I read FIVE new sector reports (so you don't have to)
More data deep diving...
Welcome to the Nest Egg!
This publication is powered by love of humanity, puppy hugs and Fox’s chocolate cookies.
This week
We return to our popular ‘puppy hat’ series and are delighted to share this rather cute new instalment.
Picture description: Tony laying down with Scout sat behind him looking curiously like a hat.
Notice her flat ears and rather nervous look - turns out she doesn’t much like selfies (she’d be dreadful on LinkedIn).
Today’s article
We’re proud of our Fundraising ROI’s 2025 report.
Super proud in fact!
Since its release on 22 April, it’s had over 8,000 views and 300 new people have become subscribers to the Nest Egg (a big hello to the newbies here).
However, we’re mindful of its limitations and recognise that our data set was on the small side.
Today, is an attempt to put our own research in context - so we can understand what’s REALLY going on, so we’ve read five new reports and have distilled the key data points from each.
Next week, we’ll be sharing the opportunities identifed across all the data and the actions you can take to strengthen and stabilise your fundraising going forwards into the wilds of 2025 and beyond.
Honestly though, it’s been a weird article to put together.
It felt like hard work - at times arduous and overwhelming. We’re probably not divulging any major spoilers when we say that much of the current data points to reducing resources for work that’s so desperately needed. It’s a difficult thing to read repeatedly.
Someone please send some puppies and rainbows immediately.
GIF description - My Little Pony character Pinkie Pie holding back the tears…
But the results are so worth it! The clouds have parted and there’s now clarity that didn’t exist beforehand. Burying your head in the sand is never the answer.
As always, we remain forever grateful to Richard Sved’s who curates a master list of sector reports on his site, 3rd Sector Mission Control. Thanks Richard! Couldn’t do it without you!
Today’s article is for paying subscribers. If that’s not you yet then what are you waiting for?
For £7 a month or £70 a year you’ll get:
Weekly articles on only the most practical and useful topics to help fire up your fundraising and take it to the next level (think stewardship, cultivation, target setting, creative writing…)
Full access to our archive of 70+ articles (recent topics include bonus ROI data and insight, researching trusts and foundations, strategic fundraising planning)
Case studies and deep dives on individual charities and different business models
It’s a comprehensive fundraising training programme disguised as a newsletter and we’d love to have you be part of it.
Need more info to help you persuade your boss to buy you a subscription?
Want something to read with your coffee? Head over to the archive - there’s loads of free resources for you to enjoy.
Buckle up and enjoy,
Tony and Caroline
I read FIVE new sector reports (so you don’t have to)
by Caroline Danks
Picture description: a woman sat in a very cosy looking bed holding a book up which is obscuring her face.
Rules of engagement
I read the following reports:
The Road Ahead (NCVO, April 2025)
UK Giving Report (CAF, April 2025)
Fundraising trends, challenges, opportunities (THINK, January 2025)
Civil Society Almanac (NCVO October 2024)
The Status of UK Fundraising (Blackbaud, July 2024)
Other things to note:
I actually read each report and didn’t ask AI assistant to do it for me. The summary at the end is also all my own work.
I’ve not included links to individual reports – the full list with links is available in this post (thank you once again Richard Sved for pulling these together).
Obviously, I’ve included things which stood out to me personally (a high value fundraising specialist with 20 years’ experience, fundraising data nerd, white, middle class, hetero (ish), cis-woman). They are not necessarily the conclusions the authors of each report would have wished readers to have drawn.
It’s also worth mentioning that there may be an intended agenda or a particular audience targeted by the authors of these reports which might explain why some are very hopeful and others are more cautious.
Huge thanks to those of you who recognise the hours of work that go into stuff like this and who support us, either through being paid subscribers to The Nest Egg or by sharing and talking about our work on LinkedIn etc.
It all helps enormously.
Ok. Coffee topped up? Let’s go…
The Road Ahead (NCVO, April 2025)
“A practical overview of the key trends shaping our sector”