Recent research including nearly 250 charities conducted by Pro Bono Economics (PBE), the Charity Finance Group, and the Chartered Institute of Fundraising found that in the weeks leading up to Christmas charities lost out on more than £200m of fundraising income. Nearly 50% of charities polled raised less in November and December of 2020 than they did during the same period in 2019. The main reason behind this large decrease in income is due to fundraising events being cancelled and charity shops being forced to close for long periods during the lockdown.
Whilst the COVID-19 safety rules have caused many physical fundraising events to be cancelled, there are still fundraising activities that can be done in lockdown for charities to raise money. The research suggests that running and cycling fundraisers have proved particularly popular – provided they are done in isolation and as long as you stick to the government’s social distancing guidelines. For example, the virtual London Marathon managed to raise £16.1m for charities last year. Although this is well below the 2019 London Marathon total of £66.4m raised.
Other virtual fundraising events have included:
- Online classes
- Virtual raffles
- Online auctions
These are undoubtedly difficult times for everyone. Charities play such a vital role in society particularly during unprecedented scenarios like Covid-19 and it’s important they consider ways to innovate to ensure they can continue to provide much-needed support until hopefully some degree of normality returns later on in the year.
How can we help?
At Hawsons we have a dedicated team of charity accountants at our offices in Sheffield, Doncaster, and Northampton. Our dedicated team fully understands the complex, ever-changing regulatory requirements of the charity and not-for-profit sector. Irrespective of your size we wish to support you to maximise the benefits you could achieve through our specialist professional advice.
More similar articles
The Charities Bill
What is it? The Charities Bill was drawn up to simplify a number of processes to assist charities needing to consolidate and/or restructure. The Bill will implement the majority of recommendations made by the Law Commission in its report published in 2017. It will do...
How to ensure your charity remains sustainable?
Introduction The Oxford English Dictionary describes the term sustainability as; ‘able to be maintained at a certain rate or level’. For a charity, being sustainable involves a great deal of forward planning and preparation for the future. One of the core fundamentals...
How can charities maintain public trust?
In recent years charities have often found themselves featuring in negative headlines on a somewhat regular basis. Unfortunately, it’s very easy for charities to all be tarred with the same brush. These negative stories often result in individuals losing faith or...
Tax Rates and Allowances 2021/22
Introduction We have summarised the key rates and allowances which are fundamental to our business and personal lives. We are sure that you will find them a useful point of reference and have set out below a few examples of how they can be used. Personal tax rates As...
New Grant Funding Available for Charity Retailers
Charity retailers can now access up to an additional £9m in grant funding if certain criteria are met. This is due to the government lifting the allowance limits previously capped by an outdated EU ruling. The Charity Retail Association and Charity Tax Group had...
Budget 2021
Budget 2021 The Chancellor Rishi Sunak presented his second Budget on Wednesday 3 March 2021. In his speech, he stated his Budget 'meets the moment with a three-part plan to protect the jobs and livelihoods of the British people'. Main Budget proposals Tax measures...
The Impact of a Second National Lockdown on Charities
Due to the combination of increasing demand and the decreasing income it is estimated that a funding gap of around £10bn has been created across the charity sector over the past six months. Recent research conducted before the second lockdown was announced showed that...
Indicators Suggest Smaller Charities are Struggling
Recent polls and fundraising data have indicated that donations to NHS charities have risen dramatically since March. Whilst this is perhaps not surprising other charity sectors have seen a decline in donations, this includes homeless and animal shelters as well as...
Charities Lose Millions to Fraud and Cybercrime Since March
Since March charities have lost an estimated £3.6 million due to fraud and cybercrime. The Charity Commission has stated that the actual figure is likely to be far higher due to fraud and cybercrime being notoriously hard to detect and report by their very nature. It...
Further Funding Available for Charities
Further Funding Available for CharitiesRegistered charities will be able to apply for a grant of between £500 and £20,000 if they meet certain criteria. The grant will be funded by the People’s Postcode Lottery, applications opened on 4 August and will close on 19...