Evidence library

CAF survey of 400+ UK charity chief executives.

Key findings:

• almost one in five fear their organisation is struggling to survive, rising to more than one in four among charities with an annual income less than £1 million.
• Rising demand and an increasingly tough financial environment may be pushing some organisations to breaking point. More than a third had to dip into their reserves last year to cover income shortfalls.
• charity leaders’ biggest challenges this year are generating more income and achieving financial sustainability, meeting demand for services and a reduction in public and government funding.

Charities are responding with a raft of efficiency and modernisation measures:

• Three in five say they either have restructured in the past 12 months or will be doing so in the next 12 months.
• One in three has reduced or is set to reduce staff numbers and down size the organisation over the same period.
• More than a quarter say they have or will be reducing front-line services. This compares to 19% who said this was a case when the same research was carried out in 2015.