Oxfam’s income drops 4.6% in a year

Howard Lake | 25 July 2013 | News

Oxfam's Annual Report for 2012/13 reveals that the charity has experienced a drop in income of £17.6 million (4.6%) in the latest financial year compared to 2011/12. At the same time, demands on the charity increased and it spent an extra £3.6 million on its work with people living in poverty worldwide.

Public fundraising and shops income down

Oxfam's shops, which had previously weathered the early years of the economic downturn,  reported a drop of £1.2 mllion (1.3%) in retail sales. Many of them reported a drop in donated items from the public. The shops network's contribution to the charity dropped by 9.9% to £20.1 million.

The charity's fundraising incomes, which includes donations from supporters, the public and grants, was also down by £15 million (5.6%) on last year, at £267.8 million.

Bob Humphreys, Oxfam Finance Director, commented:  "It is not surprising that challenging times for the economy have impacted on our income.  We are fortunate that regular donations held up well. However, the lack of a single, high-profile emergency appeal alongside an unexpected shortfall in legacy income led to a drop in the overall contribution from UK public fundraising.

"After several years of pressure on household incomes, people are buying fewer new clothes and other items, which has a knock-on effect on the quantity and quality of donations to our shops.  We need confidence in the UK economy to return – not least to help the many people in the UK who are struggling financially.  We also urgently need people to donate any unwanted clothes, books and homewares to Oxfam, every item helps."

Distribution of costs

Call to support Syria appeal

In response to the drop in income Mark Goldring, Oxfam Chief Executive called on the UK public to support the charity's appeal for the Syria emergency, and to become regular donors.

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.