New research takes the Pulse of UK charities

[ENTHUSE, the charity digital partner, has launched a new annual research programme: Charity Pulse. The inaugural report of the programme was issued in January and follows Enthuse’s successful quarterly Donor Pulse reports.

Introducing the new project, Enthuse stated: “Over the course of the pandemic it’s been great to see the interest in our Donor Pulse findings, which look at donor trends and behaviours on a quarterly basis. We’re glad Donor Pulse has proved to be a valuable piece of research for the sector and now we hope this new annual study, based on the insights of decision makers in UK charities, can do exactly the same.”

The inaugural Charity Pulse examines how the pandemic has varied in its impact on small, medium and large charities, the prospects and challenges charities see for fundraising in 2022, and how far along charities are on their digital journeys.

The research found that, even with increasing demand on their services and limited fundraising routes, an ‘impressive’ 61% of charities either maintained or increased income during the 18 months to the end of 2021. A further 26% stated that they had lower income than usual and 12% described the position as very volatile.

Large charities had the most stability through the pandemic, with 69% declaring similar or rising levels of income. Medium and smaller charities found things more challenging, with 45% and 44% respectively reporting lower or very volatile income in the past year.

On the issue of working from home, in the next six months charities expect the split between working in the office and working from home to be around 67/33. That more flexible approach to working may be one of the contributors to strong staff morale, with 84% ranking it as either good or excellent.

Looking to the future, charities of all sizes are feeling optimistic about 2022, with four out of five (79%) stating they are either very or fairly optimistic about the year ahead. Income growth is seen as coming from all areas and after a difficult two years, the sector as a whole thinks it has turned the corner.

A clear majority (60%) of charities surveyed say they are starting to see supporters re-engage with fundraising events and see that as an important reason to be looking forward to 2022. Fundraising events and activities are seen as the fastest growing source of income, with 56% of charities predicting a rise in this area.

A majority of charities are seeing more support from younger demographics, mirroring a shift in how people give to digital giving. While that was once seen as a ‘niceto-have’, the researchers say, it is now a ‘must-have’, and investment in the area is critical for future success.

Despite the accelerated digital transformation in the sector, only 12% of charities would consider themselves ‘advanced’ – meaning they have an integrated approach to digital fundraising and events, with personalised journeys and established digital platforms.

Chester Mojay-Sinclare, the CEO and founder of Enthuse, explained: “Charities have had to work incredibly hard during the last 20 months to try and bridge the gap in their income and have continually had to pivot fundraising to ensure it is both safe and viable for their supporters. This has been a uniquely challenging time.

“In spite of this, the sector’s natural optimism has shone through and morale has remained high. I’ve also been struck by how the sector is taking the few positives the pandemic has brought and is building those into future fundraising – for example the accelerated development of virtual events and digital transformation. With these foundations in place, there is a great opportunity for the sector, as supporters now have more choice around how to engage with and fundraise for their favourite charities.”

The report is available to download from enthuse.com/insights/. q

[HYPO HOUNDS provide a viable health care alternative for children and their families by training a Diabetic Alert Dog to detect the subtle changes in the child’s blood sugar levels.

The dogs are trained to alert parents when the child’s sugar levels drop dangerously low or rise too high. This not only impacts on the child but also on the family’s ability to function as a unit, with the registered carer becoming the dog.

Hypo Hounds work is becoming nationally recognised and is literally saving the lives of children – one sniff at a time. q

[ONE IN SEVEN WOMEN develop breast cancer, making it the most common cancer in the UK. It doesn’t just affect women, though: around 400 men a year are also diagnosed with breast cancer.

Against Breast Cancer is a charity dedicated to funding pioneering research to improve detection and treatment, and increase survival after breast cancer diagnosis.

Improvements in diagnostic tools and treatment have extended the lives of many patients; however, secondary spread breast cancer still claims the lives of nearly 12,000 people a year in the UK – that’s around 1,000 people a month!

Secondary spread breast cancers – called metastases – occur when cancer cells break off from the original tumour and travel around the body to establish new tumours. These can arise in other places in the body, such as the lungs, bone, liver and brain; sometimes years after the primary tumour has been treated.

Kelly Gibson, head of fundraising at Against Breast Cancer explained: “The focus of our research is preventing secondary spread, which is the main cause of breast cancer-related deaths. By working with expert scientists located in world-class universities throughout the UK, our ultimate goal is to stop secondary breast cancer from claiming lives; and our unique approach is to do this by focusing our research on prevention, detection and therapies.”

Prevention: To understand how diet and lifestyle may increase or reduce the risk of secondary breast cancer developing, to provide evidence-based advice

Detection: Designing better tools for the earlier detection and diagnosis of secondary breast cancer

Therapies: How the body’s immune system can be harnessed for the development of more effective treatments and ultimately a vaccine against breast cancer

The funds that supporters have raised has enabled the creation of a diet and lifestyle ‘biobank’, which contains biological samples and questionnaire data from over 3,000 women with breast cancer, who were monitored over a five-year period after diagnosis. It provides a vital resource to investigate why some people develop secondary breast cancers and some do not.

Current research projects include ABC Discover, which aims to identify biomarkers that could be used for earlier detection of secondary spread, and the long-term Therapeutic Antibody Programme, which is designing new therapies to help our immune system kill cancer cells more effectively.

Kelly continued: “In the future, we hope to support new research projects that will increase our understanding and treatment of secondary spread breast cancer. Can you pledge to leave a gift in your will to continue our research? Let’s look to the future and find a vaccine for future generations.” q • For more information email Kelly Gibson, head of fundraising, at kelly@againstbreastcancer.org.uk; or visit the website at againstbreastcancer.org.uk/legacy.