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!

Charity websites and offices are the last resort for people needing support and advice

• We asked 1000 adults where they would go for advice or support on ‘financial difficulties’, ‘housing’, ‘social benefits’, ‘issues concerning elderly people’ and ‘being the victim of

In early 2012 the John Ellerman Foundation embarked on a strategic review to find out what a model grant-maker looks like in the eyes of applicants and grantees, and compare practices in the grant-making sector. nfpSynergy was commissioned to carry out independent research with charities and their fundraisers. This report is a result of that research.

Mark Pierce,  Associate Director of Knowledge and Research at the Community Foundation

At the Community Foundation we like to think we have a fairly close relationship with our grantees, and that they wouldn’t be too shy to tell us where we could be doing better. And a bit of constructive criticism is genuinely appreciated. But we also know it can be difficult, particularly if you are a new grantee or have been unsuccessful in applying, to raise concerns about how a funding partner conducts their business.

As the year comes to a close, we at nfpResearch want to take a moment to reflect on all that we have accomplished in the past 12 months.

It’s been a big year for our organisation – in February, we finalised our rebrand from nfpSynergy to nfpResearch. This decision made for a significant undertaking, but we believe that the past year has proved us right that this new brand better reflects the focus and direction of our organization. We are dedicated to providing high-quality research and insights to the non-profit sector, and our new name captures this commitment.

Ben Roberts

In this week's blog, Joe Saxton shares his experience of using a number of Trustee recruitment sites to try and find a new Trustee role. Read about the twists and turns of what ends up being the (surprisingly?) not-so-straightforward process of navigating recruitment sites for this particular type of role.

This free report explores the (at times controversial) issue of charging for your charity services. We ask: Can (and should) charities charge their beneficiaries to make up for falling fundraising income?  And what happens when they do?