Wood for Trees is hosting a free, live webinar at 11am on Thursday, 29 July 2021

Award-winning data agency Wood for Trees’ new State of the Sector Report launched this week shows a significant growth in income and recruitment in the charity sector between January and June 2021, compared to the same period last year.

The report states that charity income has risen by 7% over the last six months, with recruitment also up by around 58%, both largely driven by one-off donations, which have increased dramatically since the start of Covid-19.

As well as one-off donations, regular giving continues to be a resilient source of income for charities, which remains at similar levels to this time last year. However, other forms of giving, such as community fundraising and gaming, have been slightly down but are stable.

Increased use of digital methods and a resurgence in direct mail have proven to be the most successful channels to find new recruits. Recruitment by digital means has risen by almost 40%, while recruitment from direct mail is currently three times higher than in the first half of 2020.

There has also been a significant shift in supporter profiles this year. New recruits tend to be younger and less affluent, particularly for community fundraising and gaming. And, although overall typical supporters are still older and more affluent, this does indicate an emerging audience.

In addition, the ways in which these new supporters choose to be contacted seems to be changing. For example, community fundraisers mostly opt for email, whereas gamers tend to prefer SMS.

Increasing recruitment levels have meant the total number of active supporters has risen 2.5% higher than what was seen at the start of the pandemic. And, overall, their value is up.

But, as one-off donations continue to dominate, there is a note of caution as the new breed of community fundraisers are providing less value on average and cross-sell rates are down. As a result, these new supporters will need further nurturing and engagement.

Wood for Trees Managing Director, Jon Kelly, said:

“A six-month review of charity data, taken from our InsightHub benchmarking suite, shows promising results for the sector as overall income and supporter volumes continue to rise.

“However, we are yet to see the full impact of the changes seen in the ways of giving and types of supporters. This will require continuous monitoring to ensure charities can build from the positives and make the most of the opportunities presented to them.”

To request a free copy of the State of the Sector Report – January-June 2021, please visit: https://woodfortrees.net/state-of-the-sector-janjun2021-request/.

Wood for Trees is hosting a free, live webinar at 11am on Thursday, 29 July 2021, which will run through the report’s contents and offer an opportunity for attendees to ask questions. To register, please visit: https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/8938976074117093902.