How well resourced are you? UK Fundraising Benchmark 2007

First surveys: Income from Individuals and Legacy Marketing.

The UK Fundraising Benchmark is one of a number of surveys being sent to fundraisers across the sector. The aim is to be able to put the fundraising success of your organisation in the context of others.  “So we raised a million pounds last month, how good is that exactly?”  We want to tell everybody how well they’re doing and what’s more we want to do it for free!

Our aim is for more knowledge about the sector to reach more people in the sector.  We are asking questions about expenditure, income and the numbers of people involved in fundraising teams throughout the UK.  All those organisations taking part will get the report sent to them free of charge.  The actual results of all organisations taking part will be anonymous to all others – but we will release the names of the organisations taking part.

The deadline for both these surveys has now passed. We're working on putting together the results, and will let you know when they're available.

A fundraising benchmarking study for the UK not-for-profit sector

In November 2004 nfpSynergy was commissioned by Help the Aged to send out questionnaires to 100 of the UK’s leading not for profit organisations (based on income) asking them in detail about the resources available to them for fundraising activities.  An online version was also available.  58 organisations responded, with an average organisational income of just under £24 million and 66 members of staff in the fundraising teams.  All those who responded were invited to a free seminar which delivered nfpSynergy's analysis of the results.

The study focused on six specific income streams: charitable trusts, community and local fundraising, corporate fundraising, individual fundraising, major donors and big gifts, statutory funding and trading (excluding shops).

Organisations were asked to detail the staff numbers allocated to each income stream, as welll as fundraising expenditure and income, recruitability, outsourcing, and future growth.  Also included in the research were a series of attitudinal questions regarding respondents' perceived importance of each source of income and the CEO's attitudes towards and involvement with the fundraising department and its work.