New Research Published - Survey of Irish Charities

A new report published by the Charities Regulator gives a snapshot of the charity sector in Ireland today, including its operations and funding, pinpointing ongoing challenges, and offering valuable insights for those working in or engaging with charities.

The report summarises the results of the latest biennial survey of Irish charities commissioned by the Charities Regulator, which was carried out by Ipsos B&A and is now available to read in full on the Charities Regulator's website.

Key findings 

Staffing and finances

• For those survey participants from charities with employees, four in ten say staff numbers have gone up, while almost half say staffing has stayed the same.
• Significantly fewer charities are reporting staff reductions than in previous years.
• Most charities rely on a mix of funding sources, with government and local authority funding as the main source. Fundraising events and other public bodies were also commonly mentioned.

Current position of charities

• Almost half of participants say their charity is in a stronger position now than two years ago -a big jump from 2022. Only one in eight say their organisation is in a weaker position.
• Charities that feel stronger often credit better service delivery and improved access to public funding.
• Those facing difficulties point to challenges like staff recruitment, securing public funding, and managing rising costs.

Trust and governance

• A third of participants feel public trust in charities has declined since 2022, often due to negative publicity. On the other hand, those who feel trust has increased point to greater public awareness that charities are regulated.
• Top concerns for participating charities include income and funding, attracting new trustees and succession planning, and ongoing high costs.

The value of registration

• Seven in ten participants believe being a registered charity is important. Though this has dipped slightly since 2022, it’s still much higher than in 2020.
• Higher credibility and trust remain the biggest benefits of being on the Register.
• Registered Charity Number
• Nearly all participants (93%) are aware of their charity’s Registered Charity Number (RCN). However its usage on fundraising material remains relatively low.

The role of the Charities Regulator

• Awareness of the Regulator’s role continues to grow, though some participants still confuse its functions with those of other public bodies.
• There is increasing recognition that charities themselves are responsible for good governance, not just the Regulator.
• While satisfaction with the Regulator remains high, some areas such as responsiveness and clarity around the Charities Governance Code were mentioned by participants as areas that could be improved.

What really matters to the public?

Commenting on the survey findings, and the findings from the corresponding public survey, our Research Manager, Mandy Osborne said “This latest research shows many charities are becoming stronger, more efficient, and increasingly diverse in their funding. But the report also highlights how recruitment, funding pressures, and public trust remain key issues for the sector.  When we look at the findings in this survey and our recent public survey in the round, it is clear that support for charities remains strong and consistent, with eight in ten members of the public surveyed saying that charities and the work they do is important, with almost half saying very important.”

She added “Interestingly, despite a number of high profile issues being covered in the media in the months and weeks prior to the survey, and being very much the reason cited by charities for declining public trust, the proportion of the public citing negative media and charity scandals as being the main influence on their falling trust level has only risen slightly since the 2022 survey. However the public survey shows that the public are much more concerned that their donation might not be going where it is meant to and that too much is being spent on administration”.

Using RCN number

She concluded  “The growing importance of the public Register of Charities and the registered charity number (RCN) is clear.  We have seen an increase in the number of searches of the Register over the last few years and one in five members of the public surveyed said they routinely check for an RCN before deciding whether to make a donation while a further third will sometimes check. Three quarters of participants in the charity survey said that having details about their charity published on the Register was beneficial. I would therefore encourage all charities to keep their entry on the Register up-to-date, file their annual report on time and use their RCN on all fundraising material. It will become a mandatory requirement for charities to include the RCN on all public material when the Charities (Amendment) Act 2024 comes fully into force.”

You can watch the recently held webinar on the research or download the report in full from our website.