Did you know that, in more recent years, people have opted to donate to charity for their birthday rather than receive a birthday present?

I have seen a few friends on my Facebook do it, as Facebook has introduced a new option where on someone’s birthday, they can ask their Facebook friends to donate the charity that the birthday celebrant chooses. This means an increase in donations everywhere. Naturally, people often choose to donate to charities close to their hearts, maybe ones that have helped a family member or friend of theirs in the past. However, most donate purely to a cause rather than a specific charity. Oftentimes, this results in choosing larger, more well- known charities.

It’s understandable, they are popular and do great work. However, did you know that through its lotteries in 2022, a well-known charity raised £3,335,704 and £2.5mn of that was then spent on expenses?

Don’t get me wrong, this is in no way me trying to bash any respectable charity who help many every year. All I’m simply pointing out is the bigger the charity, the bigger the cost. Small charities tend to be more person-centred and also often focus on building customer loyalty as donations are very important to them, and their donations tend to go to the places where the charity income misses. Whilst the income can pay for things that are vital for the people we support, like cooking and cleaning facilities, and fixing things that are broken, the money doesn’t stretch to things like brand new bedding, clothes or toiletries which are also essential. We receive donations of these items often, but having the monetary donations also allows us to buy them as and when we need them and not just hope for the donation to come in.

Also, did you know, smaller charities make up 95% of the sector yet 90% of donations go to larger charities.

Let that sink in.

Whilst we completely understand that people would feel more reassured donating to larger charities just because of the larger size and reach it can offer, smaller charities rely on them more and are more common than larger ones. However, smaller charities are in need of your donations now more than ever. The cost of living has gone up, but the money the charities receive have not.

Something to consider the next time you’re choosing a charity to donate to.

Places I got the figures from:

https://charitydigital.org.uk/topics/the-best-online-fundraising-platforms-for-charities-5324
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12631767/RSPCA-pressure-explain-74-money-raised-weekly-lottery-goes-expenses.html

– Written by Tayla Shaw, Marketing Assistant