TSIC is a big fan of Beth Breeze, a researcher at the Centre for Charitable Giving and Philanthropy at Kent University. Beth has recently written the Coutts Million Pound Donors Report, 2009, which
documents the patterns and trends of million pound donations in 2007/08. It looks at 189 donations of this size given during this period, made by 102 different donors and received by 153 different organisations.
It’s a great document for future philanthropists who are serious about donating and would like to be more informed about the best ways to contribute. It’s also beneficial for policy makers wishing to encourage philanthropy in much needed sectors, as well as for fundraisers wanting to develop relationships with donors who have the capacity to make a huge difference to their organisations.
The report highlights that despite a 13% drop in the value of donations given this year, philanthropy in the UK is still going strong in the face of a recession. However, while philanthropic acts remain steady, the economic crisis has affected certain aspects of major gift donations beyond the amount of money flowing from private wealth to public benefit. The first of these shows a slight transformation in ‘how’ and ‘how much’ is being spent on operational charities and how much is being banked for future distribution. It seems that donors are reacting to the economic downturn by giving more money to recipients for spending, ensuring that funds are delivered to good causes during this difficult period. Secondly, there is an increase in anonymous donors and low profile giving, and finally a rise in donors who contribute £1 million or more who spread their gift over multiple years or multiple causes.
The report provides a positive contribution to the growing discussion of why people voluntarily choose to donate their private capital for the public good by presenting interesting and insightful case studies from philanthropists such as Ben Goldsmith, Martin Smith and the British Red Cross.
Check out the report here:
http://www.kent.ac.uk/sspssr/cphsj/documents/mpdr-v10.pdf
To read more of Beth’s articles check out her blog:
https://blogs.kent.ac.uk/philanthropy/
