You may have seen in the news last week that The Sunday Times named those on top of their Giving List for 2020. A year when the nation, and even the world, showed they could think of others even when facing adversity themselves.
This list of philanthropists has this time been topped by the youngest person in its history – English football star Marcus Rashford.
Marcus Rashford tops Sunday Times Giving List
In a year that broke records for donations received, Rashford topped the list for his work raising £20 million from supermarkets that went towards charitable organisations trying to tackle food poverty in children in the UK.
The total raised in 2020 increased by 36% on the previous year, rising to £4.3 billion – The first time it has ever exceeded £4 billion.
Not only did he raise a phenomenal amount of money, he also helped charity FareShare give out 4 million meals to vulnerable children during the pandemic. Children who may not have otherwise had a meal to eat.
And as if that wasn’t enough, Rashford also rallied the government to change their policies on free school meals, and enable schools to continue to give them out during lockdown and school closures. He was made an MBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List for his dedicated work to making sure vulnerable, hungry children were fed.
His passionate appeals came from a place of authenticity, having had to rely on free school meals as a child himself.
Rashford tops a list of people that made a huge difference during a year that was incredibly tough on charities and not-for-profit organisations that rely so heavily on donations.
Who Else is on The Sunday Times Giving List?
Traditional ways of fundraising may have ground to a halt over the past year, but thankfully online fundraising and socially distanced fundraisers have managed to raise some much needed funds for those who really need it. Whilst the ways we can donate may have changed, people’s willingness to give to good causes didn’t go anywhere. Let’s see who else made the list.
- Marcus Rashford wasn’t the only footballer to make the list. Jordan Henderson, Liverpool’s captain, came 6th place on the list after raising £4 million for the NHS through the #PlayersTogether appeal.
- Taking second place was the Sainsbury family who generated £230 million for various charities as serial benefactors through a network of trusts.
- Following the gifting of £62 million during 2020, Jonathan Ruffer came 3rd. His Auckland Project is leading the regeneration of the former County Durham mining town.
This extraordinary show of generosity seems largely Covid fuelled, with the Giving List recording 71 donations of at least £10 million and 9 donations of more than £100 million. Just incredible! This money went to so many causes on the frontline of the pandemic – From PPE to community support.
This Sunday Times Giving List shows us the top fundraisers, but there are so many more little wins to be found across the UK. Here at Donater we’ve been proud to be a part of charities launching new online fundraising infrastructure, and embracing change with a tenacity to keep donations coming in amid a global crisis using digital methods.
For more information on how Donater’s suite of digital fundraising tools can help your charity take fundraising online and receive digital donations with ease, head to our website or get in touch with us today.