Press releases 2009
High fundraising standards deemed top "driver" of public trust in charities
Amidst a recent plethora of negative fundraising stories in the media, having “high fundraising standards” (46%), having made “personal contact” (39%) and possessing a “long-established brand” (38%) are the top three prompted “drivers” the public say makes them most likely to trust a charity (Trust drivers in charities - Nov 09 (246.50KB))
Party conferences of limited use for lobbying, MPs and Peers tell charities
As the party conference season gets underway, only 13% of MPs and 9% of Peers rate attending such gatherings as one of the best ways for charities to influence them, trailing almost every other lobby tactic - according to a poll out today (CPMPartyConferenceAdvice.ppt (246.00KB).
Online social networking vastly prevalent amongst young people -especially those claiming regular charitable involvement
5 out of 6 (83%) of all 11-25 year olds use at least one social networking site, with Facebook easily the most popular - according to data out today (Social Media data - nfpSynergy Sept 09 (37.59KB). Significantly, those claiming regular involvement with charities, and those of university age, are especially likely to use such online media.
Public expects ideal charity to be even more 'supportive' in a recession
The public are keener than ever for charities to be 'supportive', 'sympathetic' and 'responsive', now that the UK has entered recession, according to new data out today Ideal Charity Attributes (26.34KB): demands that pose and interesting challenge to an already struggling third sector.
Number of Scots giving to charity down 8 percentage points year-on-year: Scottish men and the middle-aged notably thrifty
The number of Scottish people claiming they “donated to charity in the last 6 months” has dipped from 79% in April 08 - before the full felt force of the economic downturn - to just 71% in April 09, according to new data out today (SCEM charts July 09 (29.61KB). Scottish males and the middle-aged (35-64 year olds) seem to have fronted the slump.
MPs advise charities on high-impact cost-effective lobbying
Build rapport with priority MPs and mobilise public to lobby them locally, parliamentarians tell cash-conscious charities.
Over half (55%) of MPs say “building a relationship with 10 key MPs” is the most effective way to spend a limited lobbying budget, with just 3% and 2%, respectively, advising using constrained resources to hire a public affairs agency or run a party conference fringe event - according to figures out today (see attached summary slidesMPs advise charities on high-impact cost-effective lobbying).
“Flabby” Government definitions exaggerate volunteering figures
Looking after a pet for a friend, pointing out a pub to a stranger, cheering your child at cricket or even joining a picket: these are all countable instances of volunteering according to Government definitions - thereby erroneously inflating official volunteering levels in England and Wales. This is the key finding of a new briefing (How government definitions over-estimate levels of volunteering (152.21KB) ) from nfpSynergy, following forensic examination of the definitions and methodology employed by Government to compile its Citizenship Survey data, used to gauge the fluctuating levels of volunteering in England and Wales.
Donor outlook less gloomy amongst core supporters, research shows - negativity from existing non-donors may overly darken the picture
The propensity of hardcore non-donors to say they have given, or will give, “less” to charities during a downturn – when they don’t give anything anyway – may be painting an overly-gloomy picture of voluntary revenues in the third sector, according to new figures out today (see attached summary slides Donor Outlook 2009 (82.63KB) )
Charities now drive moral agenda, research shows
Charities and campaigners are tackling the activities society most deems unethical, whilst issues still vexing many religions have less moral relevancy - according to new data (see attached summary slides CAM Modern Sins (71.54KB)).
Charity donors give more than mere money
People who donate to charity are also significantly more likely than non-donors to boost “social capital” through greater involvement with local communities - according to new research (see attached summary slides CAM Donor Heroes (52.58KB)).
Trust in charities bounces back whilst faith in banks wilts
Public trust in charities jumped a sizable 23 percentage points (from 42% to 65%) between a July 2007 low-point and Nov 2008, the biggest “bounce-back” of any type of major British public body or institution - according to latest figures released today (download attached summary slides here - Trust in public bodies Jan 09 (27.02KB))