Every year the Charities Aid Foundation (CAF) and the National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO) publish a detailed review of philanthropy in the UK, and the latest one has recently been published. Unsurprisingly, in challenging financial times where people are counting the pennies, the headline figures show a drop in giving:

- Charitable donations have dropped 11% by £1.3bn to £9.9bm - The average person gave £10 per month this year, a decrease of £1 on the previous year - The number of adults in the UK donating to charity each month fell by 2% to 54% (i.e.: 774,000 fewer people are giving)

OxFizz is particularly interested in youth philanthropy. While the proportion of 65+ year olds giving to charity has increased by 6% in the past three years (from 52% to 58%), the proportion of 16-24 year olds has decreased from 41% (2006/7) to 38% (2008/9).

CAF Chief Executive John Low strikes an upbeat tone, and is right to celebrate the continued giving extant during the recession:

Yet there are important learning points here for charities, that the need to engage people and encourage philanthropy in a positive yet unpressurising way, is stronger than ever, and that there needs to be more of a focus on inspiring young philanthropists - the givers of the future.