Foreword
When the first Anglican Giving Survey was carried out in 2020, it was the first-ever large-scale survey of Anglicans and their attitudes and behaviours around giving. The responses from 2,000 people gave us a window into their giving thoughts and practices, what motivated them to give and how they experienced giving in their church. It also demonstrated that the generosity shown by so many within our churches was extraordinary. There was great encouragement in that first survey, but some stark challenges too. Five years on, it is great to see the distance travelled and the encouragement within this second Anglican Giving Survey. On some key benchmarks there has been really notable progress, and these are highlighted in the top five findings in the report.
I am very grateful to the authors of this report – Marcia Stephens, Beth Vickers-Smith and Phil McBride –whose commitment, diligence, insight and skill have created such a thought provoking, challenging and encouraging piece of work.
To build a generous church needs the whole church. We build generosity through clergy and laity in our parishes, through diocesan giving advisors and episcopal and executive leadership, through the focus on generosity in our discipleship programmes, through the training we provide our ordinands, through the educational work in our schools on generous behaviours, the work of our national teams and above all the sacrificial generosity of so many who inspire generosity in others. This survey shows that, when we all work together, we can indeed build a more generous church.
As well as the encouragement in these findings, the survey highlights some of the challenges that remain. I am encouraged by the clear evidence that we can meet those challenges. And it’s important that we should, because the goals are inspiring – to become more like the generous God we believe in, and to grow generosity to enable the church’s ministry and mission to flourish.
Jonathan de Bernhardt Wood Director of Giving
Top 5 findings
1
THANK YOU
In the past six months, over 75% of Anglicans have been thanked for their giving
2
PREACHING
In the past year, over two thirds of Anglicans have heard teaching on giving and 60% of those said it changed their thinking
DIGITAL
3
4
GENEROSITY
In the past five years, Anglicans’ average giving has exceeded the rate of inflation
Almost 40% of Anglicans have used digital mechanisms to give to their church
PAGE4 PAGE6 PAGE8 PAGE 14 PAGE10
5
IMPACT
70% of Anglicans who give regularly to their church would give more if they had a greater understanding of the impact it made
In the past six months, over 75% of Anglicans have been thanked for their giving
According to the Charities Aid Foundation1 thanking people encourages future gifts, continued involvement and builds relationships. One of the key findings from AGS 2020 was that less than a quarter of people had been thanked for their giving within the last month, and a little over half within the last six months. Many churches acted on the recommendation to regularly thank givers, finding creative ways to share their gratitude for people’s generosity and by AGS 2025 over half had been thanked within the last month, and over three quarters within the last six months.
Gratitude is an essential part of encouraging generosity in our churches.
By
regularly saying thank you to everyone who gives, you can demonstrate how much each individual’s giving is valued and inspire further generosity.
Beth Vickers-Smith (Stewardship Officer, Diocese of Leeds)
Thanked in the last six months:
1 https://www.cafonline.org/services-for-charities/resources/the-power-of-loving-your-donors
When was the last time you were thanked for supporting your church through regular giving?
These pie charts show the significant improvements between the two surveys, with more than twice as many people thanked in the last month, and three quarters of givers being thanked in the last six months.
Within the last month
Within the last 6 months
Within the last 12 months
Within the last 3 years
Never
Recommendations
● Regularly thank people for their generosity, making sure the impact of their giving is clear
● Use letters, conversations, emails, films, notice sheets, sermons & talks – consider all communications
● Access the Cornerstone* pathway Thanking Your Givers
*Developed by the National Giving Team, Cornerstone is an online generosity tool available free of charge to all Church of England churches. It offers three distinct functions: Insights, Pathways and a comprehensive Grants database.
2 PREACHING
In the past year, over two thirds of Anglicans have heard teaching on giving and 60% of those said it changed their thinking
Sermons and talks are an impactful way to communicate messages of generosity. A sermon/talk on generosity also provides the opportunity to thank givers, explore biblical teaching and encourage a response from the congregation. AGS 2025 told us just over two thirds of respondents (67%) had heard a sermon/talk on generosity in the past year. Furthermore, 60% of those who heard that sermon/talk changed their thinking on generosity. In AGS 2020 only 53% had heard a sermon/talk on generosity and only 39% of those who heard that sermon/talk changed their thinking on generosity.
When did you last hear a sermon/talk that included a message on generosity or giving?
In AGS 2025 45% had heard a sermon/talk on generosity within the last 6 months and a further 22% in the last year resulting in 67% hearing a sermon/talk on generosity within the last year. This is an increase from AGS 2020 when 26% of respondents had heard a sermon/ talk in the last 6 months, and another 27% within the year – 53%.
Within the last 6 months
Within the last year
How far did this talk or sermon change, or not change, the way you thought about generosity and/or giving?
AGS 2025 showed that 62% of people had changed their thinking on generosity after hearing a sermon/talk. This combines the “Changed a lot” and “Changed a little” categories. This is completely opposite to AGS 2020 when 61% said it did not change their thinking.
Tithing
One of the ways we can live generously is by tithing, a biblical principle by which we give away 10% of our income. As such, tithing is a good topic for preaching and teaching. Both surveys asked respondents if they were familiar with the practice of tithing 2 . Awareness of tithing in AGS 2025 was around half of all respondents –very similar to what it had been in AGS 2020 (54% vs 53%). However more people now say they practice tithing.
Yes No
2 Whilst there are many places in the bible a tithe, or tithing, or giving a tenth is mentioned one specific place is Leviticus 27:30-32.
Recommendations
● Continue to teach on generosity
● Ask people to complete a pledge card during or after a service on generosity, where they say in what ways they will give generously to enable the ministry and mission of the church
● Access the Cornerstone pathway Preaching and Teaching on Generosity
3 DIGITAL
Almost 40% of Anglicans have used digital mechanisms to give to their church
For the past four years, up to the end of 2024, there has been a focus on digital giving across the Church of England. This was delivered by providing free-to-use donations software to all churches, offering a programme of training and resources on the use of digital mechanisms for giving, and giving out more than 2,000 contactless donation devices to churches. Whilst some churches adopted digital giving early, the period between our two surveys saw significant growth in the number of churches offering digital giving. By the end of 2024 over 50% of parishes had at least one of these digital mechanisms in place, and over £20m in digital income had been raised that year.
Digital Giving includes gifts made online (including via a QR code) and those made in person using a bankcard at a contactless machine.
Parish Giving Scheme has also grown significantly between the two surveys. By the end of 2024 over 5,500 churches offered PGS, with nearly 89,000 givers, and gifts (including gift aid) of over £99.9m in the year. The average PGS weekly gift is just over £19.
Have you ever given to your church in any of the following ways?
To assess the use of digital giving, AGS 2025 asked questions about how people would like to give as well as how they have given in the past. This chart shows in detail how people responded in AGS 2025 when asked if they had given using digital giving mechanisms; via a contactless machine or online.
As the graph shows, 39% of respondents had used at least one digital mechanism to make a gift to their church. This chart only shows data from the 2025 survey as the number of churches offering these mechanisms was too small in 2020.
As the use of cash continues to decline –it is predicted to account for only 6% of all transactions in the UK by 2033 3 – the role of digital giving is likely to become even more important. Therefore it is important that churches offer a range of mechanisms for people to give and find ways to incorporate those mechanisms in their worship. For example, giving people the option to put a token in the offertory plate to represent a gift given digitally (as encouraged by the Parish Giving Scheme). It’s also important to find ways to thank people for their financial generosity.
Recommendations
● Review all giving options available, and offer as many different mechanisms as possible to appeal to all givers
● Offer the option of contactless or online giving for those who do not carry cash
● Look at the Cornerstone pathways: Launching or Relaunch the Parish Giving Scheme; Getting Started with Online Giving; Getting Started with Contactless Giving
4 GENEROSITY
In the past five years, Anglicans’ average giving has exceeded the rate of inflation
AGS 2025 shows us that people have increased their weekly giving since AGS 2020. Rather than ask people to state an amount they have given, the survey uses a multiple choice question, with bands of giving, and asks for levels of financial generosity over the last three months:
How
much did you give to your church in the last 3 months?
People were asked to select one of seven bands: £0 to £10, £10 to £19, £20 to £49, £50 to £100, £101 to £500, £501 to £1,000, and over £1,000. Then the mid-point of each band was taken, and an average gift calculated. In AGS 2025 the average gift was £258 over three months, or £19.83 a week. In AGS 2020 it was £191 over three months, or £14.72 a week.
£1.53 compared to inflation
£14.72
4 Inflation calculator | Bank of England
£19.83
£18.30 (Based on Inflation Calculator)
Using the Bank of England’s inflation calculator4 we can see that if people had increased their AGS 2020 weekly gift by the rate of inflation, it would have grown to £18.30 a week. As the average gift is actually £19.83 a week, we can see an above inflation increase.
Both these charts also use the answers from the same question, ‘ How much did you give to your church in the last 3 months? ’.
The first bar relates to the number of people in each giving band. The number of people is shown as a percentage of the total number who answered the question. The first band (£1 to £10) was 3% of the survey respondents, the second band (£10 to £20) was 9%, the third band (£20 to £50) was 23% and so on. By the seventh band 100% of people who answered the question are represented.
The second bar relates to how much the people in each band gave, in pounds, over three months. In the same way, the first band (£1 to £10) gives less than 0.1% of the total between them, the second band (£10 to £20) gives 1%, the third band (£20 to £50) gives 3%, and so on.
This shows how the last two bands, despite being the smallest in terms of people make up a largest percentage of donations.
Number of People
Number of Givers by Band and Age
Using the bands once again, and responses to the same question, this chart shows the number within each giving band broken down by the age bands used. The 25-34 and 35-44 age bands have the most people who have given over £100 in three months.
In this survey, those aged between 25 and 44 are the most likely to give
In AGS 2020 the most generous givers were aged over 65. This was probably due to the disproportionate number of respondents aged 65+ taking the survey. In AGS 2025 the givers giving the most were those aged 25 to 44. In fact, nearly all of the most generous 6% (i.e. 84%) are aged 25 to 44. While it is not clear what people’s reasons are for increasing or decreasing their giving, it is good news that younger Anglicans are taking some of the responsibility of being generous to their church. And while it is encouraging to see giving rise above inflation, it is important for churches to encourage all to give, to reduce the dependency on a smaller number of givers.
Amount Given by Band and Age
Using the responses to this same question, this chart shows the donations within each giving band broken down by the age group. The blocks of colour for the 25-34 and 35-44 groups make up the majority of the bars of the top three bands. This makes it easier to see they are giving most of the higher amounts.
£120,000
£100,000
In this survey, those aged between 25 and 44 are giving the most
£80,000
£60,000
£40,000
£20,000
Recommendations
● Ask all givers to review their giving annually
● Encourage those who don’t give to make a commitment to even a small amount
● Encourage people to set up regular gifts using Parish Giving Scheme if possible
● Access the Cornerstone pathway “Running a Giving Campaign”
5
IMPACT
70% of Anglicans who give regularly to their church would give more if they had a greater understanding of the impact it made
AGS 2025 tells us that 70% of regular givers would give more if they understood the impact of their giving. Furthermore, 51% of those who don’t give regularly said they would be encouraged to give to their church if they understood the impact of their giving.
Very often, when we want to encourage giving, we talk about how much the church’s ministry and mission cost. But knowing how much things cost does not always motivate people to give. It is the impact the church makes that really motivates people to give and this survey underlines how true that is.
Impact can be shown by stories of people’s lives being changed by their involvement with their church. Sometimes the impact can be related to the level of gift, e.g. £10 buys snacks for Messy Church; £30 runs the coffee shop for an hour; £100 allows the foodbank to help one more recipient. These all show what people’s giving achieves, and is great motivation to start giving, or to give more. Whatever examples are used, make them relevant and applicable to the audience receiving them – the more specific and people-focused the better.
When talking about the church’s mission and ministry, make sure to focus on impact because as well as encouraging giving, it also shows people the difference the church is making. Saying you run a 60+ lunch club is great, but if you can talk about the impact that has made in the lives of some of the most vulnerable in our community then people will really be inspired by the church’s work, and want to contribute.
We were able to explain the need for a youth worker but it was the impact of having them in church that gave people the confidence to increase their giving to support all the different projects they had planned.
Phil
McBride (Generous Giving Advisor, Diocese of
York)
I would give more if I understood the impact of my giving
Regular Givers
In AGS 2025, 70% of regular givers said they would give more if the impact of their giving was explained better. In AGS 2020, this had been 49% of regular givers.
In AGS 2025, 51% of non regular givers would start giving if they understood the impact. In AGS 2020, this figure had been 46% for nonregular givers. Around half of Anglicans who do not give regularly need more motivation around understanding the impact of their gift.
It’s easier to communicate the need for giving for specific, high-impact projects like repairs, net zero adjustments, appointment of key staff etc. What can be harder is asking for funds to keep the church running. Things like each church’s contribution to Parish Share5, insurance, and fuel don’t have such an obvious impact on people’s lives. But they are just as important.
Churches need a range of resources that explain how and where gifts are used. These encourage those who are already giving by showing them the good work their money is facilitating. Resources can also explain what additional work could be done if there were more funds and in turn this may inspire givers to give more, or non-givers to start to contribute. This information can also form relevant content for social media platforms, getting the message of the church’s work and impact to as wide an audience as possible.
Recommendations
● Create resources to explain the need for regular giving for general day to day costs
● Communicate regularly about the impact of the gifts given via newsletters, social media and teaching slots
● Consider the Cornerstone pathways entitled “Communicate Your Impact”, and “Create an Impact of Giving Leaflet”
Anglican Giving Survey –Background
The Anglican Giving Survey ran for the first time in summer 2020. This was during the Covid pandemic and covered lockdown. It was repeated in early 2025, marking he beginning and the end of the first National Giving Strategy6 . The intention of running the survey at these two intervals was to understand the giving behaviours of Anglicans, and to see how they have changed during the lifetime of the first giving strategy.
Both iterations of the survey were conducted by nfpResearch7 on behalf of the Giving Directorate within the National Church Institutions’. They were each based on an online panel of 2,000 self-identified Anglicans. Along with questions around what, how, why, and when they give to their church, respondents were asked about their giving to charity as distinct from their church.
The demographics of the respondents in both surveys has been compared to the Census of 2021 of England and Wales8. In the absence of demographics relating specifically to attendees of Church of England churches, the Census is considered to be the best estimate of that population.
6 The National Giving Strategy covered the years 2020 to 2024 The National Giving Team | The Church of England
7 In 2020 the agency was known as nfpSynergy
8 https://www.ons.gov.uk/census
Gender
This chart shows that both the AGS 2020 and the AGS 2025 survey had a good representation of both male and female respondents. According to the Census, the population consists of slightly more females (51%) than males (49%). In the AGS 2025 more males (51%) answered than females (47%). 2% of respondents chose a response different to male or female.
Age
This chart shows the age groups of respondents from both surveys, with Census 2021 as a benchmark. AGS 2025 is a closer match to the Census than AGS 2020. The youngest age group; 16-24, was under-represented in both surveys, which is due to the requirement for survey respondents to be over 18. The next age group; 25-34, was under-represented in AGS 2020, and slightly over-represented in AGS 2025. The other age group that stands out is the oldest group; 65+, who formed over 40% of the sample for AGS 2020. By AGS 2025 this group was representative of the population at 22%.
Ethnicity
This chart shows that the AGS 2025 survey respondents were closer in ethnic representation to the population as a whole. The AGS 2020 survey was not as representative of England and Wales as, at 5%, it had too few participants from a minority ethnic background.
9 More details on Social Grade can be found in this paper from the Market Research Society
Further demographics; social grade9, region, and urban/rural were considered and accepted as being representative with no direct comparator available. Social grade had a similar profile in both surveys and there was a higher level of social group AB (professionals, higher and intermediate managers of administrative and professional occupations) than in the population as a whole.
Authors
Marcia Stephens – Marcia is the Data Analyst within the Giving Directorate and has worked at the NCIs since January 2023. Prior to that she had a number of roles in statistics and data analytics including at Canterbury Diocese and the Civil Service. With over 30 years’ work experience, Marcia enjoys bringing understanding to data via storytelling, analysis and visualisations.
Beth Vickers-Smith – Beth is a Stewardship Officer in the Diocese of Leeds where she has worked since graduating from the University of Leeds in June 2023. At university, Beth studied Mathematics and Music and worked as a Data Analyst for the NHS as part of her course. She also serves on the worship and student teams at her Church.
Phil McBride – Phil is a Generous Giving Adviser in the Diocese of York, where he has worked since April 2022 supporting churches with their capacity to grow giving and generosity. Prior to this, he worked for nearly 25 years as an Advanced Skills Mathematics teacher in schools in Pontefract, Leeds and York.
Editor
Annie Rey – Annie is Head of the Resources & Insights team within the Giving Directorate. She is professionally qualified in both journalism and marketing and has over 30 years’ relevant work experience.
Top 5 findings
1
THANK YOU
In the past six months, over 75% of Anglicans have been thanked for their giving
2
PREACHING
In the past year, over two thirds of Anglicans have heard teaching on giving and 60% of those said it changed their thinking
DIGITAL
3
Almost 40% of Anglicans have used digital mechanisms to give to their church
4
GENEROSITY
In the past five years, Anglicans’ average giving has exceeded the rate of inflation
giving@churchofengland.org
5
IMPACT
70% of Anglicans who give regularly to their church would give more if they had a greater understanding of the impact it made