International Day of Charity: Celebrating the Power of Giving

On the 5th of September each year, people across the world come together to celebrate the spirit of selflessness and generosity. Established in 2012 by the United Nations General Assembly, the International Day of Charity honours the legacy of Mother Teresa, a figure synonymous with compassion and giving.

The International Day of Charity recognises the important role that charity plays in our society, not just in terms of all that it delivers for beneficiaries, but also the wider effect it has on social cohesion, community engagement and wellbeing. Charity bridges the gaps left by public services and provides essential resources, services and advocacy for countless causes.

The charity sector in the UK is large and increasingly important, but when we think about the most generous or charitable country in the world, it is the United States that is hailed as the gold standard. On Giving Tuesday 2023, people across the US gave a staggering $3.1 billion in just 24 hours.

Here in the UK, philanthropy is also thriving. British giving in 2023 reached a record £13.9 billion, up from £12.7 billion in 2022. This figure is certainly impressive, but we still have a long way to go if we want to match our counterparts across the Atlantic where the philanthropy sector is 2.4 times larger. To put this disparity in real terms, if the wealthiest in the UK gave at the same rate as those in the US, £18 billion more would go to our charities.

Even with this untapped giving potential, we still have a lot to celebrate. The UK is home to more than 170,000 registered charities, supported by 924,000 trustees and 12 million volunteers who dedicate their time and skills to build a better society.

The UK’s charitable landscape is incredibly diverse both in terms of charity size and championed causes. Most of our charities are small: only 1% have an income of over £5 million annually and around 75% have an income of less than £100,000 per year. But from our largest and most recognisable charities, like Oxfam and Samaritans, to our grassroots and community-led organisations, the impact of British charities is huge.

This impact would not be possible without the financial and physical generosity of the British public. Volunteers are the lifeblood of Britain’s charity sector. People in the UK spend over 2 billion hours volunteering each year, equivalent to 1.25 million full-time employees or the total employment across the manufacturing, construction and real estate sectors combined. Charitable giving from the public also constitutes the largest share of income for the voluntary sector in the UK, valued at nearly £26.5 billion in 2021 or 47% of all income.

At NPT UK, we make philanthropy more convenient and efficient for our donors, helping them recommend thousands of grants each year to a vast range of causes around the globe. So, as we celebrate the International Day of Charity, let’s continue to foster a culture of generosity in the UK to ensure that our charitable sector not only survives, but thrives.

About the Author

Natalie Pinon is Executive Director, Development at NPT UK. She has over 15 years of experience working with philanthropists and impact investors to manage their giving.