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Research carried out for the 8th edition of The Guide to UK Company Giving shows that the top 600 companies gave around £762 million in community support in 2009/10 (including £512 million in cash donations). The average given by the top 600 as a percentage of pre-tax profits was just 0.43%, and much of this ‘in-kind’ support rather than cash.
The research suggests that while companies are becoming more proactive in their giving, often taking into account their perceived corporate social responsibilities within their communities, the trend is towards giving in kind rather than cash. This proactive approach, whilst commendable in some respects, can result in them giving forms of assistance, for example, volunteering employee time and secondments, not always needed by the charitable community and which in some cases can impinge too heavily on the charity’s own resources.
In these days of cuts in the statutory sector when cash can make the biggest difference to small and medium charities, companies should be asking what support charities can make the best use of. They should also endeavour to make transparent their community giving policies in order that they receive fewer ineligible applications and the applicant charitable organisations do not waste time and resources in applying inappropriately.
Denise Lillya, senior researcher for the Directory of Social Change and the author of the Guide says: "Due to the current political and economic environment, which has significantly reduced the support available from grant making charities and local authorities, fundraisers will need to develop their understanding of the availability of, and access to, company giving. However, many more of them will be turning to the private sector, thus creating increased competition for support."
The key when approaching companies is to produce more effective applications (whether for in kind or cash support); to tailor requests by taking into account the nature of a company’s business, its ethics, its community involvement policy (if available), and what a company wants or might reasonably be persuaded to give. This information should then be married with what the applicant charity actually requires, without imposing to any great degree on its own resources."
The Guide to UK Company Giving provides commentary on the current state of corporate community involvement in the UK, and relevant advice and information on securing funding or winning other support from the listing of nearly 600 companies in the UK that give ‘in kind’ or cash donations to voluntary organisations.
For more information please contact Richard Lee, Directory of Social Change by email or phone (020 7391 4881, 0797 008 7207).
Notes to editors:
- The Guide to UK Company Giving (8th edition) by Denise Lillya, is published by the Directory of Social Change and available for £75.00 from www.dsc.org.uk/companies.
- Founded in 1974, DSC is a national charity which supports an independent voluntary sector through campaigning, training and publications. DSC is the largest supplier of information and training to the voluntary sector, and its work helps tens of thousands of organisations every year achieve their aims. Learn more at http://www.dsc.org.uk/AboutUs.