Voluntary income in the U.K. (2001-2016)
First published in 1996, the UK Civil Society Almanac is the definitive resource on the state of the voluntary sector.
Two main resources from the public
The public accounts for almost half (45%) of voluntary organisations’ total income.
- Voluntary income: half of the money from the public (50%) is ‘voluntary income’ in the form of donations, such as bucket collections or direct debits, and legacies – money that people give to voluntary organisations in their wills.
- Earned income: the rest comes from ‘earned income’, where people get something in return. It encompasses ‘income from charitable activities’ like fees paid for goods and services, membership subscriptions, etc.
Major trends
Income from the public has seen a slight dip for the first time since 2008/09.
Legacies continued to grow while donations dropped slightly.
Donations from the public fell slightly by 2%, from £8.4bn to £8.3bn. They represent 16% of the sector’s total income.
Split by size
Voluntary income
The public are the largest income source for voluntary organisations of all sizes.
Micro and small voluntary organisations receive 59% of their income from the public, while this proportion is lower for larger organisations (41%-48%).
Despite an overall drop, income from the public was up for super-major organisations (due to significant growth in legacies) and large voluntary organisations, for which income from the public grew across all types (donations, legacies, earned).
Legacies
Over the last five years legacies have grown by 50%.
Legacy income was up across organisations of all sizes, except for major organisations (£1 to £10m).
The rise in legacy income might be linked to changes in financial reporting as much as a real trend.
Although legacy income has grown overall, micro and small voluntary organisations are least likely to receive money from the public in that way.
Only 5% of money from the public was in form of legacies for these organisations, while this was 25% for super-major voluntary organisations in 2016/17.
Donations
The proportion of donations is fairly similar across voluntary organisations of different sizes ranging between 33% and 39%.
Explaining the slight drop in donations
During 2016 donations from the public have seen a slight drop after three years of growth.
However, it’s too early to say whether this will be a continued trend.
Some have been quick to link this drop with falling levels of trust in voluntary organisations.
However, other factors shouldn’t be overlooked.People are being asked less.
_ With the implementation of GDPR, voluntary organisations everywhere have done a huge amount of work to clean and update their supporters databases, with occasional or lapsed donors the supporters most likely to have been removed.
- The way people are doing good is changing. For example, the market for ethical goods and services has grown rapidly over the last two decades and the rise of fundraising platforms and individuals asking directly for support has in some cases removed the role of voluntary organisations as an intermediary, trusted or otherwise.
Explaining the growth in legacy income
Over the last five years, the sector has seen continuous growth in legacy income with the biggest jump in recent years.
This trend can be explained by various factors.
- At death the greatest asset is usually a home and its value dependent on the state of the market. The growth in legacy income since 2011/12 could therefore be linked to a recovering economy and increased property prices.
- The rise in the number of deaths may also be a contributing factor.
- In addition, with the new financial reporting standard FRS 102 legacy income is recognised when receipt is ‘probable’ rather than the previous criteria of "virtually certain". This may have resulted in more legacy income being recognised earlier and contributed to its growth.
- It might further be explained by some voluntary organisations changing their fundraising strategies and increasing their efforts to raise legacy income.
Sources
This article is a summary of a recent on-line publication of the NCVO: 'How much do voluntary organisations get from the public?' (link)
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Covid-19: fundraising tips (1)
Recommandations from various sources
We list in this article, as well as in other articles listed below, various contributions related to fundraising advice in times of coronavirus.
09/03/2020 - CLAIRification - 'How Nonprofits Can Connect Virtually During Trying Times'
(Claire)
Why not invite your supporters for some online gatherings?
Beef up your virtual meeting facilitation skills!
Remember to follow through so your meeting has meaning and meets its purpose.
My best advice: be there for your supporters today, they’ll be there for you tomorrow.
-> link
12/03/2020 - Institute of Fundraising - 'Love for fundraisers in a time of coronavirus'
(Howard Lake)
1. Look after yourself and those who give you strength
2. Be ready for a huge amount of fundraising
3. People always want to give
4. Learn from and record this experience
5. Your digital presence is your presence
6. Avoid distraction
7. Collaborate and survive
8. Read, watch and study to become a better fundraiser
-> link
12/03/2020 sgEngage - 'Tips for Communicating with Donors During Uncertain Times'
(Bo Crader)
Focus on Your Mission
Focus on the Basics
Focus on Communicating with Donors: show empathy, continue to ask for gifts, don’t be sensational or exploitative, try something different, cultivate high-value supporters
-> link
12/03/2020 - Network for Good - 'Coronavirus Impacting Your Nonprofit? Here’s What to Do'
A few ideas that can help your fundraising stay on track: virtual events, dinner with a twist, virtual auction, flash fundraiser, sharable content, appreciate more often.
Successful fundraising during a recession is two-pronged:
1 - focus hard on donor engagement and retention,
2 - use intelligent prospecting techniques to recruit new followers and supporters.
-> link
13/03/2020 Fondsenwerving.blog - 'Vrijdag de 13e: het coronavirus en fondsenwerving'
(Reinier Spruyt)
13 tips, waaronder:
Zou je die (oudere) donateurs niet eens opbellen?
Coronavirus: Misschien een goede aanleiding om je beleid te herzien?
Wellicht kan een zorgprofessional je volgende appeal ondertekenen?
Leg niet opeens je hele fondsenwerving programma stil.
-> link
-> Lien vers tous les articles 'Covid-19 & fundraising'
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First International 'Face to Face Fundraising' Congress
Street fundraising: 'Let's talk Face to Face'
Vienna (17th-19th November)
Join the first international Face2Face Fundraising Congress from 17th-19th November to gain cutting-edge insights and connect with senior level Face2Face experts from all over the world!
Face2Face Fundraising was born 25 years ago in the streets of Vienna and has since become the biggest monthly donor acquisition tool in the world. Be there when Vienna once more turns into the epicenter of Face2Face Fundraising and join the First International F2F Fundraising Congress !
Hosted by the Fundraising Association Austria, this unique gathering will connect decision makers and thought leaders from NGOs, fundraising associations and regulators as well as fundraising agencies and service providers from all around the world.
Developed together with a renowned Program Committee, the program will feature outcome-driven sessions exploring crucial developments and sharing best practice around topics like ethical standards and self-regulation, innovation and technology, donor journey, recruitment and team motivation, business models and many more.
First confirmed speakers include:
Dr. Adrian Sargeant, CEO at The Philanthropy Centre (UK)Martin Gaffney, CEO at JAG GROUP (Malaysia)Daryl Upsall, CEO at Daryl Upsall & Associates SL and Daryl Upsall Consulting International SL (Spain)Reinhard Schlossnagel, CEO and Founder at Formunauts (Austria)Dominic Will, Director of Partnerships at Personal Fundraising Services (UK), Eszter Hartay, Senior Legal Advisor at ECNL – European Center for Not-for-Profit Law Stitching (Netherlands)
The first International Face2Face Fundraising Congress enjoys the full support of the European Fundraising Association and numerous leading NGOs, agencies and institutions from all over the world.Registration is going fast with only 100 tickets still available.
Get your ticket now (LINK) to exchange and engage with international delegations from participating organizations such as Médecins sans Frontières (MSF), SOS Children’s Villages, WWF International, DialogDirect, Formunauts and many more.
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Fundraising in Europe: latest news
Links to articles & reports
(november 2019-january 2020)
January 2020
- 424 miljoen euro voor Nederlandse crowdfundingsprojecten in 2019
- De nieuwste geeftrends in gelovend Nederland
- Bijna helft ANBI's voldoet niet aan publicatieverplichting
- Why fundraising leaders need to come together to shape the future of Face to Face fundraising
- Hoe staan de goede doelen ervoor op social media? De eindstand van 2019
- Nederland Filantropieland sluit zich aan bij Goede Doelen Nederland
- Online toolkit offers small charities free support
December 2019
- Opbrengst fondsenwerving via Facebook breek door grens twee miljard
- Best digital advances of the decade
- Tech could be the key to trust and transparency in charity fundraising
- Charité, don, mécénat, philanthropie : une (mini) série de France Culture en trois émissions autour de charité, don, mécénat, des différentes manières de vouloir le bien d'autrui
- Notre-Dame et Venise - pourquoi un tel écart de générosité ?
- UK Legacy Monitor: bequest numbers are down by 8% year on year
- Opkomst van particuliere fondsen is niet te stuiten
- Communication: la pub solidaire plébiscitée ?
- Générosité: Giving Tuesday s'installe chez les Français
November 2019
- Venture Into the Future of Giving (report)
- Guns, oil, fags, booze - Where should charities draw the line on funding?
- Pilot - collecteren met persoonlijke QR-code levert meer op
- Nederland Filantropieland en Goede Doelen Nederland starten actieplatform tegen nieuwe telemarketing wetgeving
- Fondsenwerving goede doelen is een zinkend schip
- Legs: bienvenue dans votre stratégie 2045 !
- Générosité: au-delà de la confiance, un rapport "Générationnel" au monde ?
-> Revue de presse (Belgique) - Persoverzicht (België)
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Current state of fundraising in the U.K. (2018-2019)
Various sources confirm that the British fundraising sector is recovering slowly, after several years of crisis.
43% of top 100 fundraising charities saw income decrease in 2017/18
Almost half – 43% – of the top 100 fundraising charities in the UK experienced a drop in income during 2017/18, according to the latest Top 100 Fundraisers Spotlight.
The Charity Financials report, published by The Fundraiser, reveals that overall, voluntary fundraised income to the top 100 charities accounted for one-third of all voluntary donations at £5.9bn., increasing by 0.5% after adjusting for inflation.
This is followed by £1.24bn from charitable activities and £0.96bn from statutory income.
The top 10 fundraisers collectively raised £2,186.7m.
Legacy gifts providing 25.8% of voluntary fundraised income, with 2017/18 seeing a growth from £7m to £21m.
Source: UK Fundraising (7 June 2019)
GDPR had major impact on regular giving in 2018, but signs positive for 2019, report shows
Rapidata has released its Charity Direct Debit Tracking Report 2019, which reveals that while GDPR had a major impact on regular giving in 2018, initial signs for 2019 show positive growth.
The report includes new data from January 2017 to end of March 2019 from over 600 charities.
It shows that donor acquisition fell during the months before and after the new regulation came into force in May 2018, while Direct Debit cancellations hit an all-time low.
In 2018 the average annual rate for charity Direct Debit cancellations fell to a record low of 2.14%, while each month of the year apart from January exhibited the lowest rates ever recorded for that month across 15 years of tracking data.
However, donor acquisition volumes for regular giving also fell across 2018: by nearly a third (32%).
This is attributed to significantly less fundraising activity across traditional methods such as direct mail, telephone and face-to-face, while charities focused their resources inhouse on meeting requirements for GDPR compliance.
Source: UK Fundraising (1 July 2019)
Donations declared in tax returns rise to £3.18 billion'
Individuals completing their tax returns for 2017-18 declared charity donations of £3.18 billion, according to HMRC.
12% of people declared a donation: 1,226,000 individuals.
This is a slight increase on the amount declared in the previous tax year but a decrease in the number giving with 2016-17 seeing £3.03bn of donations declared by 1,245,000 individuals.'
Source: UK Fundraising (9 July 2019)
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