Why your charity needs to show the difference it makes?

The latest Ipsos MORI survey, published by the Charity Commission on the 4 July about public trust and confidence in charities, makes interesting reading for charities. The report considers various themes and looks at those qualities relevant to trust and confidence. Despite the economic climate – or perhaps because of it – charities retain public trust and confidence, maintaining their trusted position third only to doctors and the police. Public support for charities holds up it seems, with 96% accepting their role as either essential, very important or fairly important.

But the same report suggests that that public trust and confidence is not to be taken for granted: it depends upon charities being able to show what difference they make. Trust continues to revolve around use of funds. And apparently ‘knowing that charities make a positive difference to the cause they are working for’  is the second most important contributor for trust. 

The report indicates that 66% of those asked ‘strongly agree’ that it is important that charities explain, annually, what they have achieved. A similar proportion, 63% ‘strongly agree’ that demonstrating benefit to the public is key. 

  

On this evidence, it seems that for charities, getting the message across about how they use their funds to further their charitable purposes for public benefit is vital. Charities that are presented with the means to do just that through their Trustees Annual Report would do well to think about how to make the most of that opportunity. If the results of this survey are anything to go by, that could well be time well spent.