Smaller charities received a tiny proportion of donations

Large-scale advertising and media profile pushes people to support only 6% of the UK’s charitable causes, new research has revealed.

More than half (53%) of donors said that an event which has impacted them or their friends and family is the most influential factor that inspires them to donate to a charitable cause.

And UK-wide research for online giving platform Givey showed that when choosing a specific charity to support, over two fifths (42%) of people are more likely to give to a well-known charity because they think it is easier and safer to do so – equating to over 21.5 million donors across the country.

Meanwhile, a quarter (25%) said they find it difficult to locate or donate to small charities and 25% of charity donors are more likely to give to an organisation with a significant media profile – this rises to 38% among 18-34 year olds.

Large-scale charities are doing amazing work, but the smaller players need a voice too

A fifth (20%) said they tend to support charities in response to marketing or advertising campaigns, rising to nearly a third (31%) of millennials.

While a cumbersome donation process is deterring people from giving money, with 21% withdrawing from donating because the process is too time consuming – that equates to almost 11 million people’s donations failing to materialise.

Givey has launched a campaign aimed at levelling the playing field across the not-for-profit sector called All Charities Deserve a Chance.

The scale of the problem for small charities is clear as research suggests that lesser-known charities with smaller promotional budgets are being muscled out by the industry heavyweights.

However, the rewards for getting it right are huge as the latest edition of the World Giving Index by the Charities Aid Foundation ranked the UK as the most generous country in Europe – a sentiment reflected by Givey’s research which found that 74% of respondents give to charities.

Neil Mehta, chief executive of Givey, said: “It’s so reassuring to see that nearly three quarters of the UK gives so generously to charity.

“However, the 94% of small charities that are so often overlooked in favour of high-profile organisations is disheartening. There are so many worthy causes out there in the UK that are missing out on vital funding, which is why we are so passionate about giving the forgotten masses a platform in the market.

"Of course large-scale charities are doing amazing work in their respective fields, but we believe in giving the smaller players a voice too. By making sure the platform is free to use for charities, giving them 100% of a donation, and generating additional exposure, we hope they stand a great chance of raising valuable funding for exceptionally worthy causes.”