# Don’t leave ‘philanthropic journeys to chance’

- Link: https://fundraising.co.uk/2014/06/17/dont-leave-philanthropic-journeys-chance/
- Published: 2014-06-17T07:30:50+01:00
- Author: Howard Lake

Providing a formal structure to people’s ‘philanthropic journeys’ increases their
willingness to making a four-figure donation by more than 50 per cent. Research 
conducted with 227 ‘senior business people’ by [Dr Beth Breeze](http://www.kent.ac.uk/sspssr/staff/academic/breeze.html)
at the Kent University’s [Centre for Philanthropy](http://www.kent.ac.uk/sspssr/philanthropy/)
found that 27 per cent had made donations of more than £1,000 before starting “structured
volunteering placements” through [Pilotlight](http://www.pilotlight.org.uk). This
is already more than four times the national average of six per cent who have made
such large donations. However following their volunteering stints – which lasted
from six months to more than three years – the percentage of people who said they
would have made a four-figure donation within the next 10 years had risen to 41 
per cent. Pilotlight volunteers also said they were more likely to fundraise for
charities after they completed their placements (23 per cent had done so before 
starting their placement, but 35 per cent said they would be doing so 10 years from
now). They were also enthusiastic about continuing to volunteer as trustees and 
in other roles. However providing more structured support for volunteers decreases
their likelihood for regular monthly giving – 62 per did this before starting their
placements but only 58 per cent thought they would be doing this in 2023. Structured
placements also changed volunteers’ attitudes towards charities and fundraising,
with 59 per cent saying they now took “greater care” in choosing which charities
to support and 38 per cent stating that seeing how charities operate first-hand 
had made them “more inclined” to donate. More than a third said they donate more
to charity than before they joined Pilotlight. “If realised, these behavioral changes
over the coming decade should bring significant benefits to the charity sector,”
the report – _Philanthropic Journeys: new insights into the triggers
and barriers
for long-term giving and volunteering_ – says.

> The role of philanthropy in modern society has become too important to be left
> to chance

 To bring this about, Dr Breeze’s report argues that ‘philanthropic journeys’ – 
an individual’s lifetime contribution of “time, talent and treasure” – need to be
formally planned and structured with “skills-based and time-limited involvement”
to overcome the barriers to volunteering identified the report (see box). Yet the
current situation is that people often embark on their philanthropic journey by 
chance, “without any help to identify the best way to get involved or the most appropriate
organisation to get involved with”.

[⌊Model 1 and model 2 - click to enlarge tables⌉⌊Model 1 and model 2 - click to 
enlarge tables⌉[

Model 1 and model 2 – click to enlarge tables

 “The role of philanthropy in modern society has become too important to be left
to chance,” Dr Breeze argues in the report. “It is therefore time for government,
charities, employers and individuals to take a more pro-active, enabling approach
so that more people can start and complete the philanthropic journeys that will 
bring benefits to themselves and our wider society. “There is a clear role for policymakers
and practitioners in kickstarting and continuing these philanthropic journeys.” 

## **Barriers to volunteers**

 1 **Nothing to offer **people whose professional success fails to provide reassurance
that they have anything useful to offer a charity. 2 **Nothing to gain **people 
who struggles to see how helping good causes can help their career. 3 **Analysis
Paralysis **people whose concern to find the ‘right’ cause to help in the ‘right’
way has stopped them making any substantive giving decisions. 4 **Burnt Fingers **
people whose previous experience of donating and volunteering has failed to meet
their expectations of making a substantive difference. 5 **Too busy at work **people
whose long hours at work leave them unable to get more involved with good causes.
6 **Too busy at home **people whose commitments at home hold them back from making
a bigger voluntary contribution.          

 * **[Giving Tuesday UK tour gets underway](https://fundraising.co.uk/2014/08/06/giving-tuesday-uk-tour-gets-underway/)**(
   6 August 2014)
 * **[Tesco to partner with two health charities in 2015](https://fundraising.co.uk/2014/09/09/tesco-partner-two-health-charities-2015/)**(
   9 September 2014)
 * **[Over £1.3 million raised on community crowdfunding site Yimby](https://fundraising.co.uk/2014/09/10/1-3m-raised-community-crowdfunding-site-yimby/)**(
   10 September 2014)

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