2,000 Anglicans were surveyed between July-September 2020 on giving perceptions and practice. Anglicans were defined as those who consider themselves as active supporters of the Church of England and attend church at least once a month.
The survey shows that simple things can be done quickly and easily to encourage giving, and so grow the ministry and mission of the church. The survey will be repeated every two years to track the impact of the National Giving Strategy on giving within the Church of England.
To request a copy of the full in-depth report please email [email protected].
The Findings
Whilst some of the results from the survey were predictable, we were surprised to discover that there was little statistical variation by church geography, tradition or setting. Therefore, whilst the results are not representative of all parishes, they are on average true. Generosity is complex, these findings must be delivered with love and care
Top 10 Findings
- A third of Anglicans do not give to their Church
- 40% of Anglicans have never been asked to give regularly
- Nearly half of Anglicans have never been asked to review their giving
- Only half of Anglicans have heard a sermon on giving in the past 12 months & 60% said it didn’t change their thinking on giving if they had
- Less than a third of Anglicans say they are regularly thanked for their giving
- The most popular reason to give to their Church was to help keep the building maintained.
- Twice as many Anglicans have been asked to give by collection envelope (60%) compared to direct debit (31%)
- Anglicans are three times as likely to leave a legacy to charity than they are to church
- Only 27% of Anglicans view their church’s need as ‘very important’
- 49% feel they would be motivated to give more if they understood the impact of their giving
Top 10 Recommendations
- Regularly communicate the church’s need of the church and impact of people's giving
- Promote and encourage regular giving by Direct Debit / Standing Order such as the Parish Giving Scheme, and explain why it is important
- Ask all members to review their giving as part of an annual giving campaign
- Enable people to learn about living a generous life as part of their discipleship
- Encourage giving in a variety of different ways and using different methods
- Ensure givers are formally thanked at least once a year for their giving
- Encourage giving to the church as a way of maintaining the church building for current and future generations.
- Ensure your church has the means for people to give digitally and promote them
- Provide information about why legacies are needed and communicate this to your members
- Provide examples of giving that resemble a shopping list e.g. £5 a week helps support our messy church and £15 a week funds our church maintenance programme. This will demonstrate the impact of people's giving.
Download our poster with the Top 10 Findings and Recommendations from the report.
Giving personas
To help better understand the different giving motivations and habits, we’ve created five Giving Personas. These personas show the different types of giver within a typical church, and your church can use these personal profiles to better understand the range of attitudes and behaviours around giving, and tailor giving communications to different Anglican audiences. Download the profiles.