European Fundraising Association reports on fundraising trends across 17 countries
Howard Lake | 7 March 2013 | News
The European Fundraising Association (EFA), the network of European fundraising associations, has published a report analysing the state of fundraising across Europe, including trends from the past 10 years and predictions.
The report, Fundraising in Europe: A Decade of Change, is based on a survey of 17 national fundraising associations (of EFA's 18 members) undertaken in November and December 2012. These associations collectively represent over 1,140 fundraising organisations and 8,800 individual fundraisers.
The survey looked at:
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the national fundraising environment
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the European fundraising landscape
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charities’ use of online, social media and mobile technology
- the future
Fundraising in Europe now
Despite the growth of many new forms of fundraising, such as face-to-face, digital and telephone fundraising, the report confirms that the largest single source of voluntary income in Europe remains direct mail.
The causes that are most popular with donors are poverty, healthcare/medical research and international issues.
Impact of the recession
The national associations were largely bullish given the ongoing recession in some countries and the Eurozone financial crisis: 64.7% of the associations reported that most charities had succeeded either in maintaining or increasing income levels from year to year.
However, "optimism has given way to a certain wariness about what the future holds", with only a quarter of the associations expecting a rise in voluntary income during 2013. The biggest barrier to more effective fundraising was a skills shortage in senior level fundraisers, according to respondents. This was more significant than the economic crisis.
On the other hand, greater professionalism in fundraising was the most positive factor, according to the associations, in influencing philanthropy and giving in recent years.
The most cited concerns for charities and nonprofits now were:
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continued economic instability
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meeting donor demands for greater transparency and accountability
- and building public trust.
The future of fundraising in Europe
The national associations were asked what would be the "next big thing in fundraising": 58% of respondents indicated it would be better use of more recent fundraising tools and methods such as social media, mobile technology and crowdfunding. However, organisations were concerned to maximise social mediia and make it more than an engagement tool.
European fundraisers were also keen for governments at both a national and EU level to help support the fundraising environment by
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enhancing tax incentive schemes for supporters
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VAT relief
- data protection legislation
Becky Gilbert, Vice President of the European Fundraising Association and Board Member at Deutscher Fundraising Verband, said of the survey findings: "With dissipating country borders and unified legislation across member states, charities across Europe are dealing with many of the same challenges and reaching out to many of the same donors across national boundaries. It has never been more important that charities come together to share information and learn from one another, raising the bar in fundraising practice internationally."
The survey report ‘Fundraising in Europe: A Decade of Change’ is available to download at
www.efa-net.eu
Image: map of Europe via Shutterbox.com
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.