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December 2024 - Voluntary

Tesco and Sainsbury’s are the most generous FTSE 100 companies in the UK: A recent report by Charities Aid Foundation (CAF) has revealed that Tesco and Sainsbury’s are the most generous FTSE 100 companies when it comes to corporate giving. Tesco donated 11.92% of their pre-tax profits and Sainsbury’s donated 10.55%. However, it was the healthcare sector who were deemed the most generous sector in the FTSE100, contributing to 22.9% of total donations.

Corporate giving is also known as community investment. Companies are no longer obliged to detail their investments and donations in their annual reports, but many still choose to do so. CAF measure corporate giving across four areas:

• Cash donations
• In-kind donations of products, services or facilities
• Cost of employee time spent volunteering for community causes during working hours
• The management of costs associated with running a company’s community programme

Employee fundraising is not included, unless matched by their employer.

The research also highlighted that the total donations by the FTSE 100 had fallen slightly from £1.85 billion to £1.82 billion in 2023; when adjusted for inflation this represents a decline of 8.3% in the past year. Over the last decade the decline of FTSE 100 donations in real terms is equivalent to a 34% decrease.

As well as donating the highest percentage of their pre-tax profits, Tesco were also the biggest riser in terms of sum given. In 2023, they donated an extra £30 million during a period of high inflation. Much of their donations went to a food waste charity and food banks. In contrast, energy company Shell donated £50 million less year on year which reduced their total donations to £101 million. However, they remained high ranking by sum given occupying fifth place in the FTSE 100; Healthcare company GSK were the highest donors based on sum giving over £300m in the previous year.

Other statistics showed that 75% of UK businesses outside the FTSE 100 did not donate to charity in 2023; if all companies donated at least 1% of their pre-tax profits, charities in the UK would be £5 billion better off.

The report shows the huge different large organisations can make to the not for profit sector, even if what they give is expressed as a relatively small percentage of their pre-tax profits.

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