A report launched today by Bond, has found that overall income for 305 of its members grew by 59 per cent in ten years and stood at £3.8 billion at April 2016, compared to the wider UK domestic charity sector, which grew by 10 per cent.

Government income (both grants and contracts) are amongst the strongest growing areas of income and now represents 33% of total funding.

The largest income stream in the sector came from individual giving (31 per cent). Funding to international development organisations now represents a twelfth of entire charity sector funding in the UK, the largest being social services (£10.6 billion), culture and recreation (£5.8 billion) and health (£5.4 billion).

Report author, Graham MacKay, Chief Operating Officer of Bond, said:

‘This report shows that the critical work development and humanitarian organisations do – from supporting families out of poverty to responding to the consequences of climate change and humanitarian crises – has seen incredible support from the UK public, with much of the funding coming from people’s pockets

Safeguarding, Brexit and GDPR post-dated this piece of research so whether this picture is still accurate is yet to be seen, but what this report reminds us is that the altruistic missions of charities, their moral values and principled aims must be at the heart of any fundraising strategies because these are the things that have led to a decade of public support – and public support and trust mustn’t be taken for granted.’

Photo credit: Bond NGO

Murtaza Jessa, haysmacintyre chartered accountants and tax advisers, head of charities said:

‘The overall picture of INGO funding over the last ten years appears at first sight to be very positive. However, it is clear that there are winners and losers and there is some striking polarisation, with the larger organisations attracting the lion’s share of government funds, individual giving and voluntary sector income. This report is a useful reference for INGOs to plan funding strategies and think afresh about funding. It is also a valuable tool to help organisations consider their mission and the sustainability of their underlying business models. The lessons for organisations are clear: they must remain nimble and not take any funding for granted.’

For more see: https://www.bond.org.uk/resources/financial-trends-2018