# Top 10 fundraising charities in 2002-03

- Link: https://fundraising.co.uk/2004/07/07/top-10-fundraising-charities-200203/
- Published: 2004-07-07T23:00:00+01:00
- Author: Howard Lake

The latest edition of Charity Trends lists the most successful fundraising charities
in the UK.
Charity Trends 2004 features analysis of the income and expenditure of
the top 500 charities. The top 10 fundraising charities by total voluntary income
in 2002-03 were:

    ```
                                                          voluntary
                                                           income
                                      ranking in  ranking  £000
                                        2001-02     in
        Charity                                   2002-03

        Cancer Research UK                 1         1     243,541
        The National Trust                 3         2     160,583
        Oxfam                              2         3     131,126
        British Heart Foundation           5         4     112,015
        Royal National Lifeboat            4         5     95,600
        Institution
        Salvation Army                     6         6     90,064
        NSPCC                              7         7     79,459
        Comic Relief                      15         8     73,735
        Macmillan Cancer Relief            9         9     71,070
        RSPCA                             10        10     68,159
    ```

Last year, the UK’s top 500 fundraising charities generated a total income of £8.6
billion according to research out today. Of this, £4.6 billion (53%) was from voluntary
sources.

The top 500 spent £8.1 billion, a rise in real terms of 10% on the previous year.
Eight four per cent (£6.7 billion) went on direct charitable expenditure, up by 
11% on the previous year; 9% on fundraising, up by 8%; and 3% on trading, which 
grew by 7% on 2001-02.

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This year 250 new charities have entered the top 500, with even the lowest charity
in the table attracting a voluntary income of around £2 million.

Between 2002-03, the single largest source of income to the top 500 charities was
donations and grants at 31%, followed by trading fees and contracts at 21%, grants
from public bodies at 15%, and legacies at 13%. While income from rent and investments
represented 9% of total income, its value actually fell in real terms by 3%.

Overall, voluntary income to the top 500 saw a large swing from the decline experienced
in 2001-02, rising by 7.5% in real terms. Of this, income from donations and fundraising
rose by 10% and 16% respectively, returning to the high levels of growth of the 
millennium. Legacy growth, however, slowed to 3%.

‘Charity Trends’ 25th Edition is published by CaritasData Ltd priced £270 or £135
for charities.

www.caritasdata.co.uk

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   7 November 2004)
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   8 December 2004)