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| The Big Give | |
|---|---|
| Name | The Big Give |
| Type | Charity matching campaign |
| Founded | 2007 |
| Founder | Natalie Evans |
| Headquarters | London |
| Area served | United Kingdom |
| Website | Official website |
The Big Give is a UK-based charitable fundraising initiative that organises time-limited match funding campaigns to amplify donations to registered charities. It partners with philanthropists, foundations, corporate donors, and charities to create matched giving windows that stimulate public donations and media attention. The project has become associated with high-profile annual events and strategic emergency appeals, attracting participation from a wide range of nonprofit organisations and philanthropic networks.
The Big Give operates as a platform coordinating pledges from foundations such as the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation, the Paul Hamlyn Foundation, and individual donors linked to families like the Gatsby and Wellcome Trust stakeholders. It convenes philanthropic intermediaries, including CAF (Charities Aid Foundation), Charity Commission for England and Wales, and private entities such as Goldman Sachs corporate social responsibility arms. The campaign model has been observed alongside international programmes led by organisations like Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Ford Foundation, MacArthur Foundation, and regional networks including London Funders and Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations.
Origins trace to early 21st-century UK philanthropic innovation influenced by donors active in initiatives such as Giving What We Can, Big Society Capital, and projects inspired by Andrew Carnegie-era endowments. Early pilot schemes involved partnerships with trusts such as the Sainsbury Family Charitable Trusts and community foundations like Community Foundation Network. The initiative scaled through alliances with national charities including Oxfam, British Red Cross, RSPCA, and arts institutions such as the Royal Opera House and National Trust. High-profile moments included rapid-response appeals during crises like the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the 2015 European migrant crisis, and the COVID-19 pandemic, where match funding models mirrored emergency response mechanisms used by UNICEF, WHO, and Red Cross societies.
Campaigns run in scheduled rounds—commonly seasonal drives—where lead donors create matching pots administered in collaboration with trustees from entities like Charity Commission for Northern Ireland-registered funds or corporate donors such as Barclays and HSBC. Charities register through due-diligence processes involving accrediting bodies like Institute of Fundraising and governance frameworks influenced by Companies House filings for charities with trading subsidiaries. Donors commit matched amounts, often structured as proportionate matches (e.g., 1:1, 2:1), and digital platforms handle real-time tracking similar to fundraising technologies employed by JustGiving, Virgin Money Giving, and PayPal Giving Fund. Promotion often involves media partners including BBC, The Guardian, The Times, and broadcast campaigns paralleling telethons run by Comic Relief and Children in Need.
Supporters cite measurable increases in donations to beneficiary organisations such as Cancer Research UK, Mind, Shelter, and British Heart Foundation. Evaluations by independent reviewers and philanthropic advisers such as NPC (New Philanthropy Capital) have highlighted effectiveness in donor mobilisation and visibility boosts comparable to campaigns by Make-A-Wish Foundation and Save the Children. The initiative’s model has been referenced in policy discussions with officials from Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport, and academics at institutions like London School of Economics and University of Oxford have studied its behavioural economics effects alongside research from Stanford University and Harvard University on matched giving.
High-profile campaigns included seasonal drives that benefited national organisations Royal British Legion, Age UK, Mind, arts beneficiaries such as English National Opera and Royal Shakespeare Company, and environmental groups like Friends of the Earth and The Wildlife Trusts. Emergency rounds have supported international relief via partners including ActionAid, CARE International, Médecins Sans Frontières, and regional beneficiaries such as Food Banks UK networks and local community projects supported by City Bridge Trust and London Community Foundation.
Critiques have addressed dependency risks for charities relying on one-off matched drives rather than sustainable income streams, echoing debates involving Chartered Institute of Fundraising guidance. Questions have been raised about donor attribution, overhead allocation, and administrative costs in comparisons with direct giving mechanisms like PayPal Giving Fund and recurring-gift programmes advocated by CAF. Some commentators from outlets such as The Guardian and Financial Times have debated whether high-profile matching diverts attention from long-term structural funding challenges faced by organisations like Shelter and Citizens Advice.
Matched funding Crowdfunding Philanthropy Charitable trust Corporate social responsibility Fundraising