Charities Suffer As Payroll Giving Drops By Up To 50%, Alerts Equiniti ICS

Online, November 30, 2010 (Newswire.com) - Equiniti ICS, a leading provider of HR and payroll services, has reported that payroll giving has seen a 12% decline in employees participating, but more worrying for charities is a decline in donations of up to 50% since September 2008, coinciding with the economic troubles and UK recession.

For the first time, Equiniti ICS, which manages the payroll on behalf of 125,000 employees across 250 organisations, has observed a prolonged contraction in payroll giving.

Alan Foley, Director of Equiniti ICS, said: "Payroll giving is a great way to donate to charities as it is particularly efficient in terms of tax and provides a secure and dependable income stream for the charities. However, as with much other discretionary expenditure, it has suffered from the ill effects of the recession, and some charities will inevitably be suffering financially as a result. What is significant, and bodes well for the future, is that employees are not deserting their charities altogether and stopping donations completely; instead they are choosing to cut back, which is much more positive in the long term, as it shows an on-going commitment, but tempered by short term personal financial fears."