From the ‘Charities Aid Foundation’
If there was ever any doubt about the value of charities, these last 16 months have magnified some of society’s most basic needs and the crucial role that charities play in helping our most vulnerable. Like all of us over the last year or so, you have taken these challenges in your stride. You have adapted and continued to find new ways to operate and generate much-needed income to continue to support your beneficiaries.
As the effects of lockdowns on charity fundraising took hold, the Charities Aid Foundation’s (CAF) World Giving Index saw the UK drop out of the ranking of the world’s top ten most generous countries for the first time.
The World Giving Index is a global survey which has interviewed more than 1.6 million people since 2009. The UK has been a stalwart of the top 10 list since it began in 2009, but 2020 saw it tumble from 7th place to 22nd place. This year’s effort makes for sombre reading as it lays bare the lost potential to support charities that was the result of the UK’s lockdowns.
Neil Heslop
“We know that lockdowns saved lives and protected the NHS, but for the thousands of charities that rely on fundraising events, on spontaneous cash donations and on an army of volunteers, the shuttering of the economy has left a black hole in their finances estimated at more than £10 billion”
Neil Heslop, Chief Executive, Charities Aid Foundation
Despite the challenges of the pandemic and those lost opportunities, there have been moments of true inspiration that have seen communities rally around beloved charities. From England striker Marcus Rashford raising over £20 million to end child food poverty, to Captain Sir Tom Moore’s garden walk exceeding £30 million in donations for NHS Together charities, the Covid-19 pandemic has brought out some of the very best of British generosity.
In this newsletter, we are pleased to share with you the World Giving Index as well as an article highlighting the increased need to advocate for civil society and make it more central to Government’s future responses to crises.
As summer is firmly here, we look forward to taking cautious steps back towards the ‘new’ normal. At CAF we remain hopeful that our collective future will bring further innovation, adaptation and collaboration within our sector in order to ensure that we are able to thrive and to grow the scale of the invaluable work we do.
Best wishes,
Cat Mahoney
Research Manager at the Charities Aid Foundation
