At the beginning of the month, we held a Research Reflections event where Co-Managing Directors Tim and Cian shared some of our research findings from the last 12 months, followed by a brief discussion of some charity sector issues.

Tim Harrison-Byrne

In 2020, NHS Charities Together raised £150m. In 2019, under a different name, it raised £388,000. That is a 38000% increase. I’m sure there is a story to be told by the charity on how you cope with such an unbelievable increase, which is surely unprecedented in the voluntary sector?  

Peter Dawson

How do charities appeal directly to the communities they operate in? The past two years have given us abundant scope to view how charities have interacted with the localities around them. Grassroot charities were at the heart of the COVID-19 response, displaying their agility and knowledge of the areas they covered to help the most vulnerable people affected by the pandemic. But what of larger charities – how do some of these organisations connect with local bases?

Max Roche

The last five years have presented a number of challenges for charity media teams. An existential political crisis that came with the 2015 European referendum, followed by a global pandemic has meant news cycles have been dominated by major national issues.

As we approach what has been called the most depressing day of the year, this week's blog looks into how mental health and wellbeing charities are changing the narratives surrounding "Blue Monday" to make it a more positive day and to encourage the British public to speak more about mental health.

Our blog this week highlights three key findings from our latest charity survey with individuals who identify as LGBTQ+, including faviourite charity causes, levels of trust in charities and other institutions, and whether charities are seen as supporters of the LGBTQ+ community.

The fourth in our series of reports on the impact of Covid-19 on charities, this weeks blog summarises our findings from 20 interviews conducted in May/June with charities of varied sizes and sectors on their experience of the pandemic, as well as hopes and fears for the future.

Last year, we released our ‘Going Viral’ report, exploring the initial response to the Covid-19 outbreak by charities. This is the second year of Covid-19, and it was time to revisit and delve into the experiences of charities in the sector again to take a longer-term perspective on the pandemic and its impact on the sector.

Did you know that Hispanic Heritage Month takes place each year from the 15th of September to the 15th of October? In lieu of this occasion, our Research and Administrative Officer Alison Forero has prepared a blog reflecting on some of the challenges faced by the charity sector in Colombia, her home country.

Found yourself feeling disheartened by unwavering brand awareness measures? This weeks blog discusses our tool, the Charity Brand Evaluator, which aims to look beyond awareness and reveals other dimensions of a charity brand such as personality, visibility and differentiation.