Have you ever wanted a few facts and figures about the sector at your fingertips?  Have you wished you could give a journalist a few nuggets of info to show how important the sector is to society? 

Last month the regulator for premium rate text messages, PhonepayPlus, released data showing that in 2014 text donations raised over £114 million.

This is a great success story for fundraising and charities. At nfpSynergy we are pleased to have played an important role in the changes that bought about the development of text donations. Back in 2008 when I finished my stint as Chair of the Institute of Fundraising I agreed to take on the task of trying to make text donations economic.

• Trust in charities falls from 53% in Spring 15 to 48% in Autumn 2015
• Charities have fallen from 8th place to 12th place in just 6 months in the list of trusted public institutions
• Now behind supermarkets and TV & Radio stations in levels of trust
• Charities are most trusted by the under 24s and least trusted by the over 55s

The latest wave of nfpSynergy research in trust in charities and other public institutions shows that the summer of media coverage and newspaper revelations have taken their toll.

The growing mistrust of charities in the media and among politicians calls into question how charities would like to be seen by their supporters or the wider public.

There has been much soul-searching in the charity sector in recent weeks about how it is perceived by external audiences. Do the public, or even politicians and journalists, really understand how charities work today? Do they know that many charities these days are large, professionally run and impactful organisations? Or do they still just imagine an entirely voluntary operation run out of a church that "sticks to the knitting" in the memorable words of Brooks Newmark?

When someone mentions ‘pester power’, the first thing that springs to mind is likely to be children hassling their parents for junk food or the latest toy or smartphone. You probably won’t think first of the positive role which children and young people might have on the adults in their lives.

"I find your work really accessible, thanks for sharing so much of it for free and for making it easily understandable."

Lindsay Woodward, Fundraising Manager at Leicester & Leicestershire Animal Aid Association.

As it's the season of goodwill, we're giving away The 12 Insights of Christmas. They look at some of the key issues facing the charity sector and include research, interviews and advice from charities and from us. Unwrap our 12 free reports just in time for Christmas.

I'm a big fan of nfpSynergy. They provide the strongest opinion pieces in our sector.

Adrian Sargeant - Robert F. Hartsook Professor of Fundraising, Indiana University

1. A Hidden Gem - Resilience report from the Clore Social Leadership Programme