The UK Giving report from CAF was released last month and in the sector press again.

At nfpSynergy we’ve spoken a lot about negative media coverage of charities over the last year, with a particular focus on fundraising practices.

This coverage, combined with the looming Fundraising Preference Service, has created a precarious atmosphere for charity fundraisers. More than ever fundraisers give careful consideration to how they approach people in order to maintain positive relationships without alienating potential supporters.

The charity sector in Ireland has had a hard time of it lately.

The recent economic crisis at home has seen growing pressure on domestic charities’ services and the threat of people turning away from overseas charities. Controversies and scandals in the charity sector have also had a huge impact on public attitudes towards Irish charities, with many feeling that they can no longer trust the sector.

The run up to Christmas 2015 was a busy period for charities. Giving Tuesday, big TV adverts and multiple Christmas appeals meant that people had even more contact with charities than usual. But how do the UK public feel about charities at Christmas? Which campaigns are the most successful and why?

In part one of this report we discuss our recent research into the public’s experiences of interacting with charities at Christmas. We look at which causes, charities and campaigns were the winners of Christmas 2015 and why.

Freddie Pattisson did work experience with nfpSynergy in December 2015. Here are his thoughts on the morality and effectiveness of charity

Should you give? Science shows giving to charity is good for you. Neuroscientists have found that when someone makes the decision to donate the brain’s pleasure centers are activated in a similar way to eating chocolate or having sex[1].

We would like to thank our clients and partners for inspiring us to keep researching the topical issues in the sector. As part of our Social Investment programme we regularly produce Free Reports and feed our finding back to the sector so any charity regardless its size or sector can find something useful. Here are the 12 popular reports this  year.

The charity world has a conflicted attitude towards companies. Our concern is that the relationship between companies and charities is becoming ever blander. For charities and companies to make the most of each other we need innovation and courage. So what might new ideas look like?

To answer this, Joe Saxton draws on more than 25 years experience in non-profit sector to investigate the effectiveness of current and new models of partnerships in this report. The report consists of five parts:

The public’s trust in charities has fallen to its lowest level in almost a decade, new research shows. Barely half of people now trust charities; a figure that sees them drop to 8^th in a list of Britain’s most trusted institutions as the Armed Forces, the NHS and schools continue to lead the way.

What is the best way to provide care to a stranger? Anna Chistyakova explores available options and possibilities to help a homeless person and finds herself overwhelmed, yet is not convinced what she should be doing as a giver