Charities are feeling the pinch as the cost of living crisis bites, with most people admitting they are donating less than they did two years ago.
And the move towards a cashless society accelerated by the pandemic has hit charities particularly hard, with research by Virgin Red revealing that one in five of us admit we donate less because we are no longer carrying cash.. Nearly half (44%) of Brits say the amount they donate to charity has changed in the past two years, and one in five (18%) say they donate less due to often being coinless when out and about.
As well as a shift in attitudes towards carrying cards over coins, the pressures from the cost of living crisis have impacted the nation’s ability to donate, with the majority of people (70%) saying they are donating less due to the increased cost of living, as they no longer have the money to spare.
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Despite this, more than half (54%) of Brits would be more willing to give to charity if they didn’t have to use money. If you are giving less than you'd like to, there are several ways you can make donations without it actually costing you a penny of your own cash.
Supermarket and other loyalty and rewards cards usually have an option to donate the points you have collected to charity, although most have their own nominated charities to chose from.
With Virgin Red’s Spare Points, Not Change campaign, you can donate to 14 national and local charities, including Cancer Research, Blind Dogs and Mind as well as the UN Refugee Agency. Over the past three months, users have donated 3.2 million Virgin Points to the UN Refugee Agency, to support the charity’s work in the Ukraine crisis. To find out more, visit https://www.virgin.com/virgin-red
Sainsbury’s customers are now able to donate their Nectar points to UK charities including Macmillan Cancer Support, Alzheimer's Research UK and Help for Heroes. You can also donate to the Disasters Emergency Committee and the National Emergencies Trust. All of the charities that are participating in the Donate scheme are eligible for donations from the £250 million worth of points from the UK’s 18 million Nectar members.
If you have a Tesco Clubcard. you can donate to the British Read Cross and the British Heart Foundation among others, including poverty charities Fare Share and the Trussell Trust. All donations are made via the Clubcard website here.
Co-op shoppers can use their Membership Rewards points to donate to more than 9,000 UK charities when you make a donation via JustGiving. Search for a charity or fundraising page on JustGiving.com and click Donate. Once you have entered your payment details you can choose to pay, or part-pay, with your points. For every £1 you spend on selected Co-op products and services, 2p goes into your membership account and the Co-op gives the same amount to support community organisations and local causes.
And Marks & Spencer Sparks card holders can choose one charity to support, generating a 1p donation from M&S each time they use their card. Find out more here.
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