WHY BRITS DON'T GIVE EHOUGH TO CHARITY

This weeks Metro revealed that doing good deeds for others makes 60% of us feel good about ourselves. Yet ironically, this nation has comparatively poor stats for charitable giving.  

The UK average annual charitable donation is £147.84 – less than a tenth of the USA average charity giving per head. Furthermore, a study by New Philanthropy Capital reveals most Brits don’t see giving to charity as a duty.

It has been suggested the lack of information provided by charities largely contributes to our stinginess.

Reluctance to donate is often explained by widespread distrust in charities as being poorly run and inefficient mechanisms for channelling our hard earned money to where it’s needed.  

To combat this prejudice, charities must provide donors with more evidence of their impact, and greater explanation of how donations are used. Studies show 10% of mainstream donors and 13% of rich donors would give more if charities provided better information. The effect would be a £665m annual boost to charities.

Alternatively, trust can be restored through charity evaluators such as GiveWell. GiveWell seeks to identify outstanding charities that are proven to be cost-effective, scalable, and transparent.

GiveWell could present a vital tool for improving the UK’s current shameful lack of charitable generosity.