Philanthropy in the UK is at a critical turning point. Renewed government focus on how to encourage and enable high-net-worth individuals (HNWIs), coupled changing donor behaviors spurred on by demographic and technological developments, have opened up opportunities for charities to strengthen and expand their major giving programmes. 

Introduction

Recognising the long-term potential to grow the volume and value of major gifts, in 2025 the Chartered Institute of Fundraising launched Philanthropy 2035 to explore how charities want philanthropy to change over the next 10 years and the steps to make it happen.

This is the final report of what has been a dynamic and ambitious workstream. It draws on our learnings from analysing literature and data on HNW giving, in-depth interviews with our members and the intelligence we have gathered as charities’ representative body in national conversations about philanthropy. It brings together the key learnings, recommendations and actions that charities and their partners should take to create a growing, impactful and sustainable philanthropic market.

The report will focus on five key trends that have the potential to grow and enhance philanthropy over the next decade, including: 

  1. Strengthening infrastructure through policy and regulation
  2. The rise of the impact economy
  3. Navigating changing donor demographics 
  4. Harnessing the power of technology
  5. Working with professional advisors and DAFs

 

Five trends that could shape the future of philanthropy

One of philanthropy’s greatest strengths is its ability to evolve alongside changing socioeconomic conditions. This is particularly important today, as the giving landscape across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland is undergoing significant economic, social, and technological shifts. Sustained inflationary pressures coupled with geopolitical uncertainty mean donors, charities and government are having to make challenging decisions about how to best use resources to amplify their impact. Meanwhile, an ageing population alongside technological advances are reshaping which demographics will hold philanthropic capital and how it can be mobilised.

Against this backdrop, the Chartered Institute of Fundraising has been engaging with member charities and sector stakeholders who are looking at how to navigate these changes to create a growing, impactful, sustainable philanthropic market. This has allowed us to identify five trends that have the potential to create opportunities for charities to enhance their major giving programmes. 

 

Theme 1: Strengthening infrastructure through policy and regulation

To date, government and regulators have played a pivotal role in creating a mature philanthropic market where HNWIs have the impetus and opportunity to give. The UK has one of the most advanced approaches to charitable regulation that combines clear legal definitions of charitable purpose with robust governance frameworks to promote public trust and reassure philanthropists their gifts will be used responsibly.

Similarly, there are a range of tax incentives designed to encourage donors to give more generously that align their wider financial goals. Not only are charitable donations tax free but HNWIs can benefit from higher rate of reliefs on Gift Aid and Payroll Giving, relief on Capital Gains Tax (CGT), and if someone chooses to donate 10% or more of their net estate to charity, their inheritance tax (IHT) rate reduces from 40% to 36%.

There are currently several policy initiatives aimed at bolstering philanthropy’s infrastructure. Some of the most notable ones include calls to modernise Gift Aid and Payroll Giving to make them more accessible, recommendations on how to strengthen the fiscal incentives for Gifts in Wills amidst changes to the IHT framework and making training on philanthropic advice mandatory for professional advisors. The Chartered Institute has been supporting these initiatives for several years; however, we recognise that it will take time to have them formalised in legislation. As such, we have been exploring additional opportunities for government and regulators to grow giving that would complement existing sector-wide policy asks.

Through conversations with government departments and regulators, we have found there are two initiatives that have the potential to strategically grow HNW giving:

 

Department of Culture, Media and Sport’s plan to grow place-based giving

In April 2026, the Department of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) unveiled their plans to encourage place-based philanthropy to tackle regional inequality in England. This is a prime example of how government can encourage charitable giving to achieve its own agenda. By doing so, they can also strengthen civil society as deprived areas often have the fewest registered charities and the lowest donation levels (source: CAF Regional Giving Report).

Whilst the roadmap was received positively by charities, one notable question that has been raised amongst our membership is why it aims to only bolster giving in England, when sector data indicates that charitable giving in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland would also benefit from such support. We understand that this is partly because devolved powers require each UK nation to build their own roadmap and that DCMS will share their learnings with relevant departments to help make this happen. We also hope to see this goal achieved in the coming years so that we can see giving grow holistically across the UK.

The roadmap is made up of three pillars: connecting philanthropy with place, establishing better philanthropic partnerships, and unlocking further philanthropic investment. Each of these will be supported by actions led by DCMS, a full list of which members can find here.

Not every action will directly support fundraising as some are focused on cross-department initiatives, but we have identified and evaluated the ones we think have the potential to grow giving: 

1.    Delivering a community of practice for place-based giving initiatives.

DCMS has committed to providing £1m of funding over the next three years to help new and existing place-based initiatives learn from each other through workshops, regular meetings, and targeted resources. Recognising that such initiatives are still in their infancy and there are a variety of different models that can produce successful outcomes, qualifying projects must meet three key principles:

  •  Define their goals around improving a specific place;
  • work with local voices to use local knowledge to identify opportunities or problems that philanthropy could address;
  •  attract donations by using their position and trusted local connections to encourage investment that benefits the people who live there.

We consider this a positive step towards growing giving that could also tackle some of the challenges some of our smaller charity members are facing right now. Conversations with regional and local charities with less than £50k voluntary income a year have indicated that many of these organisations lack the resources and network to connect with HNW individuals or carry out individual giving campaigns. Finding new ways to channel philanthropic funds towards places through more donor circles or civil society coalitions could therefore open up more accessible funding opportunities. 

DCMS has also committed to creating a map of existing place-based initiatives hosted on the gov.uk website. The benefits of this are two-fold. From a practical perspective, it can help smaller charities identify relevant funding opportunities for them, which in turn will save them considerable time and resources. More strategically, however, it can also be used to raise awareness of the importance of philanthropy, particularly if it includes impact driven stories or examples about the positive difference giving makes for local communities.  

2.    Strengthening the provision of philanthropic advice in the financial services sector

Working with the Office for the Impact Economy, DCMS will establish a working group tasked with identifying new ways to embed conversations about philanthropy into wealth advice. Although this could be a positive step towards normalising conversations about giving within wealth management, we are concerned that DCMS has chosen to rule out mandating philanthropy training for wealth advisors.

Barclay’s research The Modern Philanthropist found that 81% of respondents thought it was very or extremely important that professional advisors proactively raise the topic of philanthropy. But despite clear appetite amongst donors for more support, only 33% of respondents reported that a financial advisor had broached the topic with them, and only 23% said their relationship manager with their bank initiated the conversation. When we explored why this might be the case as part of our State of UK philanthropy research, professional advisors we interviewed said this trend is likely driven by a lack of understanding of philanthropy.

We have since had further conversations with professional advisors and sector stakeholders about how to encourage more conversations about philanthropy in wealth planning meetings. These revealed that whilst there may be opportunities to influence professional advisors, such as through tailored training or additional resources, these approaches would still rely on the individual advisor’s motivations. Consequently, they felt that mandatory training was the most effective way to drive the cultural change necessary in this space.

As this working group takes shape and further explores this area, we hope that it revisits the option of mandating philanthropy training for professional advisors alongside other approaches.

3.    Motivating a celebratory culture of philanthropic giving

The roadmap recognises that philanthropy is not often celebrated in England in the same way it is in other countries. DCMS is therefore going to develop more initiatives that celebrate and champion philanthropy, including developing a toolkit for MPs to encourage them to use their platforms to celebrate philanthropy within their constituency and partner with celebratory events to highlight the impact of regional philanthropy.

We are very pleased to see the government make a firm commitment to raising the profile of charitable giving and share their view that this will inspire others to give. We have been exploring similar approaches with members since 2023 through our growing giving work and have since carrying out similar interventions, from developing our own toolkit to support MPs champion charitable giving within their local area, and working closely with Stephanie Peacock, Minister for Charities, to support giving campaigns including Giving Tuesday and Payroll Giving Month. We therefore look forward to continuing to share our learnings from these projects with DCMS and exploring further opportunities to grow this area of work.

 

The Charity Commission’s work to enable philanthropy 

The Charity Commission for England and Wales has started leveraging their position as a regulator to encourage and promote philanthropy. On top of appointing Rory Brooks to their board as their philanthropy champion, they have started working on a series and short-and long-term projects to support HNW giving and make fundraising easier for charities of all sizes.  These projects include:

1.      Reviewing and refreshing existing guidance

Recognising that charities would benefit from clearer more enabling guidance, the CCEW has commenced re-writing their guidance with the aim of making it more accessible through using plain English. Whilst they have not significantly changed their positions on how charities should fundraise, they hope this will make it easier for trustees to understand their responsibilities and be empowered to make informed choices that are in the best interest of their charity.

To date they have re-released two key pieces of guidance that could make it easier for boards to understand their responsibilities towards fundraising - Accepting, refusing and returning donations to your charity and CC20: A guide to trustees responsibilties when fundraising - which we supported through additional insight from our members and feedback on the re-wording.

We are pleased to see that the CCEW is taking proactive steps towards making fundraising regulation easier for charities to navigate. From our previous research Breaking down barriers to innovation, we know that many of our members warmly welcome accessible regulation and greater understanding of fundraising at board level. As the project continues, we therefore look forward to continuing as the interface between the CCEW and our members so future redrafted guidance supports best practice.

2.      Sharing stories about the impact of philanthropy in speeches

Similar to DCMS’ plans to celebrate philanthropy, the CCEW is now using their platform to raise awareness of the positive difference philanthropy makes by taking opportunities to highlight positive stories about philanthropy in relevant speeches. One such example is the Beacon Philanthropy impact forum 2025 where David Holdsworth, CEO, outlined the importance of celebrating philanthropy and the role it has played in bolstering the Donmar Warehouse when it lost funding.

It is certainly encouraging to see the CCEW align with other departments to leverage its public position to promote philanthropy in a positive light. We hope that in the future they continue on this trajectory and encourage other charity regulators and relevant departments to do the same.

3.      Overhauling their data to shine a line on charities’ impact

The CCEW has started work on a major data project designed to increase transparency around charity’s impact which would allow philanthropists and their advisors to identify charities whose work aligns with their goals. Doing so would potentially create a step-change in charity visibility, by providing philanthropists and funders a single credible source of information which showcases the impact of charities’ work.  

It could be several years until the project is completed. Currently, the CCEW is considering how to best ensure that they can capture and display the right information to ensure that it provides philanthropists with useable insight without creating administrative burden on charities. They are also aware that how charities measure and communicate their impact varies greatly depending on their mission, cause, and nature of their work.

We believe this project could tackle some of the fundamental challenges charities are facing to grow giving. With many major donors now seeking more transparency around impact, building on existing trustworthy databases could be critical to influencing how they identify which organisations to support. To make sure the project achieves its objectives, however, charities must be carefully consulted on how best to convey impact, taking into account that charities of varying sizes and levels of resources and capacity will approach this differently.

 

Final thoughts and recommendations

The projects outlined above have the potential to encourage more HNWIs to engage in philanthropy and help those who are already giving strengthen their giving strategies. If they are to meet their objectives, however, it is essential that charities are consulted with as they have the knowledge and insights to ensure these interventions bring about success for donors and charities alike. With this in mind, we recommend:

1.      DCMS hosts a ministerial roundtable with charities to discuss each of the three actions identified above and understand how they can work more closely with the sector to ensure they reach their full potential. This might include exploring how representatives from large fundraising charities can be part of the working group to encourage philanthropy advice in the professional advisor space, opportunities for MPs to champion charitable giving, or strengthen initiatives to connect smaller charities with place-based giving initiatives.

2.      DCMS shares their learnings with the devolved nations so that they have the knowledge and insight to develop their own plans to grow place-based giving.

3.      The CCEW carries out a consultation with charities about how to best convey impact to ensure their upcoming data project reaches its objectives.

 

Theme 2: The rise of the impact economy

The impact economy is a relatively new economic movement focused on creating greater alignment between financial return and social impact. By bringing together the collective resources of government, businesses, investors, charities, and philanthropists, it seeks to tackle complex social challenges at scale through increased collaboration, innovative funding models, and long-term systemic change.

Government and donors have started to see the value of the impact economy. The recently created Office for the Impact Economy marks a shift in how policymakers understand and interact with philanthropy. Meanwhile, HNWIs are increasingly looking beyond traditional giving towards approaches that combine philanthropy, investment and partnerships to maximise the wealth’s impact. 

Against this backdrop, we interviewed policymakers and sector coalitions to understand how the impact economy could shape philanthropy and what this could mean for fundraising.

The Office for the Impact Economy 

A significant development has been the creation of the Office for the Impact Economy (OIE) within the Cabinet Office in November 2025. This new unit has two core objectives: to grow the impact economy through both existing and new opportunities, and to catalyse greater cross-sector partnerships, including with government departments. Its initial thematic priorities include children and young people, economic inactivity, neighbourhood health, and housing. Currently, we are waiting for it to release its first strategy later this year.

In relation to philanthropy specifically, the OIE is exploring how to make it easier for philanthropists to engage with government and policymakers by acting as a ‘front-door’ for HNWIs looking to partner with government. It will also work with government departments to ensure new projects use philanthropy more strategically to achieve their aims, such as through match-funding.

While further detail is expected following the publication of its forthcoming strategy, the new unit has started to explore opportunities to enhance the philanthropic infrastructure. Some of the key initiatives that could support fundraising include

  • Instruct the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) to develop a strategy for training financial advisers on philanthropy and impact investing;
  • Reform the rules around charitable giving from pensions, including allowing charitable lump sums to be made during lifetime, and charitable lump sum death benefits can be made regardless of any surviving dependents;
  • Streamline and automate the Gift Aid claim process;
  • Reinstate mandatory, standardised reporting of corporate giving in annual reports, to incentivise businesses to give. 

The OIE therefore has the potential to be a key ally for fundraisers, providing charities with an opportunity to advance key lobbying initiatives whilst also raising awareness amongst government of the strategic role philanthropic giving can play in achieving positive social outcomes. To that end, fundraisers have a key role to play by providing advice into best practice when engaging with philanthropists and sharing additional insight into how to strengthen the infrastructure in which philanthropy operates. 

The Convergence of philanthropy and social impact investment

Alongside growing policy interest in the impact economy, there is also increasing appetite among donors to combine philanthropic giving with social impact investment as part of broader lifetime and legacy giving strategies. When asked how their giving aligns with their goals, philanthropists are interested in using both approaches, with Barclays’ The Modern Philanthropist reporting that 59% of respondents preferred to generate financial and social impact, compared with 41% who preferred a traditional philanthropy approach.

While philanthropy and social impact investment are often discussed together, they fulfil distinct but complementary roles. Philanthropic capital frequently acts as the catalyst for innovation by funding early-stage, higher-risk, or complex initiatives that may not yet be viable for commercial or impact investors. This is particularly important in emerging markets and complex social issues, where grant funding can help de-risk projects and create the conditions necessary for impact investments to succeed. As such, rather than replacing philanthropy, the growth of social impact investment reinforces the importance of philanthropic capital within the wider funding ecosystem.

As the impact economy continues to develop, there is likely to be increasing emphasis on helping charities, donors, and advisers understand how philanthropic giving and impact investment can work together more effectively. For organisations operating in this space, this will require greater fluency in blended finance models, cross-sector collaboration, and outcome-focused reporting in order to engage confidently with the next generation of impact-driven philanthropists and investors.

Final thoughts and recommendations

In conclusion, while the increased focus on the impact economy may not change how or why HNWIs give, it does present an opportunity to mobilise philanthropic capital more effectively and strategically. To ensure charities are able to play a meaningful role within this evolving landscape, several steps are needed:

1.      Upon publishing their strategy, the OIE should host a charity roundtable to help define and shape their contribution within the wider impact economy.

2.      Infrastructure bodies create sector networks and guidance to support charities in understand how social impact investment can complement their philanthropic offerings.

3.      Charities must become more vocal and visible in articulating their value and role within the impact economy, with sector bodies playing a key role in amplifying and supporting this advocacy.

 

Theme 3: Navigating changing donor demographics

We are in the midst of a major intergenerational shift. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) projects that more than 24% of people living in the UK will be aged 65 or older by 2042, up from 18% in 2016. With this will come a significant wealth transfer, with forecasts that up to £5.5 trillion will pass between generations (often described as the great wealth transfer). This will have an inevitable impact on fundraising as charities will need to balance meeting the needs of existing long-term donors, some of whom may have supported the charity for many years, whilst also exploring new ways to build meaningful relationships with younger philanthropists.

 

Generational differences in major giving

Whilst we are still in the early stages of this transition, research suggests that younger donors could play a significant role in growing philanthropy. Beacon Collaborative’s modelling of the giving of the UK’s millionaire population found that between 2020-2024, the rolled median amount given by donors between the ages of 18-35 was £2,400, and this figure doubles to £4,800 for donors between the ages of 36-45, making these the two most generous age groups during this period.

NPC’s high-net-worth giving index 2025  provides further insight into this demographic’s giving priorities. They found that respondents under 40 were more likely to support causes connected to climate change, scientific research and social justice whilst older generations prefer to support education and health. Similarly, respondents under 40 were more likely to be interested in using AI to research charitable causes (75% vs 60%) or use it for impact measurement (51% vs 64%).  

Despite some noticeable differences in giving habits, however, NPC notes that donors under 40 were under-represented in their survey, accounting for only 11% of respondents, highlighting that this demographic still does not constitute the majority of philanthropists. The Charities Aid Foundation’s   

Interviews with charities and consultants who are working with younger philanthropists provided some interesting observations to how this group differs from previous generations. They shared that younger philanthropists often value being meaningfully involved with the charity and would therefore take their time to understand the work the organisation does before making transformational gifts. In some cases, these philanthropists would prefer to volunteer or make smaller test gifts to see how the charity responded, then slowly build up their engagement once they felt confident the organisation aligned with their values and priorities.

Interviewees also highlighted that younger donors value an accessible giving journey. They felt that many younger philanthropists were unfamiliar with charity terminology – a view that is also backed up by sector research – and that charities should therefore focus on providing jargon free, straightforward communications that bring to life their impact. Similarly, others felt that younger philanthropists wanted to be able to give quickly, such as directly through a charity website.  

 

Balancing the needs of both group

Many of the charities we interviewed recognised the importance of engaging with younger donors, they were still prioritising building and sustaining their existing major donor portfolios which were made up primarily of baby boomers and the silent generation. They were also aware that they had to meet significant income targets and therefore lacked the time and resources necessary to build relationships with new demographics.

With this in mind, as the sector moves through this transition, they felt the best course of action charities could take would be to adopt relationship-based fundraising. This would allow charities to meet the needs of existing philanthropists by providing tailored experiences, whilst also laying the foundations to meet the needs of new philanthropists. From our state of UK philanthropy research, we know that charities are at different stages of embedding this approach into their major giving portfolios and are facing barriers, from engaging senior leadership and trustees to recruiting and retaining fundraisers. We therefore remain committed to leveraging our new strategic advisory panels to help tackle these issues and drive change across the sector so fundraisers have the tools and resources they need to give donors a fulfilling experience.

 

Final thoughts and recommendations

The ongoing intergenerational transfer of wealth is likely to reshape the philanthropic landscape over the coming decades, creating both challenges and opportunities for charities. As younger philanthropists become a more prominent part of the donor base, organisations will need to adapt their approaches to reflect changing expectations, interests and patterns of engagement, whilst continuing to steward long-standing supporters effectively.

To navigate this transition successfully, several actions will be important:

1.      Charities should prioritise building meaningful relationships with donors through  relationship-based fundraising approaches. Doing so successfully will require long-term organisational commitment, including support from boards and senior leadership, alongside sustained investment in fundraising capacity, skills and resource.

2.      The sector should support the development of infrastructures that help younger donors begin their philanthropic journeys with confidence, including giving circles, peer networks and opportunities for shared learning.

3.      Infrastructure and sector bodies should play a greater role in platforming successful examples of younger philanthropy to increase visibility, build confidence and encourage wider participation in giving.

 

Theme 4: Harnessing technology to strengthen giving and fundraising

Digital technologies are presenting unprecedented opportunities to strengthen fundraising and giving. Philanthropists now have access to more information about causes they care about and thanks to advances in AI, new tools to identify organisations who align with their giving goals. At the same time, developments in data and analytics, AI, and automation are allowing charities to streamline operations and engage supporters in more meaningful and personalised ways.

The rate at which these technologies are being adopted, however, varies widely depending on donors’ preferences as well as charities’ capacity, resources, and digital maturity. It is therefore essential that fundraisers better understand the role digital innovation can play in enhancing philanthropy and start taking steps to navigate this transition.

 

The impact of technology on donor behaviour

Digital technologies  giving are already making giving more accessible for philanthropists. According to NPC’s high-net-worth giving index 2025, 46% of respondents frequently use online platforms for donations. Interviews with charities and sector experts echo these findings, with many citing the importance of charities investing in digital infrastructure such as their website and online donation pages to make giving more accessible for philanthropists.

There is also rising appetite amongst philanthropists to use artificial intelligence to inform and enhance their giving. NPC’s high-net-worth giving index 2025 found that 60% of respondents are interested in using AI to research charitable causes, while 51% are interested in using it for impact measurement. Among respondents under 40, this rises significantly to 75% and 64% respectively.

When discussing the impact of AI on major donor programmes with fundraisers, many where conscious that the rise of large language models (LLMS), coupled with more information available online, has made it easier for philanthropists to research and understand causes they care about. Fundraisers therefore need to be prepared to have more sophisticated conversations about their charity’s impact and stay up to date with the issues facing their cause. In some cases they may find it helpful to draw in colleagues from other departments who can speak about their work.

 

The role of technology in enhancing fundraising

Charities and fundraisers are also exploring the opportunities emerging technologies present to drive efficiencies, so fundraisers can focus on building more authentic relationships with philanthropists. The infographic below highlights the five most common ways technology can help enhance major donor fundraising.

 

 

It is clear that there are a range of technologies that significant time, allowing them to focus on relationship building. Which technologies they choose to prioritise adopting, however, will depend on their charity’s capacity, resources and digital maturity. For example, some charities may need to invest more in improving their website and communications to make it easier for philanthropists to identify them, whilst others may already have such infrastructure in place and therefore be better placed to upgrade their impact reporting software. It is therefore essential that charities take time to identify which areas of their major giving programme they want to improve and identify the technology solutions that will help them achieve their goals.

When discussing the challenges of adopting technology adoption with charities and sector experts, many thought technology would become increasingly more important. They did, however, underline that some application – particularly those using AI- are still in their infancy and charities will need more support to adopt them. Similarly, they were conscious that investment in digital infrastructure could require significant investment at a time when budgets are strained. As such, they recommended that boards take a holistic view to technology adoption, balancing the long-term gains against the short- term cost. 

Many of these challenges mirror the findings from our Breaking Down Barriers to Innovation report which found there need to be more sector-wide initiatives to support charities improve their digital maturity. These would focus on upskilling fundraisers’ digital skills, raising awareness of how technology can enhance fundraising, and create sector guidance to maintain best practice. 

 

Final thoughts and recommendations

Digital technologies and AI have the potential to transform both how philanthropists give and how charities fundraise. Making the most of these, however, will require charities to invest in their digital infrastructure and staffs’ skills. At the same time, as donors become more informed and digitally enabled, fundraisers will need to be prepared to have deeper and more sophisticated conversations about their organisation’s impact and work, or draw on support from technical experts within other teams.

To ensure charities can successfully harness the opportunities emerging technologies have to offer, several actions will be important:

1.      Charities should make technology and digital innovation a regular part of organisational planning and strategic discussions, ensuring boards and senior leadership take a long-term view of investment in digital infrastructure and fundraising capacity.

2.      Sector-wide working groups and initiatives should focus on increasing learning and development opportunities that help fundraisers build their digital confidence, understand emerging technologies and share best practice.

3.      Charities should create more opportunities for fundraisers to engage directly with the organisation’s work and impact, enabling them to build stronger, more authentic relationships with donors and respond confidently to increasingly informed philanthropists.

 

Theme 5: Working with DAFs and Professional Advisors

This final theme builds on our findings from the State of UK philanthropy, which highlighted that charities wanted to find new ways to work with professional advisors and donor advised funds (DAFs) to give philanthropists a more robust giving experience. We have since followed up and carried our further research with professional philanthropy advisors and DAFs to understand what opportunities they see to work with charities and what should be the next steps to build empathy and understanding between both groups.

In February 2026 we curated a workshop at the Beacon Philanthropy Forum with Barclays Bank to explore how charities and professional advisors could collaborate. What became clear from the discussion is that professional advisors are unable to provide charity referrals unless they have a due diligence service. They recommended that instead charities should focus on increasing their visibility and communicating the value of their impact to make it easier for philanthropists to identify them.

Conversations with DAFs mirrored these views. They felt the more charities could do to clearly communicate their impact the better their chances of attracting philanthropists. They did, however, point out that fundraisers could strategically use DAFs to improve their stewardship of philanthropists currently supporting them by asking them if they have one and then informing them how could make their support more tax efficient by giving through it.

These views underline a fundamental barrier to growing giving. Many charities, particularly smaller ones who lack the budget to invest in digital infrastructure or campaigns, lack the opportunities to showcase their impact and work. From discussing this with charities, they felt that many of the platforms and initiatives to rectify this problem have not had the cut through to create the step change necessary in this space. As such, we will be discussing this issue with our newly created growing giving strategic advisory panel. Equally, the CCEW’s planned data project outlined in Theme 1: Strengthening infrastructure through policy and regulation could provide a clear and credible source of information for philanthropists to identify charities who align with their goals.

Whilst sector-wide challenges are being addressed, there are steps that infrastructure bodies can take to encourage fundraising best practice when engaging with professional advisors and DAFs. In particular, there are opportunities to create guidance to help fundraisers better understand professional advisors and DAFs operating environment as well as additional training and advice for professional advisors so they are more confident raising the topic of charitable giving with clients. 

Conclusion and recommendations

Intermediaries will continue to play an increasingly important role in philanthropy, meaning charities will need to better understand how to work within this evolving ecosystem. Strengthening relationships between charities, advisors and DAFs presents an opportunity to improve donor stewardship, make giving more accessible and help philanthropists identify organisations that align with their values and goals. At the same time, there remains a wider challenge around charity visibility, particularly for smaller organisations that may lack the resources to communicate their impact effectively.

To strengthen collaboration and support best practice across the sector, several actions will be important:

1.      Infrastructure bodies should continue to develop guidance and resources that help build mutual understanding between charities, professional advisors and DAFs. This could include guidance such as Understanding the Power of Philanthropy for professional advisors, Understanding the Professional Advisor Landscape for fundraisers, and Understanding DAFs for fundraisers.

2.      Continued support is needed for initiatives that enhance charity visibility and transparency, including the Charity Commission for England and Wales’ planned data project, which could help philanthropists more easily identify charities aligned with their goals.

3.      Charities should invest in strengthening their “shop window” by improving how they communicate their impact, values and outcomes across digital platforms and donor communications. 

 

Conclusion

The future is bright for philanthropy. HNWI individuals remain motivated to give, alongside the emergence of a new generation of donors seeking more purposeful, strategic, and impact-driven approaches to philanthropy. At the same time, government and regulators are increasingly recognising the potential of philanthropy and the wider impact economy to help address complex social challenges, creating new opportunities for collaboration and support.

For charities to make the most of these opportunities, however, will require addressing some of the core problems holding many organisations back from reaching their full fundraising potential. While this report sets out a series of practical and tactical recommendations, real progress will depend on sustained long-term investment in fundraising coupled with greater support for fundraising from trustees, senior leadership and key teams within the charity. Ensuring fundraisers are equipped to navigate the changing philanthropic and giving landscape will therefore remain a central priority within our wider ten-year strategy.

 

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