# Cost of living: almost 5mn people chose not to give a one-off donation last month

- Link: https://fundraising.co.uk/2022/10/27/cost-of-living-almost-5mn-people-chose-not-to-give-a-one-off-donation-last-month/
- Published: 2022-10-27T11:57:56+01:00
- Author: Melanie May

**Just under 5 million** **(4.9mn) individuals chose not to make a one-off donation
last month because of the rising cost of living – nearly one in ten (9%) people**,**
according to Charities Aid Foundation (CAF) UK Giving research.**

More than 3.2mn people (6%) also said they reduced or stopped a regular payment 
to charity because of increasing living costs. Meanwhile, nearly one in five (19%)
are considering cutting back on their donations, compared to 14% six months previously.
In August, this number rose to 22% as household concerns around energy bills peaked.

The figures come from CAF’s UK Giving, which tracks household donor behaviour every
month. This shows that in September, only a quarter (26%) of people said they had
donated in the previous month. Prior to the pandemic, around a three in ten (30%)
usually said they gave to charity in September. The average monthly donation also
declined slightly in September, with a mean donation of £51, compared to £67 in 
August. And, this time of year being popular for fundraising events, only 8% of 
people sponsored someone for charity last month and 5% in August.

## Advertisement

In addition, recent analysis by CAF and Pro Bono Economics shows how inflation is
eroding the value of charity donations, with projections suggesting that a charity
donation of £20 started in 2017 will be worth £14.90 by 2024.

Neil Heslop OBE, Chief Executive of the [Charities Aid Foundation](https://www.cafonline.org/),
said:

> “Charities need donations now more than ever, as more families rely on the vital
> services they provide. Mass giving is crucial for many charities, so as people
> cut back, Government and private sector funding which supported charities through
> the pandemic is greatly needed to help them through this crisis.
>  
> “With more than £500m of Gift Aid unclaimed which should rightly be with charities
> delivering frontline services, the process needs to be simplified to deliver desperately
> needed funds. The Government also needs to address the current complexity of the
> VAT system since it’s estimated that the sector loses billions paying tax that
> they cannot recover later.
>  
> “Despite falling donations, charities are working hard to help the growing number
> of families at the sharp end of the cost-of-living squeeze. But ultimately, charities
> are having to do much more, with much less money.”