Local Fundraising Shows Biggest Increase in Charitable Income

Howard Lake | 25 July 2007 | Newswire

Income from local fundraising has seen the biggest increase (up 17%) during 2005/06, according to new Fundratios research released by the Institute of Fundraising (‘Institute’) today.
The Institute of Fundraising is the professional body for fundraisers, working to promote the highest standards in fundraising practice and management.
Co-ordinated by the Centre for InterFirm Comparison (CIFC) on behalf of the Institute, Fundratios – the annual charity fundraising benchmarking project – analyses the fundraising income and expenditure of 37 charities with a combined voluntary income of £847 million. Fundratios is designed to help all charities, both large and small, to fundraise more effectively by producing a comprehensive analysis of all aspects of fundraising. Key findings highlight the following fundraising areas that have showed an increase in income:
– Local fundraising (up 17%)
– Corporate income (up 7.4%)
– Legacy fundraising (up 4.6%)
– Committed giving (up 2.9%)
The increase in local fundraising income shows a significant change to the trend of recent years, which has seen a steady decrease in funds raised through local fundraising. The method is the third largest source of income to charities at 11%. Lotteries, events and house-to-house collections also make use of local fundraisers.
A 30% rise in income from corporate sponsorship was identified from the research. Approximately half of the charities participating in the Fundratios research were a corporate ‘Charity of the Year’, providing an average income of £58,000.
At 21%, committed giving (entailing the use of methods such as Direct Debit) remains the second largest source of voluntary income overall. This is despite a cut in investment in the technique (by 5.4%) – only the second cut in seven years.
Legacies remain the largest single source of voluntary income at 40.4%. Accounting for 4.2% of fundraising costs, legacy fundraising has seen a growth of 4.6% over 2005/06. It is significant to note that despite this increase, the overall growth in voluntary income has decreased from 11.7% to 4.2% – the lowest in seven years.
Commenting on the research, Megan Pacey, Director of Policy and Campaigns at the Institute of Fundraising, says:
“It remains the case that charities large and small need to work hard to fundraise in this competitive consumer-driven age. Our findings on local fundraising income are particularly significant to the sector at this time as it is possible that we are seeing a return to a method of fundraising that was a key part of many UK charities fundraising strategies 10 – 15 years ago. It will be interesting to see how local fundraising re-establishes itself as a technique in years to come.”
-ENDS-
For further information please contact:
Diana Mackie Tel. 020 7840 1027 / (07793) 803721
Institute of Fundraising email:

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NOTES TO EDITORS
1. Institute of Fundraising
The Institute of Fundraising (www.institute-of-fundraising.org.uk) represents fundraisers and fundraising throughout the UK and is committed to the highest standards in fundraising management and practice. The Institute of Fundraising is the largest individual representative body in the voluntary sector with 4500 Individual members and 250 Organisational members.
2. Fundratios
Operated by the Centre for InterFirm Comparison in co-operation with the Institute of Fundraising, Fundratios is an annual management tool for fundraising professionals, enabling fundraisers to benchmark their fundraising activities against those of other leading charities. It is a unique source of in-depth information on the growth, costs and returns of every fundraising activity, from shops to special events, committed giving to corporate ventures. Sample Population – 37 charities took part in this year’s Fundratios research programme. The data relates to charities’ financial years up to June 2006. A new study covering the period to June 2007 is now underway.
Charities that take part in Fundratios are presented with a full data analysis of the results. To enquire about taking part in Fundratios, contact Carol Good at the Centre for InterFirm Comparison, (Tel. 01962 844144 / Email

ca*******@ci**.uk











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About Howard Lake
Howard Lake is consultant editor of UK Fundraising. He founded the site in 1994 and successfully sold it in 2022. As director of Giving X Ltd he is exploring growing giving on a massive scale. He is the founder of Fundraising Camp and co-founder of GoodJobs.