The document contains information from several surveys and reports about charities and the public's perceptions of and interactions with charities. Some key findings include:
- Celebrity endorsements can raise awareness of charities for up to 20% of people, but typically translate to only 9% actually donating and 5% volunteering. However, they are still valuable for fundraising.
- Charities now need to work harder than ever to impress and stand out to MPs, as the field has become more crowded.
- While giving levels in Britain have remained steady, they have declined 10% in both Ireland and Scotland since 2008 due to economic downturns in those regions.
- Transparency is the most important attribute
The document contains information from several surveys and reports about charities and the public's perceptions of and interactions with charities. Some key findings include:
- Celebrity endorsements can raise awareness of charities for up to 20% of people, but typically translate to only 9% actually donating and 5% volunteering. However, they are still valuable for fundraising.
- Charities now need to work harder than ever to impress and stand out to MPs, as the field has become more crowded.
- While giving levels in Britain have remained steady, they have declined 10% in both Ireland and Scotland since 2008 due to economic downturns in those regions.
- Transparency is the most important attribute
The document contains information from several surveys and reports about charities and the public's perceptions of and interactions with charities. Some key findings include:
- Celebrity endorsements can raise awareness of charities for up to 20% of people, but typically translate to only 9% actually donating and 5% volunteering. However, they are still valuable for fundraising.
- Charities now need to work harder than ever to impress and stand out to MPs, as the field has become more crowded.
- While giving levels in Britain have remained steady, they have declined 10% in both Ireland and Scotland since 2008 due to economic downturns in those regions.
- Transparency is the most important attribute
The document contains information from several surveys and reports about charities and the public's perceptions of and interactions with charities. Some key findings include:
- Celebrity endorsements can raise awareness of charities for up to 20% of people, but typically translate to only 9% actually donating and 5% volunteering. However, they are still valuable for fundraising.
- Charities now need to work harder than ever to impress and stand out to MPs, as the field has become more crowded.
- While giving levels in Britain have remained steady, they have declined 10% in both Ireland and Scotland since 2008 due to economic downturns in those regions.
- Transparency is the most important attribute
Charity Awareness Monitor (January 2014) Base: 379 adults 16+, Britain. All who answered yes out of 1000 to Are you aware of any celebrities who support a charity? Source: Charity Awareness Monitor, Jan 2014, nfpSynergy Celebrity support increases awareness of charities Has a celebritys relationship with a charity ever had any of the following effects? What does it mean for charities? At first glance, it seems this celebrity-inspired increase in awareness rarely translates into individual actions taken by the public. Only 9% were actually prompted to donate to the charity and just 5% campaigned or volunteered, although 11% considered it. It is however important to remember that celebrity support can help raise money for highly publicised, well known initiatives like Comic Relief. Aligning yourself with a celebrity can be a double-edged sword. Looking at this slide, it means up to 20% of people might at least consider donating to you. Given that celebrities (as far as we know) work for free, this is undoubtedly a net financial boost. But only 38% of people were aware of any celebrities that support a charity and they can attract all manner of bad publicity as well as good, which may leave you with some tough decisions to make and even end up affecting your brand. Finally, it does seem that a celebritys effect on awareness levels has fallen since 2010, which could be caused by a general oversaturation of highly publicised partnerships.
4 Charities that have impressed MPs
Charity Parliamentary Monitor (February 2014) Top charities that have impressed MPs 6 Base: Minimum 150 MPs Source: Charity Parliamentary Monitor, nfpSynergy Which charities have impressed you in the last 6 months, and why? Unprompted question What does it mean for charities? We know that there are more charities lobbying in Westminster than ever before. What is interesting is the impact that this has had on the ability of charities to impress MPs.
Every six months for the past 12 years we have tracked which charities have impressed MPs and why. Our representative sample of 150 MPs is asked, unprompted, to name up to four charities that impressed them in the previous six months.
In January 2004, it was not uncommon for a charity to impress a third of MPs. Ten years on the strongest charities will impress 10% of MPs. This is not to suggest that charities are less effective. Indeed we know from our research that MPs believe charities are more effective now than they were five years ago. However, it does show that charities need to work harder than ever before to stand out and impress large numbers of MPs.
7 Giving Levels across the UK & Ireland
Charity/Celtic Charity Awareness Monitor (May 2013) 73% 83% 75% 74% 69% 79% 76% 79% 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% J u l - 0 7 D e c - 0 7 J u n - 0 8 D e c - 0 8 J u n - 0 9 D e c - 0 9 J u n - 1 0 D e c - 1 0 J u n - 1 1 D e c - 1 1 J u n - 1 2 D e c - 1 2 M a y - 1 3 Republic of Ireland Great Britain Scotland Northern Ireland Within the past three months, have you given any money to charities? Those who answered Yes Giving levels during austerity Base: 3,800 adults 16+, GB, Scotland , NI & ROI Sources: CAM, Celtic CAM & ICEM, nfpSynergy What does it mean for charities? We track giving in Great Britain as a whole, Scotland, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. Over the last five years these economies, albeit to differing extents, have experienced credit crunches, recessions, low growth and are grappling with large levels of sovereign debt and structural deficits. In Great Britain, the likelihood to give (this doesnt give a sense of value or frequency) hasnt been affected by the recession much at all. In fact, since we started asking this question in 1998, the only thing that seems to affect it at all is the aftermath of an international crisis, e.g. the Asian Tsunami. Otherwise, it hovers around of the population. Conversely, in the Republic of Ireland a market which used to be more likely to give than Britain there has been a 10% decline in giving levels since 2008. The seasonal peak at Easter time, the culmination of Lenten appeals by large Irish brands, has been getting smaller each year and Irish donors are now less likely to give than Brits.
10 What does it mean for charities? Over the same period in Scotland, the picture is very similar to that in the Republic of Ireland. Despite fluctuations, there has been a decrease in giving, with people now 10% less likely to donate than in 2008, opening up a small gap between them and the rest of the UK. It is perhaps unsurprising that smaller markets like the Republic or Ireland and Scotland are more sensitive to the impact of economic turbulence than Great Britain. However, Northern Ireland appears to be something of an exception to this rule. Admittedly we have not collected as much data here as in the other markets, but whenever we have it has been remarkably similar to Great Britain. Northern Irish people seem as determined as ever to give. There are also differences in the dominance of different brands and categories, different political backdrops and different press and TV outlets. For charities working in any of these markets, it is crucial to be informed about how the public perceive and engage with their brand and about the wider environment in which that brand exists. 11 Attributes of the ideal charity
Brand Attributes Monitor (January 2013) Transparency is the foundation of ideal charitys footprint 45% 34% 32% 27% 26% 18% 11% 6% 4% 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% Transparency Care and support Credentials Service delivery Service users Speaking out Forward looking Self-determined Institutional Ideal Charity Listed below are a number of words that could be used to describe a charity or not for profit organisation. Please choose up to 10 words that you think describe your IDEAL charity Base: 3,000 adults 18+, Britain Source: Brand Attributes, Nov 13, nfpSynergy What does it mean for charities? 45% of people selected an attribute related to transparency. Answers like honesty and trustworthiness highlight the importance of transparency and fairness. This category saw a rise of 12% since 2012, potentially be due to negative media stories about charity wrongdoing. Care and support also remain important, with 34% indicating that at least one related adjective should be among the ten ideal attributes for a charity. The public cares a lot about their ideal charity being caring, compassionate and supportive. However, speaking out linked to attributes such as campaigning, challenging, outspoken and passionate - features towards the lower middle. So although significant, it is overtaken by other key issues related to service delivery and users. Just 4% chose attributes which could be typical of a well-known institution (e.g. established, authoritative, traditional). The public feel an ideal charity should focus on being helpful, informative, practical and responsive. It seems people prefer an approachable, friendly and welcoming charity over a traditional, authoritative and exclusive one. 14 Trust in institutions
Charity Awareness Monitor (December 2013) Least trusted Most trusted 16 The NHS Political parties Newspapers Insurance companies Government Scouts and Guides The armed forces Banks Charities Schools Base: 1,000 adults 16+, Britain. Source: Charity Awareness Monitor, May 13, nfpSynergy Below is a list of public bodies and institutions. Please indicate, by ticking in the appropriate column, how much trust you have in each of the bodies 6% 14% 15% 15% 15% 17% 17% 24% 25% 26% 23% 33% 36% 41% 47% 36% 44% 52% 46% 54% 53% 49% 50% 45% 2% 2% 1% 1% 2% 2% 2% 2% 4% 3% 7% 6% 3% 3% 6% 19% 11% 8% 14% 11% 13% 18% 17% -31% -32% -38% -37% -39% -33% -19% -41% -30% -41% -32% -34% -39% -39% -30% -24% -26% -25% -26% -24% -21% -22% -15% -12% -57% -48% -41% -36% -40% -44% -9% -27% -31% -21% -29% -21% -17% -12% -13% -15% -15% -6% -11% -6% -7% -8% -6% -6% 33% -100% -80% -60% -40% -20% 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% Political parties Government Insurance companies Multinational companies Newspapers Banks The Fundraising Standards Board (FRSB) Local Authorities Trade Unions Civil Service The Church Legal system Supermarkets TV and radio stations The Royal Mail The Royal Family The BBC Small businesses The Police Schools Charities The NHS Scouts and Guides The Armed Forces Haven't heard of Very little Not much Not sure Quite a lot A great deal Base: 1,000 adults 16+, Britain. Source: Charity Awareness Monitor, May 13, nfpSynergy Trust in institutions 17 What does it mean for charities? Trust in public bodies is an interesting topic. The rankings are quite sensitive to external events that might have happened around the research dates and general trends might affect all public institutions. Having said that, the Armed Forces have historically enjoyed record levels of trust - now a third of the population trust them a great deal according to our latest research. This might be due to the fact that Armed Forces is an old and rooted establishment, well-insulated from any scandals or media activity that could have a negative impact on its public trust levels.
Charities remain slightly behind the Scouts & Guides and the NHS this wave, but they are well above most other public institutions. Following by a significant dip in trust levels in 2011 (53%) a trend that was seen quite widely across institutions and public bodies charities started to recover gradually and reached 66% in May 2013. Although this is good news for charities, it is important to bear in mind that trust levels remain volatile.
18 Recommendations by Donors
Charity Awareness Monitor (December 2013) 64% 58% 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% Jul-10 Mar-11 Jul-12 Jul-13 I would recommend the charities I support to other people Decline in recommendations 20 Please look at the statements below and indicate how much you agree or disagree with each statement by ticking the appropriate box. Strongly agree/Agree Base: 1000 adults 16+, Britain. Source: Charity Awareness Monitor, July 13 nfpSynergy What does it mean for charities? We know the recommendation is increasingly important in the digital age for all brands. Social media and review websites such as TripAdvisor tell consumers what their peers think about a product or brand in an unprecedented way. Surely the same principle can be applied to charities to help spread their message and garner support?
Unfortunately, the last three years has actually seen a gradual decline in the proportion of respondents saying that they would recommend the charities they support to other people from 64% in 2010 to 58% in 2013. This may be a cause for concern for charities not only are they not keeping up with the trend for recommendations, but they are actually slipping backwards.
21 Campaigning
Charity Awareness Monitor (November 2013) 23% 45% 37% 41% 54% 27% 43% 46% 49% 59% 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% I feel people have a duty to do this It is difficult for me to get involved in this I personally would/do get a lot out of doing this My friends or family would be proud to know I was doing this Getting involved in this helps to make the world a better place Mar-13 Mar-11 Please indicate how far you agree with the following statements about campaigning for a charity Agree Strongly/Agree Slightly
Base: 1000 adults ,16+ Great Britain Source: Charity Awareness Monitor Mar 13, nfpSynergy There has also been a slight increase in positive sentiment towards campaigning 23 What does it mean for charities? There have been significant increases across the board for positive statements related to campaigning. Just as respondents feel that individual campaigning activities are becoming more effective, they are also more likely to say that campaigning as a whole makes the world a better place, that their families and friends would be proud to know they are involved in campaigning, that they would get a lot out of it and that people have a duty to campaign.
Again, this is all good news for charities encouraging the public to campaign and suggests a moderate but significant increase in the numbers of people willing to engage in campaigning.
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