One of the UK’s largest match-funded campaigns has raised a record £33m for 1,077 charities in a week.
This year, Big Give’s Christmas Challenge ran between 28 November and 5 December and received more than 94,000 donations from members of the public.
In total, the campaign raised £33m for charities including Children on the Edge, Stick ‘n’ Step and UK Wild Otter Trust, which is 15% more than last year’s total of £28.6m (2021: £24.1m).
Some 74% of the charities that took part in the campaign met or exceeded their fundraising target, a 4% increase compared with the previous year.
Earlier this year, Big Give announced that it had given out nearly £100m in match funding to charitable organisations since 2007.
It has raised a total of £233m for charitable causes since it began 15 years ago, which include donations of £113m, match funding of £97.4m and gift aid of £20.1m.
‘We’ve been blown away by people’s generosity’
Public donations made through the Christmas Challenge are matched by Big Give’s “champions” which include philanthropists, foundations and companies such as Candis, the Childhood Trust and Julia & Hans Rausing Trust.
Nearly half of the money raised by the Christmas Challenge was for small charities with an annual income under £1m.
Alex Day, managing director of Big Give, said: “We have been blown away by people’s generosity this year, smashing last year’s record by £4.5m.
“It’s quite extraordinary. Behind every £1 raised and every target hit are stories of incredible, life-changing, heart-warming impact delivered by our 1,077 charity partners. The donations they’ve received will make such a massive difference, especially as they are facing the hardships of the cost-of-living crisis.”
