A pulse survey conducted by Coutts & Co at the Coutts Forum for Philanthropy reveals that 87% of philanthropists surveyed are expecting to either increase (42%) or maintain the same level (45%) of their charitable donations over the upcoming year, despite the economic downturn.  The survey, conducted among over 100 clients who attended the Forum, suggests that charities are not going to lose out from the downturn.  

Mark Evans, Head of Philanthropy & Family Business at Coutts commented: " There has been an upsurge in the level of philanthropy over the last ten years and so it's great to see that the recession has not stopped everyone giving. That said, more major donors do seem to want help from professional advisers in balancing heart and mind when making funding decisions. Equally important is the fact that the charity sector is responding to the diversity of interests and enthusiasms among new donors, exploring ways of involving them and drawing on their skills."

The research also revealed the key motivations for giving, and shows that just 16% of guests rated tax benefits as their main reason for donating. Instead, 42% felt that their key driver was a desire to ‘give back’ to the community; and over a third (37%) put their motivations down to a personal experience or some form of link with a particular charity or cause. Other key motivations included, parents wanting to create a culture of giving within the family and to use philanthropy as a way to communicate values to their children.

Maya Prabhu, Senior Philanthropy Adviser at Coutts commented: “While unstructured and spontaneous giving might to some extent fall victim to the economic downturn, results show that we will see some wealthy individuals giving more to help charities This is evidenced in the 2009’s Sunday Times Rich List where the top 100 philanthropists have donated £216million more to charity than last year, an 8% rise”.

“At Coutts we believe that effective philanthropy requires donors to learn about causes and charities, and share experiences with other donors in ‘best practises’ in giving  - these forums are an excellent way to achieve this.” 

Through its philanthropy specialists, Coutts offers specific knowledge and insights to help guide clients in creating an effective giving strategy, evaluating projects and creating a portfolio of charitable interests. 

April’s forum marks the 30th in Coutts’ series of Forums on Philanthropy. Speakers at the Forum on 22 April included the Rt Hon Iain Duncan Smith MP, Dr Mary Archer and the entrepreneur Alec Reed CBE. The Forum, entitled Balancing Heart and Mind in Philanthropy, explored how private philanthropy can support education in the UK; provided practical advice on reviewing grant proposals from charities and featured a stimulating panel discussion on setting a family’s philanthropy strategy. For further information on Coutts Forums on Philanthropy or services please visit www.coutts.com/philanthropy