This week, our blog explores some of our statistics on public sentiment towards refugees and highlights the importance of the work that charities are doing to alleviate the refugee crisis.

Theresa May recently announced new mental health pledges for schools and employers, with a focus on ensuring mental health is not secondary to physical health. However, her statement that "it is always wrong for people to assume that the only answer to these issues is about funding" is distinctly unnerving. This week's blog examines whether there is really anything more effective than funding to improve the UK's mental health outlook.

Polling companies were criticised for failing to correctly call Brexit and, more recently, the election of Donald Trump  - but how much of this criticism is fair? And who is really at fault - the pollsters, or those interpreting the polls?

With the impending trigger of Article 50, our exit from the EU and Trump's suggestion of US withdrawal from the Paris Climate Agreement, there is a fair amount of uncertainty ahead for charities - especially those working in the environment sector. Intern Nick Mullins shares his ideas about the future for charities working in this area.

As one of the most tumultuous years in recent history draws to a close, we've been thinking about what charities should expect in 2017. What will Brexit, Trump, rising oil prices and various domestic issues mean for the sector? Discover our predictions in this week's blog.

The time has come again to reflect on the last 12 months and thank our clients and partners for inspiring us to keep researching topical issues in the sector with 12 free reports.

The parallels between Brexit and Trump are plain to see and are constantly being made, but what does this say about the divisions in our society? What can we learn, and can charities help to heal the divide?

It's not unusual for people to loathe politicians; it is remarkable, however, that this year's US presidential race has managed to cause reputational harm to the charity sector, and celebrity charitable foundations in particular. This week's blog asks - how many more celebrity charitable foundations do we need? Is it time for celebrities to resist the trend of starting their own foundations, and simply donate to trusted established charities instead?

Westminster has become a crowded environment for charities, with numerous organisations campaigning and competing for MPs' time. Compounding this, our latest research reveals that just under 1/4 of Conservative MPs state that charities should not campaign in parliament. So how can charities best navigate this difficult landscape and get their voices heard by key decision makers?

When it comes to influencing government policy, UK-wide charities have tended to focus the majority of their resources on lobbying the powerful political institutions of Westminster.

However, with devolution continuing at breakneck speed across the country, charities that have started to build on their work in the devolved Assemblies and Parliament are already seeing results.