This week's blog looks at the findings from our latest report on how to measure public giving and some of the pitfalls and challenges in doing so. 

It's Christmas time and as per tradition we're giving away 12 more of our reports. They address key issues like lobbying, fundraising and trust, plus a couple of niche ones like Gift Aid and media spending. Enjoy!

We've been sending out quite a few free reports recently, so we thought we'd put them all in one convenient place. Here's a preview of what's available:

The Politics of Charities

What do the public think about charities having the right to lobby? And what does it mean to MPs and journalists for charities to 'be political'?

Global Digital Fundraising

Global communication has opened up new opportunities to engage with communities and key audiences. So what does this mean for non-profits in different environments?

This is a presentation of our data on the public's opinion about charity spending. We also have a video of this presentation here, presented by Joe Saxton, with some great insight and explanation of what the data means for charities.

We are sitting in purgatory between knowing the Iran war will affect living costs and not knowing the intensity of the impact. While there is uncertainty around what is to come, we have the past to call back on. nfpResearch has been tracking donation trends in the UK for decades, meaning we have seen the impact of war-driven inflation costs on charitable giving intentions. Most recently, we monitored the impact of the Russia-Ukraine war.

Tim Harrison-Byrne, Co-Managing Director, nfpResearch

Trustees govern charities and are accountable for their direction – yet for most people, they remain almost invisible. Understanding what the public knows and feels about trusteeship matters, not least for efforts to recruit more diverse boards.

In January 2026, nfpResearch polled 1,000 members of the general public in the United Kingdom on their attitudes to trustees, working with the Association of Chairs and Interims for Impact. The sample was representative by age, gender and social class.

Felicia Willow is the Director of Interims for Impact, a community of interim leaders and specialists supporting charities through transition, gaps and crisis. A former human rights lawyer and experienced interim CEO, she has led and advised charities on governance, strategy and crisis for more than a decade. She is also co-host of For Impact: The Charity Podcast, supported by the Benefact Group, whose episode “Public service or private privilege?