Why should I donate to The Humane League UK?
The Humane League UK (THL UK) is distinguished from other British animal protection organisations by the effectiveness of our corporate campaigns and the relentlessness of our staff and volunteers, making us a respected leader in the global movement. With our research-backed strategy of combining corporate campaigns, grassroots legislative advocacy, and movement building, we are mending our broken food system.
Whilst we’re still a fairly young organisation, we have already achieved some big wins for the animals. This is one of the reasons we have been made a Recommended Charity by Animal Charity Evaluators every year since 2012. They find THL to be ‘an excellent giving opportunity because of their strong, cost-effective programs, their robust track record of strengthening the movement, and their healthy organizational culture.’
As a charitable organisation, our success is dependent on the generosity of our supporters. Without our donors, we cannot deliver some of the activities that we know will have a long lasting impact on the lives of millions of animals. These activities include:
- Securing commitments from leading UK supermarkets to adopt the Better Chicken Commitment
- Pushing for legislative changes to improve the welfare of chickens raised for meat, and to end cages for egg-laying hens
- Earning fishes increased protection in UK law
We focus on broiler chickens, hens and fish as they are farmed in the largest numbers and have relatively few protections. The scale and the suffering these animals face mean we can have a significant impact through targeted and incremental welfare improvements
If there is something else you’d like to know about giving to THL UK, please write to us at donate@thehumaneleague.org.uk and a member of our team will be happy to help.
Why will my donation make a difference in the UK, rather than any other country?
Our legislative work is focused on UK law. We will continue to build bridges with both political parties to ensure a cage-free policy is included in the manifesto of any incoming government, and we are demanding the English and Scottish Governments give fishes the same legal protections as other farmed animals.
Our corporate work goes a long way in the UK, too. Thanks to our work and cage-free wins, more than 25 million hens in the UK are now free to spread their wings each year beyond the confines of cages, and last year alone, we convinced ten new companies in the UK (Itsu, Greggs, KFC, Compass Group, others) to begin publicly reporting on their progress toward meeting the requirements of the Better Chicken Commitment.
Beyond that, we are currently running corporate campaigns to get UK supermarket chains Co-op and Lidl to sign up to the BCC.
UK NGOs that we collaborate with include Animal Equality, Open Cages, the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA), Compassion in World Farming, and the Soil Association. Our collective work to date resulted in 28% of chicken supply being committed to meeting the higher welfare criteria of the BCC by 2026, affecting around 300 million birds.
At the same time, we are part of a global movement bigger than ourselves, and this is particularly important to remember when it comes to egg-laying hens: 70% of all cage eggs come from Asia. Making progress in Asia is absolutely essential for ending cruel cages worldwide, and pressure applied to companies based in the UK is known to help drive corporate commitments in Asia.
In 2022, THL UK played a part in securing a global cage-free commitment from Toridoll in Japan by mobilising street protests and digital pressure campaigns against Wok to Walk restaurants in the UK.
How do you spend the donations you receive?
We are committed to making the biggest possible impact with every pound that is donated to support our mission and reduce the suffering of as many farm animals as possible. You can read our supporter charter here.
For a full breakdown of our income and expenditure, and to read our annual reports, you can visit our Charity Commission page.
Can I Gift Aid my donation?
Yes, and we would encourage you to do so to increase your impact for animals. Gift Aid is a government scheme that allows The Humane League UK to reclaim the basic rate tax you pay as a UK taxpayer. It means that we can claim 25p of tax for every £1 you donate at no extra cost to you. All you need to do is make a Gift Aid declaration when making your gift.
How can I donate to you?
One effective way to make a donation is via our website. When giving to us directly, either as a one-off gift or regular donation, 100% of your money goes directly to THL UK.
Similarly, when donating through Facebook, we receive the entirety of funds. When you give via Platforms such as JustGiving, a small fee is charged by the third party.
To donate via bank transfer, please contact donate@thehumaneleague.org.uk and we can provide our bank details.
You can also choose to give via monthly payroll giving - we are signed up with Benevity (including Charitable Giving) and CAF. You can ask your employer whether there is a scheme at your place of work. Some employers also offer to match their employee’s donations, meaning for every donation made, the employer adds a percentage to donate on top of the amount.
If you are a business and would like to discuss a partnership, we would love to hear from you.
If you are considering making an in-memory gift or a gifts in your will, please reach out to a member of our Development team.
Microgiving is possible via DontSendMeACard, EasyFundraising, and The Giving Lottery.
You can also vote for us to receive a grant on MygivingCircle.
Can I fundraise for you?
Absolutely you can! Find us on JustGiving, Twitch, and Facebook for your personal fundraiser.
If you would like to discuss a fundraising idea, let us know and we will be happy to help.
Can I use your logo?
The Humane League UK’s logo can't be used without written agreement. You can write to us at donate@thehumaneleague.org.uk.
Can I change / cancel my donation and how do I do it?
You can change, pause or cancel your regular donation at any time by reaching out to donate@thehumaneleague.org.uk. If you cancel a direct debit directly with your bank, we kindly ask you let us know so that we can update our records accordingly.
Should I donate as a one-off gift or monthly donation?
Both one-off and monthly gifts are what makes our work for the animals possible. Everyone’s situation is different, and there is no right or wrong when it comes to regularity of giving.
One of the difficulties that non-profit organisations encounter is the uncertainty surrounding their sources of funding. This uncertainty can create challenges in the formulation of plans and budgets for campaigns.
Establishing a pattern of regular donations offers a dependable stream of income. This steadiness greatly aids The Humane League UK in effectively mapping out and managing our initiatives for the foreseeable future. With a clear projection of monthly or yearly funding, we are better equipped to make effective choices regarding resource allocation and project prioritisation.
Regular donations also minimise our expenses related to fundraising. By having a dependable source of income, we can reduce the time and resources we spend to secure further funding. As a result, we can allocate a higher proportion of our available resources to our core programs.
At the same time, with a direct debit, you don't have to remember to donate every time you want to give, making it easier to budget for and manage your philanthropic activities. And of course, by giving regularly, you can develop a connection with THL UK and see the impact of your donations over time (especially if you opt in to receive emails from us). This can be a very rewarding experience.
Are you a vegan organisation?
Any food paid for by THL UK (e.g. food at THL UK events, or subsistence for staff and volunteers) has to be vegan in accordance with our organisational policies.
As an organisation, we encourage individuals to leave animals off their plates. While a lot of our supporters and staff choose to be vegan, this is not a requirement for being a part of THL UK. We recognise that, for the foreseeable future, the consumption of animal products will remain a societal norm. Therefore, anyone who supports our strategic approach to dismantling the system that fuels animal abuse is welcome here, regardless of their diet choices.
Can I request how/where my donation is spent?
Unrestricted funding is so valuable to THL UK because it allows us to use funds where they are most needed and can have the biggest impact. Changes often take place at speed and we have to remain nimble so that we can adapt our projects and campaigns at short notice depending on the responses of our campaign targets.
Unrestricted funding provides us with flexibility so that we can plan in this way. It is also more cost effective as we are not required to spend resources tracking the use of specific funds as we are with restricted funding. As such, our preference is to receive unrestricted funding.
If you are interested in making a significant gift and would like to restrict the funds to a specific project or campaign then please get in touch so that we can discuss this with you: donate@thehumaneleague.org.uk.
Please note that for any restricted funding, regardless of which project or campaign the funding is for, we allocate a certain percentage toward THL UK’s core costs. This is because our projects and campaigns do not operate in isolation and their success is reliant on the whole organisation. As such we need to make sure we fully cost not just direct activities, but functions and operations which support them.
This means we can make sure your donation has the biggest impact by ensuring our campaigns have the best chance of success.
Why do you only focus on fishes and chickens when there are also other farm animals that are suffering?
We know that other animals are suffering, and we care deeply about them. We are focusing our limited resources on chickens and fishes right now as these are the animals who are suffering in the largest numbers and in some of the most intense ways. That's why our vision is stopping the worst & most widespread abuse of animals raised for food, as we look at where incremental changes can make a difference to a vast number of animals.
The task we have at hand with chickens and fishes is enormous, so if we start branching out into many different issues it could dilute our impact, but we may be able to do so in the future.