What the CAF 2026 UK Giving Report tells us about women, giving, and the future we could build
Much of the reaction to the Charities Aid Foundation (CAF) UK Giving Report has focused on the warning signs: falling donor numbers, eroding trust, and an increasingly narrow base of mega-givers with outsized influence over social priorities. That concentration of power is worth naming: while the Chronicle of Philanthropy's top 50 US philanthropists commit $22.4 billion in a single year, a very small group, overwhelmingly older and overwhelmingly male, is effectively making decisions that shape civil society for everyone else.
But we should talk about what the data tells us is going right.
Women are already engaged and we are underestimating them.
The CAF report, like almost every comparable study before it, confirms that women participate in civic life more than men, giving, volunteering, signing petitions, joining causes. This isn't new. And yet look at that top 50 philanthropist list. Women are barely visible at the top of the giving pyramid, even as they form the broad base of it.
Kathleen Loehr, one of the leading thinkers on women's philanthropy, identifies a crucial principle in her framework: women give more than money. They bring networks, time, voice and talent to the causes they care about. The organisations winning with women donors are the ones that recognise this holistic contribution – not just the cheque.
If we only build our fundraising models around the mega-donor at the top of the pyramid, we may miss the chance to leverage the most powerful growing force in philanthropy.
Conversation is the most powerful fundraising tool available.
The second finding we keep returning to: 17% of donors say they gave because of a conversation with a friend, family member or colleague. That's the single biggest trigger in the report, ahead of advertising, social media or any direct fundraising approach. People give because someone they trust raised the subject. Are we creating the conditions for that to happen, and equipping our supporters with the language and confidence to become effective advocates?
The opportunity ahead
The future of giving need not be determined by those at the top of the wealth pyramid. It can be shaped by the broad majority who are already engaged, already motivated by connection and community, and already more likely to be women than men. The data points clearly in one direction. As a sector, are we ready to follow it?
You can find the full Charities Aid Foundation UK Giving Report 2026 at https://www.cafonline.org/insights/research/uk-giving-report.