# Majority of south coast charities positive about income for 2014

- Link: https://fundraising.co.uk/2013/10/16/majority-south-coast-charities-positive-about-income-2014/
- Published: 2013-10-16T07:00:02+01:00
- Author: Howard Lake

A survey of charities on the South Coast of England reveals that most of them are
confident that their income will remain static or increase this year and into 2014.

The Income Trends survey was carried out by Sussex-based chartered accountants and
chartered tax advisers [Carpenter Box LLP](http://www.carpenterbox.com), together
with other members of MHA, a national group of independent accountants and business
advisers. They survey 163 not-for-profit organisations.

Many charities surveyed are of course still experiencing difficulties: 36% reported
a drop in donations during 2012/13 and 8% reported a significant decrease.

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Online and mobile giving income was “stable”. Gift Aid was actively promoted by 
72% of the organisations.

Although the majority of charities (66%) surveyed were exploring and testing new
ways to generate income, 44% of respondents admitted that they had not considered
the VAT implications of new income generation streams.

Eileen Houghton, Head of the Not for Profit sector team at Carpenter Box  said: “
Maybe, unsurprisingly, the majority of charities surveyed are looking for new and
unique ways to generate income, suggesting that the drop in donations is triggering
imaginative solutions to new challenges. However, charities should not ignore the
importance of researching the VAT and tax rules, the legal aspects and the governance
issues before implementing any strategy.”

She added that, even though few respondents had undergone a HMRC Gift Aid audit 
in recent years, there was a chance that, with returns now being filed online, “
charities may see an increase in this type of check from HMRC.”

_Photo: [Sussex coast by Floradora1 on Flickr.com](http://www.flickr.com/photos/floradora1/3153833211/)_

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