Celebrating 10 years of Virgin Money Giving

A woman with pink hair has it shaved off for charity
Virgin Money Giving
Natalie Clarkson
by Natalie Clarkson
5 November 2019

The average British person has become more charitable over the last 10 years, according to Virgin Money Giving.

The giving platform is celebrating its 10th birthday and in the last 10 years, 1.3 million fundraisers using Virgin Money Giving have raised more than £800 million for good causes. 

Virgin Money GIving research into the charitable habits of the British public found that more than half of respondents would consider giving a charitable donation in place of a present at Christmas, compared to just 34 per cent 10 years ago. The last decade has also made the British public more socially conscious, with 42 per cent of people saying that giving to charity makes them feel happy.

Interestingly, millennials seem to be the most charitable among us, with nearly 75 per cent of 25 to 34-year-olds likely to ask for or give charitable donations for their special occasions such as weddings, birthdays and Christmas gifts.

The most popular charities for the British public to donate to are cancer charities, animal welfare charities, hospitals and hospices, and children’s charities. And they say that the best way to raise the most amount of money would be to run naked down the high street – although they’d need pledges of at least £9,750 if they were to do it.

One of the biggest success stories of the Virgin Money Giving platform is English cricketer Andrew Strauss, who set up The Ruth Strauss Foundation after his wife died of cancer in December 2018. Through the platform, Strauss has raised thousands of pounds to fund vital research. He said: “Starting the Ruth Strauss Foundation was a big thing to do quite shortly after my wife passed away with a rare form of lung cancer. You kind of always think about how can I make something positive come out of the situation?”

Read more about how the Virgin Money London Marathon – for which Virgin Money Giving is the official fundraising website – smashed fundraising records again this year.

Visit Virgin Money Giving to set up your own fundraising campaign and do something amazing today.