November 2020
Featured in this insight: Charity & not-for-profit
63% of UK charities are expecting donations to be lower than usual this Christmas due to Covid-19: A survey of charities by The Big Give has found that nearly two-thirds are expecting to receive fewer donations this festive period due to the impact of Covid-19.
The research polled more than 1,000 charities in the UK, finding that as well as the predicted fall in donations, two-fifths (40%) are expecting to see an increased demand for their services over the festive period.
It also found that a fifth of charities polled (22%) usually expect to raise a quarter of their annual voluntary income at Christmas.
The Christmas, Charities and Coronavirus report revealed that since the outbreak of Covid-19, 63% of charities have seen their income fall, with the average fall reported to be 43% per organisation.
The survey also found that nearly two-thirds of charities are expecting to see a fall in their voluntary income over the coming 12 months, and of those who have experienced a fall since the start of the pandemic, 80% believe they will see a further decline in 2021. Nearly six in ten (57%) said their organisation has seen volunteer numbers decline due to the crisis, although 14% have seen an increase.
Demand for services
When asked about the demand for their services, more than half of the charities polled (55%) said they had seen an increase in the number of people seeking their support due to Covid-19.
The report reveals that the worst hit areas for volunteering are cancer charities (82%), hospices and hospitals (79%), medical research (69%), animal welfare (67%), and the elderly (64%).
Many charities are trying to bring in a number of measures to help with their survival, according to the findings, including spending down on reserves (41%), reducing service delivery (24%) and restructuring (23%).
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