go-to resource for the best quality market research, but I did not think it was an affordable option for Abacus Marketing to consider. As a small marketing agency, we only work with a few new clients each year.
However, we have a very high-end consultative approach to our work, so we really do need a partner like Mintel to provide the big agency experience we are always aiming to deliver. Our clients come from an incredibly diverse range of industry sectors, so we obviously need access to market research reports from a very wide spectrum of marketplaces – and that is precisely what we got.
Stephen Taylor-Brown, Managing Director, Abacus
One of the biggest challenges we face is the need to get smart on a business or category real quick.
We are talking to clients who live and breathe their category every day and the expectation is that we will be able to get caught up very quickly, and bring the thinking that can help them.
We need to do that often in a matter of days, so it’s not a small ask. Mintel gives us a very articulate view of category conditions and does so at the speed we need it.
Jeff White, Business Development Director, Deutsch
We’ve found it so useful working more closely with Mintel. They helped support our recent flagship event for our top suppliers by providing a really unique viewpoint on the future of online retailing.
Nick Carroll from their Retail Team was also an excellent panelist, sharing useful and actionable consumer insights. We definitely look forward to working with Mintel again on future projects.
Zac Steele, E-Commerce Trading Development Manager, Waitrose & Partners
At Jackman, we believe that powerful strategies are based on human insight. Mintel’s leading-edge reports and insights into consumer attitudes and behaviors are an important input as we develop and execute strategy.
Alana Gavin, VP Research and Insights, Jackman
Next Starts Here
Whatever your business needs, we have the solution. From market intelligence reports to customised growth strategies.
Learn more
