The Charities Aid Foundation’s UK Giving Report 2025 provides one of the clearest snapshots of how people in the UK are supporting charities. Based on a nationally representative survey of more than 13,000 adults, it captures donation behaviour, volunteering, trust, and attitudes towards funding.
The findings reflect the generosity that continues to exist across the UK but also underline some significant risks for the long-term culture of giving. The decline in both donor and volunteer numbers should concern anyone who cares about civil society, yet the continued strength of individual generosity shows that there is much to build on.
Here are six of the most important insights from this year’s report.
1. Fewer people are giving
For the first time since tracking began, only half of UK adults reported making a donation in the past year. London is now the first region where fewer than half of people donate or sponsor for charity. The North West and North East have also seen steep falls in donor participation compared with 2017.
This matters because a culture of broad participation strengthens communities and builds resilience. Relying on a shrinking pool of donors creates fragility, especially at a time when charities are under greater strain from rising demand and rising costs.
2. Young people are disengaging
Only 36 per cent of 16 to 24 year olds said they gave to charity in 2024, a fall of around a third since 2017. While affordability is the most common reason for not giving across all age groups, younger people are also more likely to say they are not interested in charities, did not think about giving, or simply were not asked.
The report highlights that the decline in cash use has reduced opportunities for small, spontaneous donations, which traditionally helped younger people to begin engaging with charitable causes. Rebuilding those opportunities in digital spaces and through peer-to-peer activity may be key to reversing the trend.
3. Donations remain significant
Despite the fall in donor numbers, total giving remains strong. The public donated an estimated £15.4 billion in 2024, with the average gift reaching £72 — the highest level for eight years. This suggests that while fewer people are giving, those who remain engaged are shouldering more of the burden.
Health charities were the largest beneficiaries, receiving £2.22 billion, followed by causes supporting children and young people, and animal welfare. The report also shows that donors are as likely to support international charities as they are local community organisations, raising questions for those trying to strengthen local giving.
4. Volunteering is falling
An estimated 5.6 million people volunteered in 2024, down 1.5 million from the year before. The fall was widespread across the country and affected every age group, but women were almost twice as likely as men to step back from volunteering.
The decline matters because volunteering is often the first step in lifelong engagement with civil society. Fewer volunteers means fewer people embedded in the life of local organisations, which can weaken the pipeline of future donors and trustees as well as reducing direct service capacity.
5. Trust in charities is steady but selective
Encouragingly, more than three quarters of people continue to say that charities are trustworthy. However, trust is uneven. Most donors are comfortable with their money supporting frontline staff and essential costs, but only 12 per cent are happy for donations to contribute towards the salary of a chief executive.
This shows a persistent gap between public perception and the operational realities of running a sustainable organisation. Leaders must work harder to explain the importance of infrastructure and the professional expertise required to deliver impact at scale.
6. Gift Aid and engagement opportunities are underused
Gift Aid remains one of the simplest ways to increase the value of donations at no extra cost, yet younger people in particular are missing out. A quarter of donors aged 16 to 24 said they had either never heard of Gift Aid or did not know how to use it.
At the same time, nearly 3.9 million people cancelled a regular payment to charity in 2024. While 3.3 million people increased their direct debits, the churn highlights the fragility of regular giving models.
What this means for the future
The overall picture is one of generosity under pressure. People who give continue to do so at scale, but the pool of donors and volunteers is shrinking. Without action, this trend could erode the resilience of the UK’s charitable sector in the long term.
The challenge — and opportunity — lies in re-engaging younger generations, making it easier to give in everyday life, and telling clearer stories about the impact of donations. Charities that adapt to new patterns of engagement and communicate transparently about their needs are more likely to thrive.
How GivingWorks can help
At GivingWorks, we believe that sustaining a strong culture of giving requires leadership from philanthropists, businesses and communities. We make it simple to establish and run charitable foundations, removing the administrative burden so that donors can focus on impact.
We work with foundations that support both local and international causes, and we help maximise their impact by collecting Gift Aid on donations wherever possible. Many of the foundations we support are raising funds for health and child welfare charities - two of the most popular cause areas highlighted in the UK Giving Report 2025.
Whether you are an individual philanthropist wanting to give strategically, or a business seeking to embed social purpose into your work, we provide the structures, governance and support to make it happen. Together, we can help ensure that the generosity highlighted in this year’s report continues to flourish and grows into a more sustainable culture of giving for the future.
