Changing name is a huge decision for a charity. Getting it right can secure the long term future of a charity and boost awareness, reputation and income. Getting it wrong can be an expensive disaster and too often the decision is made without the proper care or research. Many charities have changed their name before and it’s a decision many more will go on to face.

With this in mind, we've written this free report to offer our thoughts and experiences. It looks at all of the following key questions:

In 2006, we wrote a first edition of Getting the Message across, but eight years later it is clear that the gap between how 21^st century charities work and how the public think they work remains substantial. In response to the resurgent public debate about charity expenditure, executive pay and a host of other broader trust issues, nfpSynergy held three focus groups earlier this year with charity donors of a range of professional backgrounds and ages.

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.

Much has been written about how charities should communicate impact. How to communicate with donors, how to thank them and, perhaps most importantly, how to explain what you did with their money are undoubtedly tough nuts to crack.

I was really impressed with the depth of understanding and focus on this project. One of the things that stood out was that during the research Jo got in touch to ask if we could change our creative to match the findings, which was incredibly useful and demonstrated an excellent level of attention and customer service.

The nfpSynergy team demonstrated both a professional and empathetic approach with the parents they interviewed and as such was able to gain their confidence and gather some very insightful material. I found working with them very helpful and supportive enabling us to overcome some difficult logistical and timescale challenges.

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

When I first came across Oxfam’s ‘Food for All’ campaign, it did what any campaign should do upon first acquaintance; it captured my attention. This is quite something considering we are constantly bombarded by advertisements for films, dating websites, nose sprays and box springs in or on trains, tubes, buses, taxis and cycle rickshaws as well as TV and the Internet. Somewhere among all of these are charity appeals. I usually can’t see the wood (good cause) for the trees (consumerism galore). 

The most recent data from our Charity Awareness Monitor (CAM) has yielded some interesting results on public perceptions of charity staff pay. While the majority think that Chief Executives are paid (80%) and volunteer tin collectors are not (69%), there's a fair bit of uncertainty about whether or not salaries are drawn in other roles, such as trustees and on-street fundraisers.