Resources
We publish our research because we think the sector benefits when evidence is shared openly. Below you'll find our free reports, presentations and blog posts covering everything from public attitudes and fundraising trends to governance, campaigning and funder practice. Use the search to find what's relevant to you, or browse to see what catches your eye, or you can view our old reports on our archive page.
Gone Viral - The impact of a second year of Covid-19 on charities
A second look at charities and the pandemic, eighteen months in. Interviews with nineteen charities and sector experts in May and June 2021 on what changed, what stuck, and their hopes and fears for the years ahead. Follows our 2020 Going Viral report.
Hidden But Vital: Charities and the Pandemic
Pandemic-era findings set against long-term trends from our surveys of the public, MPs, journalists and primary healthcare professionals. Covers giving and volunteering through Covid, perceptions of charities' role in the crisis, and changing concerns about the economy and environment.
PEST and the Pandemic: The next 20 years in the Charity Sector
How social, economic, cultural and political forces will shape the charity sector over the next 20 years. First published in 2019 and re-released in December 2020 with Covid updates, many of which were already coming true.
Generation Game: How might the charity world have changed in 20 years?
What will the charity world look like 20 years from now? Joe Saxton's predictions, drawing on our work with over 150 charities and regular surveys of the public, politicians, donors and journalists, including the decline of direct debits and cash giving and pressure on legacies and older volunteers.
Child's Play: What has happened to children's charities over the last decade?
Children's charities have lost ground over the last decade: falling voluntary income, lower public awareness and less political engagement. This report examines the causes and proposes what the sector can do about it.
Facts and figures: UK charity sector 2018
The essential facts and figures about the UK charity sector in one place: number of registered charities across the UK, sector income, workforce, the value of volunteering, funding sources and regulation. The 2018 update of our most-requested reference sheet.
PEST Analysis for the nonprofit sector
A refreshed guide to the political, economic, social and technological trends shaping charities, first published in 2011. This version covers Brexit, the 2017 election, smartphones and GDPR, and comes with a companion list of 100 essential PEST facts for strategic planning.
Just my Type - An Archetype Analysis of Charity Finances
Sector-wide averages hide more than they reveal. This analysis of over 2,500 charities with income above £5 million sorts them into six financial archetypes, from contractors and traders to fundraisers and legacy fundraisers, so charities can compare themselves with their true peers.
Polishing the Diamond
Our first report on charity branding, and still one of the most requested. Joe Saxton's plain introduction to what brand means for a charity, and why an organisation's image matters to every part of its work, written at a time when many trustees hated the word.