Rise in charity donations reported over Christmas 2014

Irish charities have reported a notable increase in donations over the 2014 Christmas period, with contributions up 6 per cent on the previous year.

The latest report from Fundraising Ireland published on Thursday shows charity donations from the general public have risen by 10 per cent since last year, while corporate donations rose by 12 per cent.

The survey, carried out by Amárach research and involving 55 charities around the State, shows Irish charities raised an average of €1.8 million through fundraising efforts in 2014, up 6 per cent on 2013.

Anne Hanniffy, chief executive of Fundraising Ireland, says the Republic has reached an “important turning point” in its attitudes towards charities and donations.

She says people’s trust in charities has begun to rise again following the controversy over payment for executives at the Central Remedial Clinic and Rehab in late 2013. *

“What happened 14 months ago was a one-off incident,” she said. “People are increasing their trust in our sector and as a result are giving more.”

Some 96 per cent of the charities surveyed said they received public donations over Christmas 2014/15, while 80 per reported a rise in corporate donations.

On average, charities received €225,000 from the general public over the 2014 Christmas appeal period, up from €204,000 in 2013.

Significant drop

The number of companies which donated to Irish charities dropped significantly last year, with 47 companies donating in 2012, followed by only 41 companies in 2013.

This figure has now risen above the 2012 level, with 48 companies donating in 2014 and company donations rising from €60,000 in 2013 to €67,000 in 2014.

Ms Hanniffy believes the increased public awareness of issues such as homelessness may have played a role in public donations.

She said Irish people are beginning to feel more financially secure and may have some extra cash to donate.

“The recession has passed, unemployment is down, that positive feeling and atmosphere is also definitely having an impact.”

The formation of the Charities Regulatory Authority, set up in October 2014, had also helped restore confidence in the sector, she added.

Research carried out by Fundraising Ireland earlier this year found 690,000 people said they donated more money in 2014 than in 2013, with the average individual charity donation rising from €10 in 2013 to €12.50 in 2014.

Social networking

Thursday’s survey also examines the channels people use to donate money, with social networking campaigns increasingly becoming the most effective means of fundraising for charities.

While social media has become the most popular medium for targeting audiences of all ages, older generations were found to be more likely to donate after reading an appeal in a newspaper or magazine.

Middle-aged audiences also tend to respond after hearing about campaigns through email, texts and television.

This article was edited on March 24th 2015 *