Earlier this month, Lloyds Banking Group and its partner foundations published new research on the role small charities play in supporting people's financial resilience. Here, our Director of Policy, Communications and Research, Nicole Sykes, shares some key figures demonstrating the impact of their support.
24 July 2025
Earlier this month, Lloyds Banking Group and its partner foundations published new research showing that, over the past 3 years, 4.3 million people in the UK asked charities for help with their financial challenges. It’s an extraordinary number. The populations of Birmingham, Leeds and Sheffield combined.
But what’s also extraordinary is the quality of the support charities are providing to millions of people.
Charities are receiving the equivalent of Net Promoter Scores most businesses could only ever dream of, with 9 out of 10 (90%) financially vulnerable people served by charities satisfied with the support they receive – one half of them ‘very satisfied’ with charities’ work.
Those impressive levels are maintained even across the most hard-to-help clients, with more than 8 out of 10 (83%) digitally excluded individuals helped by charities satisfied with what charities have to offer.
The words clients use to describe charities brim with positivity
Helpful : 174
Kind: 67
Caring: 64
Grateful: 61
Happy (With them): 46
Supportive: 30
Thankful: 30
Friendly: 30
Relieved: 29;
Positive: 26
Good: 24
Understanding: 21
Amazing: 15
Crucially, financially vulnerable clients feel that charities’ services have made a meaningful difference in their lives. Whether they received advice, food vouchers, cash, training, or help to find work, 83% of financially vulnerable people in receipt of charity services feel that it’s helped them financially. For some, it’s been life changing: charities making the difference between families going hungry or not, people experiencing homelessness or not.
For some, it’s been life saving.
Without it, I probably wouldn’t have been here much longer. - client, on the help they received from a charity
The evidence also shows how visiting or using a charity is associated with significantly higher financial stability and a boost to people’s confidence in finding help if they needed it again.
Financially vulnerable people who have visited a charity are 6 percentage points (ppts) more likely to say their financial situation is now more stable than previously, and 13ppts more likely to say they are reassured there’s help available if they get into difficulty.
That additional surety charities create might mean the people they serve seek help early, before debt spirals too far out of control, for example, or before housing or health gets put at risk.
That’s potentially a hugely powerful preventative contribution to the UK economy – not least because 2 out of 5 (39%) financially vulnerable people who have visited a charity did so on the recommendation or family or friends.
That’s 15ppts higher than the next most likely source of referral. So the difference many charities make spills out through social circles, growing and spreading across those who need it.
These top marks from their clients should be a source of real pride for charities, and a source of reassurance for all those who fund them.
The combination of compassion and deep expertise, kindness and connection mean many charities continue to secure real results for the people who need it most.
