# Benchmarking survey highlights the “resilience and complexity” of the fundraising sector

- Link: https://fundraising.co.uk/2026/06/09/benchmarking-survey-highlights-resilience-complexity-fundraising-sector/
- Published: 2026-06-09T14:47:40+01:00
- Author: Howard Lake

**The results of “the largest ever benchmarking exercise of [its] nature in the 
UK” focusing on fundraising in the UK were announced at last week’s Fundraising 
Convention by the Chartered Institute of Fundraising in partnership with AAW.**

Their 2026 fundraising benchmarking survey yielded data from **104 charities**, 
representing **£2.2 billion** of voluntary income.

The findings provide a clear picture of how fundraising teams are operating, investing
and performing across the sector. Key findings include:

## Advertisement

 [⌊Posthub advert. You create the campaign. We'll handle the postal journey. Get started at post-hub.co.uk.⌉](https://fundraising.co.uk/ads/posthub-20261007-300x250/)

 * **Legacies remain the single largest source of voluntary income, generating 37%
   of all income across the sample**. Despite this, only 15% of fundraising expenditure
   is directed towards legacy fundraising. 
   The survey also highlights a significant
   disparity by organisational size, with larger charities getting a far greater
   proportion of their income from legacies than smaller organisations.

 * **Individual giving remains the largest area of fundraising spend**, with almost
   two-thirds of that investment focused on acquiring new donors. The survey found
   that more than 70% of new regular givers were recruited through **face-to-face
   fundraising**, and 50% of new one-off donors were acquired via **digital channels**.

 * The survey also found that fundraising team sizes range from **a median of six
   full-time equivalent (FTE) staff **in charities with income under £10 million
   to an **average of 73 FTE** in organisations with income over £100m.

Tobin Aldrich, Principle Partner at AAW, said: “This is now the third year for our
benchmarking partnership, and with 104 participating charities, it’s our most diverse
year yet. The demand for this project has grown, adding value to fundraising teams
across the UK. The new report is designed to continue that work, allowing organisations
to make meaningful, and enlightened, decisions.”

[AAW will publish the full survey findings](https://www.aawpartnership.com/fundraising-benchmarks-survey-2026)
on their website later this month.

Rob Cope, executive director of membership and operations at the Chartered Institute
of Fundraising, added:

> “This year’s benchmarking survey gives us the most comprehensive and wide-ranging
> insight we’ve had into how fundraising is evolving across the UK. The findings
> highlight both the resilience and complexity of the fundraising landscape.
> “It’s clear that legacies continue to be a powerhouse of voluntary income, yet,
> interestingly, the investment levels don’t reflect their long-term potential. 
> At the same time, the data shows how donor recruitment channels are shifting, 
> with digital and face-to-face playing distinct and vital roles. We regularly hear
> from our members that face-to-face is one of the most valuable and consistent 
> methods of fundraising for them and this data backs that up.
> “Through our work with our Championing Fundraising advisory panel, we advocate
> for greater understanding of and investment in fundraising. The findings of this
> survey provide crucial evidence about the value of fundraising and help make that
> case.”