By Lauren Janus
This summer, our family will move back to the US after close to 8 years spent in the United Kingdom. It’s been, as they say here, “a brilliant” ride.
I’ve made lasting friendships, gained an appreciation for a proper cup of tea, and had two British babies on this undeniably chilly isle. When American friends ask about life in Britain, they usually want to know about these things…and Brexit, ugh.
While I’m always up for chatting about British versus American cuisine or parenting styles, I usually try to steer the conversation to the topic I’ve found to be, hands down, the most fascinating--the differences between the US and UK charitable giving culture.
My background is in the non-profit sector and when we arrived, I naively assumed the cultures would be the same. We speak the same language and share similar values, after all. It only makes sense that we’d give to charity in the same way!
But what I found after working in the UK charity sector and advising British clients on their own philanthropy, was that the differences are significant and somewhat surprising.
Americans give 1.45% of GDP to charity—the highest percentage of any other country in the world. The UK gives generously, but it still comes out to just 0.4% of GDP. In dollar terms, Americans give on average $694 per year to nonprofits; Brits give $247.
While by dollar (or pound) amount Brits may seem stingy in comparison to their American cousins, the fact is that people in the UK are incredibly generous. There are just a number of factors at play—many of them rooted in our undeniably different histories and cultural experiences. Here are a few I’ve come to more fully appreciate:
1. The strength of the welfare state. It’s no great revelation that British people can, and do, expect a lot from their government. The state provides everything here from healthcare for premature infants to senior housing.
I know from friends who work in social services charities that it can be a major challenge to convince the British public to donate to causes like homelessness and hospice care, because so many people just expect the government to look after people.
But things are changing, especially as budgets for healthcare to education come under increasing pressure. In fact, when you look at British charities raising the most money today, groups like Cancer Research UK top the list. So it’s entirely possible British giving to these issues will grow in the coming years.
2. The relative insignificance of religious giving. One reason Americans give so much to charity is that many of us are giving to our own religious institutions. In fact, 32% of all American charitable giving is to religious causes. In this UK, it’s just 17%.
The fact is that British people just aren’t as religious as Americans. Christmas is essentially a secular holiday here, and religious organizations like churches vary rarely come with the array of services—from youth programs to adult education—that are common (and expensive) in larger American religious institutions.
Add to that the fact that many Brits grow visibly uncomfortable when you bring up the topics of religion or money, and you’ll certainly see less giving in this area!
3. The cultural importance of national charities. Before I arrived on these shores, I didn’t understand that the handful of established, national charities in the UK aren’t just widely respected here. In many cases they’re symbols of national pride and values.
Groups like Save the Children, MacMillan Cancer Support and the Royal National Lifeboat Institution are household names in the UK. They raise millions of pounds a year and inspire thousands of bake sales and prospective marathon runners.
You simply cannot be a public official and not wear a poppy on your over coat in November to show your support for the Royal British Legion, an independent charity for veterans, for example.
I happened to be working for Oxfam here when a horrific scandal hit the 80 year-old charity. Oxfam workers were found to have engaged in sex with underage beneficiaries in the wake of the earthquake in Haiti.
As horrendous as this revelation was, I was taken aback by just how personally this abuse was felt by the British public. People were outraged on behalf of the young girls, but perhaps more so at Oxfam itself. Staff who had dedicated their careers to the organization broke down in tears at staff meetings and security guards were placed at the entrance of the building. It was as if the country itself had been violated.
American charities have seen their fair share of scandals, to which the public has expressed appropriate outrage. But I really don’t think Americans would have expressed as much hurt and anger as the UK public directed at Oxfam three years ago. Our charitable institutions just aren’t as central to our core sense of values, principles and self as they can feel to the British public.
Homeward Bound
I’ll always be grateful to this country for the way it’s welcomed our family. But I’m especially thankful for how it’s taught me to question my assumptions about donors’ intentions and perspectives on giving. The experiences someone has with charitable organizations, giving and community growing up fundamentally shapes how they see themselves as donors today.
Now that we’re ready to return to the US, I’m looking forward to putting this wider experience to use helping the hugely diverse range of American donors get the most joy and fulfilment from their own charitable giving, no matter where they live.
I welcome discussion. Please feel free to share your comments and questions with me at lauren@philagiving.com.