In the charity sector, we spend a lot of time asking people to give. How often do we think about belonging as part of that?

Connection and belonging are at the heart of my work in health promotion and community health. So, reading the Charities Aid Foundation’s World Giving Report 2026, I was surprised to find belonging so prominent in research on giving. Then I realised just how much sense it made.

The report puts it simply: “People are much more generous when they feel like they’re part of a community.” Its international comparisons show that countries where more people feel a strong sense of belonging to their local community tend to give a larger share of their income. [1]

That is an association, rather than proof that belonging causes people to give. Feeling part of a local community is also different from feeling connected to a particular charity. We need to be careful about translating the findings into a promise that building community will increase donations.

Still, the research raises a question worth sitting with.

In fundraising, we often talk in terms of acquisition and retention. That language has its place. Charities need to understand what brings people to their work and what keeps them involved. But what happens if we also ask: what kind of community are we building through the way we invite, involve and recognise people?

That question takes us beyond the moment someone makes a donation. It asks what happens between appeals. Whether people have opportunities to participate, share their experience and help shape the work. Whether they feel their contribution matters, and whether there is a place for them when giving money isn’t possible.

Someone might contribute time, introduce a friend, offer a skill or bring knowledge from their own life. How do we recognise those contributions? Do the ways we communicate and involve people make them feel part of a shared effort?

I also find myself wondering whether the relationship can run both ways. Could contributing to something we care about help us feel more connected? Could an invitation to give become an opportunity to participate, meet others and find a place in a community? Those are questions I would like to explore further.

There is a tension here, too. If we approach belonging only as a way to raise more money, we risk losing sight of why it matters. For organisations working to improve lives and strengthen communities, the experience of being welcomed, valued and able to contribute has significance of its own.

None of this removes the pressure to fund the work. Building relationships takes time and attention, often when both are stretched. Nor does every supporter want the same kind of involvement. Some will welcome a closer connection; others will simply want to give and know their contribution is useful.

I’m still thinking this through. It is probably one of those ideas that is simple to say and harder to do well. But alongside asking how we encourage people to give, I think it is worth asking what we are inviting them to be part of.

Further reading: Charities Aid Foundation, World Giving Report 2026: Donor Insights.