GIVING TO CHARITY gives you a high similar to cocaine, according to an American professor. And, seeing as the average Brit gives £16 a month, giving is a whole lot cheaper than a drugs habit, too. Yet only half the population gives on a regular basis. If the professor is right, how can that be?

Part of the answer is that giving can also be stressful. Charities are increasingly distrusted, and with decreased trust comes increased worry. Giving might provide a high, but it has its down-sides too.

The evidence to back this up is increasing. Even the most sober researchers admit that the public has a serious problem with some favoured fundraising techniques. Discussing street fundraising (a.k.a. 'chugging'), the pointy-heads at nfpSynergy say that the public's views are "universally negative and sometimes quite extreme" - not surprising, perhaps, but rare to see confirmed in print. Those same researchers have pointed out that 93 per cent of people think 'gifts' (such as pens) sent by charities are a waste of money. And a third of people prefer to give to causes where they know precisely how their donation will be used - suggesting that charity bosses can't be trusted to make the right decisions.

Yet the public's distrust is often misplaced. Most people think charities spend too much on fundraising, but this suspicion isn't based in fact. Three-quarters of people think that charities spend over 30 per cent of their income on fundraising - but our statistics show that the true figure is more like 20 per cent. Likewise, widespread concern over 'fat-cat salaries' is almost completely baseless.

"Giving is still one of the most rewarding things you can do"

Of course, some fundraising techniques are annoying - and charities should do more to curb their occasional excesses. But if you can see past the glossy marketing and slick presentation of the big charity brands, giving is still one of the most rewarding things you can do. In addition to receiving the so-called "helpers' high" from endorphins in the brain, nfpSynergy points out that a hefty majority of people feel satisfied with how charities treat them after they've given.

The conclusions from all this research are straightforward. If you give to charity, you'll be happy. (Or, at least, happier.) Your chosen charity will probably treat you well, too. But before you get happy, you'll need to trust a charity enough to support it. And we would humbly suggest that a trip to our charity profiles might help you with that.
 

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Statistics from nfpSynergy are taken from its reports, 'The Twenty-first Century Donor,' and 'Signed, Sealed and Delivered,' (commissioned by the FRSB) available for free on nfpSynergy's website (registration required).

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