87% OF Irish adults have donated to charity in the first three months of the year, with nearly half (47%) giving to charities to support Ukraine, new research shows.
According to a survey by Enthuse, 38% of people donated to charities providing humanitarian support on the ground in Ukraine, while a further 23% gave to charities supporting Ukrainian refugees arriving in Ireland.
Aside from Ukraine, other prominent causes to resonate with Irish people in the first three months of the year include local community charities (25%), mental health support services (24%), homelessness (22%), children's charities (22%) and cancer research (20%).
There causes to receive donations include animal welfare charities (19%), local hospices (17%) and church or faith-based organisations (13%)
The rising cost of living has also emerged as one of the defining challenges for Irish households in 2022, with 80% of Irish adults citing it as their top concern for 2022. In comparison, only 11% referenced Covid.
However, despite this economic backdrop, the fundraising and charitable sector will be encouraged to learn that Irish adults remain positively disposed to donating to charity in 2022. Nearly two in five (38%) state that they were more likely to give to charity today than they were three months previously.
In light of the pandemic restrictions being lifted in Ireland, there appears to be an appetite among Irish adults to participate in fundraising events or activities in 2022. Over half (58%) are open to participating in fundraising events later this year, with large group events, including fun runs and sponsored walks proving the most popular.
Amongst those who intend on participating in fundraising activities in 2022, exactly 50% are open to participating in large group activities, while 48% prefer the greater flexibility of being able to complete an exercise challenge in their own time. Other popular fundraising formats include pub quizzes and bake-offs (47%), lifestyle challenges (24%) and gaming events (20%).
The findings suggest that there is less appetite among Irish adults for formal fundraising events, including black-tie dinners (only 13%) or traditional professional networking events (just 7%).
