Constructive Capitalism for Goodness Sake (2012)

Donors are more likely to identify practical and personal motivations for philanthropy, but prioritise idealistic and altruistic considerations, a report published in September by philanthropy advisors Adessy Associates suggests.

Constructive Capitalism for Goodness Sake found that creating a lasting legacy (12%), social networking (14%) and tax benefits (15%), along with religious reasons (15%), were the most common reasons that people were motivated to give. But, in contrast, when asked to rank in order of preference their motivations for giving, respondents' top three responses were: to solve specific global issues; better society as a whole, and effect ‘social change’ and solve large scale problems.

Based on a survey of 85 respondents, the report also looked at what would make people give more to charity. The top answer, given by 20% of respondents, was tax incentives. However, when asked to rank what would prompt them to start giving more in order of preference, 62% of respondents said that understanding the positive impact of their giving was the single most important driver.

The report also found that over 62% of respondents said that if their donations were treated as investments, for example by providing an annual report documenting return on investment, it would impact on their giving.

Around 85% of respondents currently give to charity. The biggest barriers to giving included it being ‘hard to find a cause’ for 16% of respondents, being ‘unsure/undecided where (geographically) to contribute’ for 13% and the recent performance of the global economy, for 12%.