Private donor support for international development has been growing steadily. UK donors now give around £1 billion per annum, equal to one-quarter of the Government’s £4 billion in ODA, yet we know little about what influences levels of giving to global issues. With strong competition for the international donor’s pound between conflicts such as the one in Darfur, natural disasters like the Pakistani earthquake, basic Millennium Development Goals and global environmental concerns, new research has looked at key influences on donor decision-making. It reveals the powerful influence of public communication on donor attitudes.

The research is part of a programme funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), the UK’s academic research funding body. It has involved analysis of UK data on giving and legacies to international NGOs, as well as donor focus groups exploring attitudes and perceptions.