CLOSE TO 400,000 fewer people gave up charity in recent months, including Christmas, compared to last year according to surveys by Fundraising Ireland.
However, those who are still donating are giving more, with overall donations up slightly.
A 12 per cent drop in the numbers giving under €10 was recorded, but a rise in amounts between €16 and €50.
Those who are donating are also choosing to shy away from traditional collection methods, such as raffles or street collections, and turning instead to direct debit and online donations, which saw a 3 point rise to 14 per cent.
Fundraising Ireland said the survey showed “contradictory views” when it came to staff wages.
While 92 per cent agreed that the best people available should staff charities, 35 per cent said that competitive wages should not be paid.
A slim majority of 40 per cent said that wages should not be comparable to the private sector, with 38 per cent agreeing.
One in five of the 1,018 surveyed by Behaviour and Attitudes said they gave to a local charity, unchanged since previous surveys.
Appeals for humanitarian aid following Typhoon Haiyan is believed to have caused a spike in the numbers donation to international emergency appeals.
Chairman of Fundraising Ireland said the findings present “a serious challenge for all charities”.
“It is a big concern that there has been such a fall-off in the numbers donating to charities,” Tim O’Dea said.
He added that more work needs to be done on “regaining people’s confidence further by being completely transparent, accountable, and above all, effective”.
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