What do the public think about charities and politics?

Download the full report here 

Trust in charities plays a significant role in fundraising. Research has also revealed that there is a correlation between the number of people who choose to donate and how much they trust the charity sector.  

The Autumn 2023 Donor Pulse report, from donations, fundraising and events platform Enthuse, found that the public have a healthy level of trust in charities, on average rating it at nearly seven out of ten (6.94). Those who said they trusted charities were twice as likely to give as those with low trust in the sector.  

So charities need to prioritise building trust with their donors to boost fundraising, and the Autumn Donor Pulse report demonstrates that there are various key elements that go into achieving this goal. Below, we explore three trends from the report and what this spells for digital fundraising in the future. 

Download the full report here 

Bridging the political divide  

Inverse giving has become an interesting fundraising trend for charities, as donors give to support a cause that has been criticised either in the media or on social platforms. The most high profile example of inverse giving in action is the RNLI, who experienced a record fundraising year in 2022 despite being derided in the press.  

According to the Autumn Pulse report, nearly two in five (37%) 18 to 24 year olds have taken part in inverse giving in the last six months. Enthuse adds that ”inverse giving is an interesting area for charities to explore, with younger donors in particular being willing to reward charities taking a stance on more controversial areas.  

“Both the political and social backdrops make criticism of charities more likely and potentially higher risk.” 

Indeed, the report also warns that charities should tread carefully around politically charged subjects more generally. Donors are divided on whether they want charities to campaign for change or stay out of politics. Just more than half of donors (51%) want them to campaign, while 49% do not. 

Donors under the age of 45 are more likely to think charities should campaign for change (64%), while three in five (61%) of over-45s think charities should stay out of politics. 

Strengthening donations through websites  

The report found that methods of donation have an impact on levels of trust. More than half (57%) of people who donate directly to a charity online feel very confident that the money will get where it’s needed. This is nearly double the people who say the same when giving through consumer giving platforms (29%). Only a quarter (26%) felt confident in giving cash or contactless to individuals collecting.  

Donor trust in charity websites has been reflected in the number of donations going directly through them. Almost half of donations are given through charity websites (45%), a two percentage point increase on the previous three months.  

This upwards trajectory is good news for charities, as Enthuse points out that the average direct donation is 24% higher than those given through a consumer given platform, and 30% higher than those that come through a crowdfunding platform. 

Steadying donations  

The appetite for donating has remained relatively steady over the last three months, which is particularly good news amid the cost-of-living crisis. Around seven in ten (71%) people say they are planning to donate to charity in the next three months, reflecting exactly the amount of people who said they had donated in the previous quarter.  

Three quarters of under-45s plan to donate in the next three months, compared to 68% of donors over 45.  

However, there is slight cause for concern over regular donations. While regular giving has been very stable over the last 12 to 18 months, almost a quarter of regular donors are considering cancelling their donation. According to the report, fewer than a third of the public are current regular donors (29%), while 53% have never had a regular donation set up with a charity.  

The stability of regular donations, despite the frequency of cancellations, suggests there is a fair amount of donor churn, where charities have lost supporters but have been successful in bringing on more. Charities must continue to build their loyal supporter base as the cost-of-living crisis eases, reduce their donor churn and keep them engaged for the future.  

You can download the full Autumn Pulse report here.