Fundraising: what lies ahead in 2024

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As we bid goodbye to winter, and welcome in the spring, it is time again to take stock of the fundraising landscape and what we’ve learned from the first three months of 2024. The start of the year has already thrown up its own economic challenges for charities, with the UK slipping into a recession, though inflation has thankfully fallen from the difficult highs of the last two years. 

 

Indeed, the outlook for the coming year seems mixed as a result, but the charity sector has proven its resilience, with appetite for donations remaining strong year-on-year. The 2024 Spring Donor Pulse report, from fundraising, donations, and events platform Enthuse, found that donations have remained consistent over the last year, with 71% of respondents donating to charity within the last three months, the exact same percentage as did so at the same time last year. Likewise, the same proportion of respondents are planning to take part in fundraising events in 2024 as in 2023, with 44% saying they are likely to do so.

 

This consistency suggests that, though external circumstances may change, the willingness to support charities remains relatively constant. There is ample opportunity for charities to engage donors and encourage them to support their cause, even amid changing political and socioeconomic circumstances. In fact, such changing political and socioeconomic circumstances can lead to a boost in donations, with political giving (to show political support for a cause) and inverse giving  (donating in response to criticism of a charity in the media or on social media) remaining a significant motivation for people giving to a cause. 

 

Below, we explore more trends from early 2024, with insight from Enthuse, and consider what this means for the rest of the year ahead. 

 

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What 2024 means for fundraising

 

Younger people giving more to charity

 

The report found that there is a widening gap in the giving habits of different age groups. Almost three quarters (74%) of 18-44-year-olds donated to charity in the last three months, compared to 69% of those over 45, a five percentage point gap. At the close of 2023, there was just a two percentage point difference between the two age groups. 

 

Younger age groups are also slightly more likely to give to multiple causes, with almost half (47%) saying they had done this in the last three months, compared to 44% of over-45s. The proportion of under- 45s who said they were likely to give to charity was higher than their older counterparts (73% and 66% respectively). However, Enthuse also found that over-45s were slightly more committed to giving, with 36% saying they are very likely to donate compared to 34% of under-45s. 

 

Age also had an impact on donors’ motivation to give to charity, particularly when it comes to political or inverse giving. More than a quarter of under-45s said they took part in inverse giving, while just 8% of over-45s said the same. One in ten over-45s takes part in political giving, compared to 24% of under-45s. 

 

Enthuse says: “The increase in this area points towards the public believing that charities are being more dragged into political issues, and while many may be supportive of charities it may also be having a subtler longer term impact on trust.”

 

 

Trust in charities edges down

 

Enthuse’s research showed signs that trust in the charity sector may be waning in early 2024, with the amount of people with high trust in good causes declining in the last three months. Two in five people (41%) said they had high trust in charities and the work they do, ranking it at eight out of 10 or higher. However, a quarter of respondents had low trust in charities, rating it at between one and five. 

 

Enthuse points to “a fall in trust in all institutions” as a reason behind this, while many donors remain concerned about job security and the economy (though the report also shows signs of recovery with fewer people feeling worse off financially than three months ago). 

 

Enthuse recommends that charities balance “demonstrating their trustworthiness with showcasing their fun activations” as a means of engaging donors, particularly as the UK faces a General Election and the uncertainty that comes with it. 

 

 

Fundraising events remain popular

 

While 44% of people say they are likely to take part in a fundraising event this year, a further 10% are undecided, meaning there is “plenty of opportunity for charities to engage the public in their fundraising events”. 

 

Appetite for event participation is strong among all age groups, but particularly among younger respondents. Three in five 18 – 24-year-olds are keen to participate in fundraising events, closely followed by 58% of 25 – 34-year-olds. Just less than a third of over-45s (31%) expect to take part in a charity event. Smaller and more socially-driven activities were the most popular, with 51% of respondents saying they are interested in such events.

 

“One of the drivers behind this is potentially that in a post pandemic world, people’s social lives need a little more work - and this may provide an interesting opportunity for charities to consider in their campaigns,” Enthuse writes. 

 

Two in five (42%) respondents were interested in exercise challenges, appealing most to those under 45, while a third wanted to get involved in large group events such as fun runs and walks. The report added: “Distance races, such as marathons or half marathons, attracted the interest of one in six people (16%) - an impressive number considering the commitment needed to take part."

 

To find out more about fundraising over the last three months, check out the Spring Donor Pulse report here.