My second finance thread of the day 🙂
Loads of financial advice on here just now, some folks on here doing very well, some not.
What is the usual amounts people give to charity, as a proportion of their income? As a nation we spend 0.7% of GDP on ‘international development’, is that about the norm for individuals too?
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To start the ball rolling it’s around 1-1.2% of take-home pay for me, a regular amount to a big national charity and ad hoc donations to a small local charity whenever I go to visit. Almost never to any others. Am I over-generous, a Scrouge or somewhere in the middle?

As someone involved in a charity I would say that is very typical for a commited giver.  There are two peaks, a lower peak for folks doing a one-off response to a campaign and then a higher peak for regular folks who are commited to us as an org.  You are in the higher peak and the folks we would love to keep.

For us as a family (two teachers, grown up kids, one at home still but earing) we sponsor two children via a church based carity. It is via a standing order and as such forms part of our budget. I will be honest though, I have no idea how much it costs.

I will often contribute to charities that I feel an affinity to. My earnings have continued during lock down but my commute has stopped. Furthe, there was no work’s do for any of us, no fuel bill for the commute, no Secret Santa etc- so I totted up my ‘savings’ and gave it to Centrepoint and Dolen Cymru, two of my favorite charities.

I guess ‘normal’ is whatever you want to / can donate, it’s not a competition.

I wound up all my donations a few years ago when I found myself in difficulty and couldn’t do it any more. I should probably revisit that now, I’ll give it some thought. Thanks for the nudge.

I don’t give regular donations, but will give to specific appeals especially one’s led by Disaster Emergency Committee, Oxfam or similar. I have also bequethed large amounts in my will to two charities – one local and one international – and may add a third when I update my will.

I work as a freelance consultant in the charity and social enterprise sectors, but over the years have provided a significant number of hours and days volunteering, ranging from delivering food to people experiencing homelessness who have been housed in a range of accommodation during the current pandemic, training over 700 young people for a Prince’s Trust programme, to mentoring the director of a local children’s charity, or being a trustee of a couple of charities. Finances have been bit tight for a couple of years and I see volunteering as an effective way to use my skills and experience in lieu of cash. I think many smaller local charities value volunteering more than money, as most financial donations tend to go the the larger national charities and local charities such as hospices, local hospital appeals and animal sanctuaries with a strong emotional appeal.

I like to pick small charities where the money I have to give makes a difference. Currently its a small rural school in nepal. they get a 2 or 3 hundred a year from me, another couple of hundred this year in various fund raising things friends have done.

2 children in Nepal have received a free education with the money I have given. I aim to pay for at least one a year

I’m around 1-2% of income. Probably at the lower end, wife is a bit more generous so at the upper end as a household. We also both work freelance often in the charity sector with some added free work. Plan is to do a bit more volunteering as I approach retirement. Not sure what counts as “enough”, especially at the moment. I can afford to do more so probably should.

0% of income on a regular basis, I can’t afford it. Happy to make one off donations where I can.

Somewhere between 5 and 10% of disposable income after bills, etc. It’s by standing order etc, to make it Gift Aid so is commited each month.

It’s a good question – on reflection I don’t think it’s enough and has probably dropped as a % because in lockdown I’ve had less to spend it on, including things like petrol that I don’t consider as a disposable income spend (most of it’s for commuting and essential trips, I don’t use my car to go places by choice)

Also – have a mate who works for a charity and he always says that donations in response to events or appeals, and legacy gifts etc are always welcome but regular donations are the ones he can plan with on a year to use basis. So if you can set up a SO and do a bit each month it is appreciated.

Nothing regular setup.

Will normally sponsor friends when they ask. But I’m not sure what percentage of my income that ends up being. Probably around 1% at most. Although that peaks in Great North Run season.

I’m a volunteer mentor for the social mobility foundation so give a small amount of time to that each month (a few hours).

Nothing. But with no dependants various animal charities will likely be getting a decent 6 figure sum when I die.

2% of income. With extra at Christmas as we’ve started making donations in lieu of presents for older family members.

Last couple of months been donating a similar amount to local food bank.

Don’t forget, if you can’t spare cash then you may still have spare stuff. Obviously charity shops but they aren’t taking donations. Its a good time to have a clear out and get a bag ready, though. Homeless charities and refugee charities are taking clothes. Also there’s probably a local bike charity that’ll take spare parts. Lots of options like this.

Its a good win/win/win IMO. Good for the environment, good for the charity, and good for the donor.

It really is what you can afford. I’ve been fortunate in the past few years that even with redundancy my SO continued earning so we were able to budget to keep giving.

I give regularly to 4 charities. Oxfam, world parrot trust (of course), whizzkidz, and kids aid tanzania. With some ad hoc donations of cash and goods to others here and there.

Back of the envelope it’s about 6-7% of net income.  Though there is tax relief for me and gift aid for the charities. Probably means I should consider giving more

I recall church-going friends being committed to what I believe was a biblical tithe-like 10% of income.

the government’s international development funding isn’t quite like charity but it is a thorny and complex topic in many ways.

and if you have neither – do you have the time?

I recall church-going friends being committed to what I believe was a biblical tithe-like 10% of income.

Nephew is non church going & does this, he’s a banker earning what he calls an obscene amount of money, so it won’t be a small amount.

I’ve got so’s set up which equate to about 1.5% take home pay & usually equal that again in sponsorship of various friends when they do events.

Just got my calculator out…slightly less than 1% of take home for me.

Just over 2% of take home pay. Mix of local and international, all paid by standing orders each month

I’ve absolutely no idea I just donate how ever much I feel like at the time, I probably have 1 may be 2 regular donations set up though.

Not sure on percentages but got a few set up. Unicef and a tree planting one. Plus we have some family ones set up. Either way we can afford it so not worried.
I give cash to various ones when out too.
Either way i see it as if up out can afford it then there is no reason not to, if you can’t afford it then there is no shame involved and hopefully in better times people can

Financially, maybe 1%, touch less I’d imagine.
Time in terms of volunteering, 4 or 5 hours per week.

Very low for me. 1% out of my salary which is matched by employer and I give most surplus stuff to charity shops but as daveylad, when I die a number of charities will be getting 6 figure donations.

about 1.5% of my net.

Or 2.5% if you include union dues?

plus a bit more in ad-hoc donations now and again.

No idea what %.
Only regular things are the air ambulance and a small dog rescue place.
Other than that it’s the odd ‘just giving’ thing,’often on here.
I did give my uncle a very large (multiple thousands) donation through ‘just giving’ last year as they were raising money to alter the house to accommodate him after a massive stroke. They are not the most well off and my family rallied round but I earn my far the most of all of them so thought it was the least I could do especially as I wasn’t specifically asked to contribute any more than the rest.

Probably less than 1% for us, but my wife and I are trustees for 3 local youth charities between us, quite a lot of them need people’s time as much as their money.

I give 5% of my net take home every month via 11 direct debits to 11 charities. On top of that I make random donations in response to specific appeals eg flying foxes in Queensland was last week (they really are very cute).

I give our local Big Issue seller all my loose change every time I see him.

Then the odd donation to the usual big appeals. No monthly standing orders.

Always take our old clothes and decent sellable stuff to Air Ambulance shop – so donating in a different way on that front.

Re donating clothes to charities, another victim of Brexit!

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2021/feb/03/second-hand-clothing-mountain-piles-up-as-brexit-halts-exports-to-eu

Nothing concrete set up here. Maybe every other year I do some sort of organised charity challenge thing and harass people to sponsor me, then in return I’ll always sponsor people when they are doing something.

We get 2 days a year to volunteer through work which I always use, then as above we donate about a million pounds worth of used kids stuff to the local charity shop.

I’m toying more and more with the idea of giving some time regularly to something charitable, ideally around feeding people that need it but not sure what and covid dependent I guess

I volunteer, give £ to a couple of charities (probably about 2.5%) and donate food/supplies to a wildlife charity as and when they shout up as stocks are running low, I also give stuff to their shop to sell

and donate food/supplies to a wildlife charity and also give stuff to their shop to sell

I think this is a great thing as you know 100% of your donation is helping them. Our local HH hospital is always asking for food donations in spring when they get inundated with hogs.

Cuan Wildlife Rescue in Much Wenlock if anyone is interested, I’ve just seen on FB that they’ve managed to get a new van to help with their rescues :0)