# British public expected to donate £2.8bn during festive season

- Link: https://fundraising.co.uk/2024/12/06/british-public-expected-to-donate-2-8bn-during-festive-season/
- Published: 2024-12-06T08:30:00+00:00
- Author: Melanie May

**The British public are expected to give an estimated £2.8 billion to charities
during November and December this year, according to Charities Aid Foundation’s 
UK Giving research.**

Half (50%) of the people surveyed by [CAF](https://www.cafonline.org/) said they
always or usually donate to charity over the festive period – significantly higher
than the third of people (34%) who regularly give money to charity throughout the
rest of the year. CAF tracks giving every month, surveying more than 1,000 adults
online each time.

Of those who intend to give, the majority (74%) say they will donate money, with
just under half (46%) planning to give goods and 14% intending to donate their time
to good causes.

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The top reasons given for donating during the festive period include:

 * People are more aware of those in need during this time (37%)
 * It’s a traditional time to give (28%)
 * People are more aware of charity appeals (23%)
 * People donate instead of giving presents (10%)

Christmas charity campaigns, and events such as Giving Tuesday, Children in Need
and the Poppy Appeal mean November and December are typically the peak months for
giving, and rising demand and costs make this a particularly important time for 
charities.

Separate [CAF research](https://www.cafonline.org/insights/research/charity-resilience-index)
with charity leaders found that 86% say demand for their services has increased 
over the last year, with 54% saying this is significant. The organisations that 
report the largest rise in demand are poverty-relief charities (67%), human rights/
equality and diversity charities (66%), and charities helping those in need (55%).

Philippa Cornish, CAF’s Head of Charities, said:

> “Up and down the country, charities are helping more and more people this winter–
> those who are most in need in our society. Charities understand more than most
> the financial pressures some households are facing. “But the last few years has
> seen a decline in the number of people regularly donating to charity. We hope 
> that for those who can afford to, they give generously this year to good causes.
> There are also other ways to help, such as through volunteering or donating goods.
> Many charities rely on mass giving and festive fundraising and they will certainly
> appreciate an injection of generosity this Christmas.”_ _

 * **[Employer charity support increases worker loyalty but just 1 in 4 businesses give to good causes](https://fundraising.co.uk/2025/01/06/employer-charity-support-increases-worker-loyalty-but-just-1-in-4-businesses-give-to-good-causes/)**(
   6 January 2025)
 * **[CAF launches Charitynet](https://fundraising.co.uk/1995/10/04/caf-launches-charitynet/)**(
   4 October 1995)
 * **[CAF publish voluntary sector statistics](https://fundraising.co.uk/1996/08/09/caf-publish-voluntary-sector-statistics/)**(
   9 August 1996)