Every December people empty their pockets for their charity of choice in what’s often dubbed the ‘Christmas effect’. But what happens the rest of the year when the goodwill has worn off? And what are the downsides of giving around the festive season? We catch up with the team from Emmanuel House to ask just this, alongside learning more about how the cost-of-living crisis has affected donations…
It’s the same every year. The Christmas period rolls around, we head off to see It’s a Wonderful Life, Band Aid’s Do They Know It's Christmas? starts blaring through the radio and we’re filled with that warm fuzzy feeling of charity. We aren’t like mean old Mr Potter who only thinks of himself, we want to be more like George Bailey, always giving to others, beloved by all. So, we hand over a few extra pennies to a homeless person on the street or we send in a donation to our favourite cause and we glow with our own sense of altruism, pleased to have embodied the Christmas spirit.
But what about the rest of the year? Because surely we can collectively do more good if we extend our empathy past a single season. Yet, for the majority of charities, most of the public’s goodwill stacks up in the winter months and reduces dramatically in the spring and summer. Coined the ‘Christmas effect’ or ‘December effect’, it’s estimated that November and December are the peak donation months across the board. Which, of course, isn’t inherently a bad thing, but could cause some issues when it comes to cash-flow and smaller charities missing out - unable to compete with the marketing campaigns of other, larger organisations.
Following the same trend, Emmanuel House CEO Denis Tully shares that “most of our income from giving comes in between November and January every year, and that has been consistently so for the past ten years,” which makes sense to him since “homlessness is one of the issues that is always on people's minds at Christmas, principally because it’s the total opposite of what many people want Christmas to be about - which is for people to gather together in a home.”
Homlessness is one of the issues that is always on people's minds at Christmas, principally because it’s the total opposite of what many people want Christmas to be about
Does this cause any issues for them? Not necessarily financially, because as an established charity Denis explains that they understand the fiscal profile of a year. However, when it comes to donating goods and volunteering it’s really important to keep the stamina up year-round, particularly because financial giving has dropped thanks to the cost-of-living crisis, and volunteering numbers have also reduced due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with Denis reporting the volunteer numbers to be around 1,000 pre-pandemic and just over 300 post. “In this time when people are thinking of reducing their giving financially, one of the places that could be counteracted is to volunteer in our charity shop (currently on reduced hours), because that could bring in £100 for a few hours - which is a fantastic alternative.”
An interesting case study, Emmanuel House definitely don't want to diminish the donations and support they receive at Christmas. However, it’s also their aim to tempt the ad-hoc donors into becoming long-term supporters, Marketing and Fundraising Officer Rosie Needham-Smith explains - something that will lead to an increased sense of stability for the charity. This is a concept that especially applies to volunteering, which Denis explains can result in the building of consistent relationships between volunteers and service users.
Financial giving has dropped thanks to the cost-of-living crisis, and volunteering numbers have also reduced due to the COVID-19 pandemic
So, back to the wider question at hand. Is giving at Christmas a bad thing? Obviously not. But we should keep charities in mind all year round, because the work never stops, and for many charities, they may have an increased need for support at times of the year that are totally unrelated to the festive season. Take, for example, emergency committees that are responding to crisis situations like natural disasters or sudden war - cases the public needs to respond to with immediacy. Therefore, this Christmas, it might be in the festive spirit to sign yourself up to charity newsletters, to stay updated throughout the entirety of the year.
Of course, for those of you who do want to donate at Christmas, don’t feel bad about it! Charities like Emmanuel House launch their winter campaigns for this exact reason, because giving around the festive months can be much easier, whether this is because you’re collecting money or donations themed around the time of year, or simply because you work charity into your personal budgeting system. And if you can’t afford to make a financial donation this year (thanks, cost-of-living crisis), then remember that charities do appreciate the gift of time, regardless of whether this is working at a local charity shop to boost their income or spending hands-on time at your local food bank.
Most of all, in the lead up to Christmas this year, just remember to be good to all the people you can. And even more importantly, to keep up this energy even after all the narratives around goodwill disappear. Particularly in Nottingham: we’re people that like to take care of each other. So, let’s do just that.
You can learn more about Emmanuel House and how to support them on their website
emmanuelhouse.org.uk
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