Donation box
Findings in a survey by PayYourWay.org.uk show nine out of 10 are defying the recession by donating to charity.
And despite the continuing pressures on household incomes, more people are planning to maintain or increase their charitable giving next year, compared to those planning to cut it.
The most common incentive for donating is to sponsor a fundraising friend or relative, with 44 per cent of people saying they give in this way.
The second most popular method is making ad hoc donations in collection tins (34 per cent), followed by those who regularly support a favourite charity close to their heart (33 per cent) and supporters of seasonal appeals such as Red Nose Day (32 per cent).
There are ways of maximising money given to charity as well as reducing your tax bill.
If you're a UK taxpayer making a donation to a charity in the UK, you can add Gift Aid, which is worth another 25 per cent in tax relief.
While any donation is an important one for charities, cash does not reap the rewards of Gift Aid.
Almost a quarter admitted they don’t know how Gift Aid works at all, while others incorrectly thought that the Government would double any donations made, and that Gift Aid only applied to cash donations.
Research by the Charities Aid Foundation estimates that good causes are missing out on £700 million worth of Gift Aid each year.
Sandra Quinn from the PayYourWay.org.uk campaign said: “It’s fantastic that so many people are keeping up their charitable donations in spite of these tough economic times. That’s all the more reason to maximise donations with Gift Aid and choose a payment method that makes the extra money as easy as possible to claim.
“It’s easier to claim Gift Aid on some payment methods than others – for example, online you can usually claim it with just one click, but ad hoc donations by cash or cheque can miss out.”
If you are the one fundraising, websites that enable you to collect are becoming more popular.
The Virgin Money Giving website is a not-for-profit and charity fees are just enough to cover operating costs.
Scott Mowbray, of Virgin Money, says: "Online giving services ensure that when sponsors donate, the money goes straight to the fundraiser and quickly onto the charity, as well as enabling Gift Aid to be added.
"Online giving services can help fundraisers ensure they collect pledges and also maximise the donations by adding Gift Aid.
"The uptake of Gift Aid is about 87 per cent compared with 40 per cent with offline fundraising. It really is the most effective, efficient and fun way to give to good causes."
Giving to charity can also be tax-efficient for individuals. Higher-rate taxpayers who would rather give money to charity than the taxman should consider making a donation.
When you make a donation through the Gift Aid scheme higher rate taxpayers can benefit as well as the charity as you can claim the difference between the basic and higher-rates of tax on your donation.
For every £100 donated a higher rate taxpayer can reclaim £25.
There are also give-as-you-earn schemes available through some employers – but only a small proportion. They allow you to donate to charity before tax is deducted from your salary. This enables you to help charity by making donations net of basic-rate tax while charities reclaim the difference from the Revenue.
Another option is to give shares to charity. You can give shares and get exemption from capital gains tax, and get income tax relief on such a donation.
Click here for information about the Saga Charitable Trust.