Fundraisers quizzed on likely impact of Scottish independence on income

Howard Lake | 8 May 2013 | News

Scottish fundraisers are concerned that Scottish independence could have a negative impact on their charities' income, according to a telephone survey by the Institute of Fundraising Scotland.

The majority (74%) saw disadvantages for the income of their charity if Scotland chooses indepedence, with many expressing concern about continued funding from UK-wide grantmaking trusts and companies. One large charity told the Institute: "Major UK Trusts and Foundations are already phoning and have told us not to apply until after the Referendum".

Another added: "Potential legacies and donors south of the border have already stated they will not give until the situation is clear".

On the other hand, 56% of those surveyed saw advantages for their fundraising if independence went ahead. Most were confident that community and events fundraising would hold up well, together with statutory funding from the Scottish government.

Only a small proportion thought that independence would have no impact on their income. Cross-border charities were more likely to have negative views about the impact of independence.

What was most striking about the survey, the first on possible impacts of Scottish independence on fundraising, was that many charities had not discussed or planned ahead for independence. For example, In most areas of fundraising, more anticipated “no impact at all” than any positive or negative impacts. Over a fifth did not know if independence would affect their fundraising.

About the survey

The Institute of Fundraising Scotland surveyed 135 member organisations, of which the majority (67%) worked in Scotland only. the total voluntary income of the respondents' organisations was at least an estimated £550 million. All of them were larger charities, a small number of which make up 98% of the sector's income in Scotland.

Institute of Fundraising Scotland Manager Gregor McNie acknowledged that the survey was preliminary research, saying: "A large degree of uncertainty about impacts underpinned the research". He added: "Although the survey is relatively small, this project is the first of its kind and I hope it will encourage more work around this topic."

John Brady, Chair of the Institute of Fundraising Scotland, said the research had been designed to assist charities in future strategic planning, particularly around funding and fundraising. He said that the survey would be repeated in 2014 to “see to what extent, if any, the uncertainty has diminished”.

The report, Scottish Independence and Fundraising: The potential impacts of Scottish independence on fundraising in Scotland, can be downloaded as a PDF from the Institute of Fundraising Scotland.
 

About Howard Lake
Howard Lake is consultant editor of UK Fundraising. He founded the site in 1994 and successfully sold it in 2022. As director of Giving X Ltd he is exploring growing giving on a massive scale. He is the founder of Fundraising Camp and co-founder of GoodJobs.