Charities ignoring the young

Many more children and young people would like to help, CAF research finds.

Charities are missing out on donations and volunteering time from young people because they fail to communicate effectively with them, a study has suggested.

A poll of 655 10 to 16-year-olds, carried out by the Charities Aid Foundation in May, found that 85 per cent of them thought that charities should work harder to engage them and that many more would like to help charities than had already done so.

Sixty-five per cent of respondents said they would like to volunteer for charity, but only 13 per cent had done so. Seventy-five per cent said they would like to give money to charity, but just over a quarter had donated.

Cancer Research UK was the most popular organisation, with 15 per cent of respondents saying it was their favourite charity. This was followed by the RSPCA with 7 per cent, and Children in Need and Comic Relief with 5 per cent each.

Twenty-six per cent of respondents said that animal welfare was their favourite cause, followed by children (15 per cent) and medical research (13 per cent).

The survey also showed that nearly 70 per cent of children would be prepared to give up a birthday or Christmas present so money could be donated to charity. Eighty-six per cent thought everyone should donate to charity, and 95 per cent thought charities made the world a better place.

Carolan Davidge, director of PR and brand at Cancer Research UK, said the charity tried to engage with young people in different ways. She added that young people were often the charity’s most enthusiastic supporters.

source: Hannah Jordan for the Third Sector