What does the latest research tell us about growing charitable giving in the UK? New findings from the Charities Aid Foundation (CAF), C&E Advisory and Enthuse highlight the challenges and opportunities facing charities, from declining corporate giving and increasing competition for partnerships to changing donor preferences and the importance of investing in supporter experiences. Understanding these trends can help fundraisers benchmark their performance, strengthen corporate partnerships and identify opportunities to grow individual giving. We've updated our Fundraising Data and Insights Hub with analysis of these latest reports, helping CIOF members access the evidence and practical insights they need to inform their fundraising strategies.
We have updated our Fundraising Data and Insights hub with the latest reports on charitable giving trends on corporate partnerships and individual giving.
The giving landscape continues to evolve and adapt amidst a challenging socio-political and economic environment, alongside rapid developments in AI. It is therefore essential that fundraisers have access to the latest data and insights so they can benchmark their organisations' performance with the wider sector and identify pockets of opportunities to grow income. We have therefore updated our data and insights hub with analysis of the most recent reports published this quarter to make sure members can stay up to date with the latest developments.
The Charities Aid Foundation's corporate giving report found that despite reporting record profits, giving from the FTSE 100 is in decline and only around a quarter of companies in the wider business community support charities. Much of this is due to senior leaders and shareholders not seeing the relevance or value of charitable giving. There are, however, opportunities to turn these trends around. Amidst a challenging socioeconomic backdrop, consumers and staff want to see their organisations play a more active role in addressing social problems. Charities therefore looking to grow their income from corporates should therefore focus on building a business case that highlights the value of such partnerships for both their mission and the companies' wider goals.
This sentiment is echoed in the C&E annual barometer, which shows that competition for corporate partnerships is making businesses more selective about who they partner with and why. An increased focus on impact measurement and showcasing the measureable outcomes of a partnership is therefore vital for securing long-term support.
Enthuses' most recent donor pulse report shows that strategic investment can help charities recruit and retain both one-off and individual donors. Over half of respondents to their survey across all age groups said they would rather give directly through a charity’s own website than by other online methods. This is more than four times higher than via a consumer giving platform – the second most popular method.
This preference can benefit charities looking to build long-term relationships with donors. Donations made directly to a charity's website were generally higher than those through consumer giving platforms. Similarly, supporters were more likely to remember which cause they supported when they gave directly. Investing in a seamless giving experience and supporter experience could therefore unlock additional long-term income and even convert some donors into regular givers.
Individual, organisational and corporate members can access the full analysis of these reports and others that have come out this year on our fundraising data and insights hub.
If you have any questions or would like us to include some of your research on the hub, please email policy@ciof.org.uk
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