Giving Ireland 2024 Report

Giving Ireland 2024 Report Launch with Technological University Dublin

Today, we launched our Giving Ireland 2024 Report in collaboration with Technological University Dublin at LinkedIn, Dubin. This year’s Giving Ireland Report examines the funding of Ireland’s registered nonprofits in 2022, as the sector continued its recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic. This is the 4th Giving Ireland Report, building on over a decade of research into nonprofit funding.

The journey began in 2010 with the launch of Fundraising Performance: The First Annual Report on Fundraising in Ireland by 2into3. That inaugural study analysed the financial accounts of just 80 nonprofit organisations for 2009, with data personally provided by participants. Fourteen years later, Giving Ireland has evolved into a comprehensive analysis of the sector, mapping its funding landscape and reflecting its growth and increasing complexity.

About Giving Ireland

Giving Ireland is a collaboration between 2into3 and TU Dublin which seeks to provide a platform for the Sector that will foster collaboration, provide insights and encourage collective action. The research is completed by TU Dublin.

Our most recent report, Giving Ireland Report 2024, provides an analysis of how the Irish nonprofit sector was funded in 2022. This is in response to an ongoing need for objective information on fundraising in Ireland. Giving Ireland’s objective is to provide insights into charitable giving in Ireland and support informed decision-making. The report is intended to stimulate dialogue while encouraging more detailed and transparent reporting of fundraising data.

 

Giving Ireland 2024 Report Launch

2into3 Giving Ireland Report 2024 Launch

2into3 Giving Ireland Report 2024 Launch

Our launch event, in collaboration with Technological University Dublin, was held at LinkedIn One Wilton Place, Dublin 2. The event commenced with an introduction from our MC, Ivan Cooper, CEO of The Wheel and followed by forewords from Dennis O’Connor, CEO of 2into3 and Etain Kidney, Head of School, Marketing & Entrepreneurship at Technological University Dublin.

Giving Ireland 2024 Report key findings were then outlined by PhD Senior Researcher and Giving Ireland Author, Niamh Carruthers. Niamh discussed the funding model and overall context from 2022, before delving into the report methodology, change in total income, public funding, earned income, international comparisons and key takeaways from Giving Ireland 2024.

Hereafter, we were joined by our panellists, Iseult Ward, CEO and Co-founder of FoodCloud and John-Mark McCaffrey, CEO of Threshold, who provided insights on their fundraising journey, discussed the key figures from this year’s report and how we can collectively improve the future of data in the sector.

What’s next for Giving Ireland?

Niamh Carruthers, PhD Senior Researcher and Giving Ireland 2024 Report Author

Niamh Carruthers, PhD Senior Researcher and Giving Ireland 2024 Report Author

With the implementation of the National Philanthropy Policy, we anticipate a renewed focus on data quality and research. As the data baseline improves, we plan to expand our analyses, which we have narrowed somewhat in recent years due to poor data availability.

Looking ahead to 2025, we expect changes to the Giving Ireland methodology that will enable us to enhance and expand our insights. We encourage readers to reflect on what they would like to see in future reports and share their feedback with us. Finally, we extend our thanks to Ireland’s nonprofits for their vital contributions to society and their continued support of this research.

Get in Touch

To view the full report, visit the Giving Ireland website here.

If you have feedback, questions or comments on this years report, please contact PhD Senior Researcher and Giving Ireland 2024 Report Author, Niamh Carruthers at niamh.carruthers@2into3.com. For marketing related queries, contact Eilís O’Boyle at eilis.oboyle@2into3.com.

Giving Ireland 2023

Launching Giving Ireland 2023 Report

On Thursday 26th October, we launched Giving Ireland 2023 Report, in collaboration with Philanthropy Ireland. Our report launch event was followed by four subsector webinars, on Sport & Recreation, Religion & International, Environment and Health & Social Services. Thank you to everyone who attended our launch event and webinars, for our panellists for providing their insights, to our sponsors, our Giving Ireland author and everyone who made this years report possible.

 

Giving Ireland 2023 Report

 

Giving Ireland Summary Quilter Cheviot

Giving Ireland 2023 Summary, Quilter Cheviot

 

Giving Ireland, established in collaboration with Philanthropy Ireland, aims to provide insights into charitable giving in Ireland and support informed decision-making. This year’s research, in partnership with Technological University Dublin, reveals the continuing impact of the global pandemic during its second year and highlights emerging challenges facing the nonprofit sector.

This years report found that:

“Looking back, 2021 saw Ireland still very much in the midst of the Covid-19 Pandemic. Certain aspects of ‘normal life’ had resumed, albeit cautiously. The rollout of the Covid-19 vaccine continued, while climate and energy issues gained increasing urgency in the public discourse. The end of 2021 then saw the cost of living crisis come to the forefront of our collective consciousness, where it has remained.

This report sets out to explore how nonprofits in Ireland fared in 2021 compared to 2020. The findings suggest that 2021 was a year of modest recovery. Funding remained a challenge for many organisations, while the struggle faced by organisations of all shapes and sizes to attract and retain staff intensified (Wheel 2023).

Total funding in the sector increased slightly, while earned revenue stagnated and fundraising declined for the second year in a row. For a second year, the State stepped in to fill the funding gap, stabilising the sector. In 2021, we witnessed the lead-up to the war in Ukraine. As we prepare for next year’s report, we predict that it will showcase the sector’s ability to adapt and respond to new challenges, as many organisations made adjustments to assist incoming Ukrainian refugees, not to mention the international response led by our aid organizations. 2021, however, was a year for regrouping and refocusing in the pandemic’s wake.” – Giving Ireland 2023 Report

Read Giving Ireland 2023 Report here.

 

Giving Ireland Launch Event

Giving Ireland launch event

On Thursday 26th October, our Giving Ireland Launch Event took place at St. Laurence’s Church, TU Dublin. We were joined by a range of experienced panellists, including:

Jackie Harrison, Director of Philanthropy at Community Foundation Ireland
Nell Ward, Director of Development at Grow It Yourself Ireland
Charlie Lamson, Head of Fundraising at Irish Red Cross
Etain Kidney, Head of Marketing & Entrepreneurship at TU Dublin

An extended thank you to our MC, Ivan Cooper, CEO of The Wheel, to Eoin Langan, Dean of Faculty of Business, TU Dublin and Niamh Carruthers, Senior Researcher, for authoring this years report.

Giving Ireland would also not be possible without our sponsors, Community Foundation Ireland, Ecclesiastical Insurance Office and Quilter Cheviot. Thank you for continuing to support this report.

Giving Ireland Subsector Webinars

 

Giving Ireland 2023 Subsector Webinars

Following the launch of Giving Ireland 2023 Report, we held a series of subsector webinars. This series was hosted by Rob Foley, Head of Fundraising Advisory Practice at 2into3, and Niamh Carruthers, Senior Researcher and Giving Ireland Author.

• Sports & Recreation: Exploring Sporting Impact Giving Ireland 2023 Report Subsector Webinar. Watch webinar here.
Panellists: Matt McKerrow, Associate Consultant at 2into3 and James O’Callaghan, Performance Director at Irish Sailing Association.

• Religion & International: Bridging Borders and Faiths: Giving Ireland 2023 Report Subsector Webinar. Watch webinar here.
Panellist: Jennifer Donovan, Donor Engagement Manager at Misean Cara.

• Environmental: Sustaining Our Future: Giving Ireland 2023 Report Subsector Webinar. Watch webinar here.
Panellists: Nell Ward, Director of Development at Grow It Yourself and Karen Ciesielski, CEO at Irish Environmental Network.

• Health & Social Services: Strengthening Communities: Giving Ireland 2023 Report Subsector Webinar. Watch webinar here.
Panelist: Ruth Allen, Head of Communications & Development at Childvision.

 

Contact Us

If you’re interested in learning more about Giving Ireland, visit our website. For direct queries regarding this years report, contact niamh.carruthers@2into3.com. If you’re interested in becoming a part of Giving Ireland as a sponsor, supporter, or panellist for next year, contact eilis.oboyle@2into3.com.
Giving Ireland Webinar series

Giving Ireland Subsector Webinars

Thank you to everyone who attended our Giving Ireland Subsector Webinar series last week. Following the in-person launch of Giving Ireland 2022 – Analysis and Insights on Funding of the Nonprofit Sector in 2020 Report Launch in Dubin, Cork and Galway, we hosted 7 webinars delving into the following subsectors: Education, Sport, Health, Arts, Social Services, International Development and Religion.

 

Education

We kicked off the webinar series with Education Subsector on Tuesday 29th November. The Giving Ireland 2022 report tells us that fundraised income decreased by 17% overall in 2020, with the Education sector seeing a decrease in total income by 2%. Despite this decrease, Education and Research were the only subsectors to experience a slight increase in earned income in 2020.

Nicola Rees, Development and Fundraising Professional at University of Galway joined us to provide insights on how the pandemic effected the Education sector in Ireland. If you’re interested in learning more, watch the recording of our webinar here.

 

Sport

For our next webinar on Thursday 1st December, we focused on the Sport Subsector. The Sport subsector experienced the second largest decrease in total income, by 11%. Rob Hartnett, Founder and Editor-in-Chief at Sport for Business, joined us to provide insights on the sport subsector.

Rob’s discussed the impact of covid on sports community fundraising both at club level and within the wider sector, and more. For the full insights, watch the recording here.

 

Health

Hereafter, we delved into the Health Subsector, which saw a decrease in total income by 7% in 2020. Total income fell short of total expenditure for Health subsector, as well as Environment, Philanthropy and the Arts. Michael Nason, CEO of Cork University Hospital Charity, joined the webinar to provide information on the Health subsector.

Michael’s experience as CEO of Cork University Hospital made for an insightful discussion around the Health subsector, a key player during the pandemic. Watch the recording here.

Arts

The Arts subsector experienced the largest decrease in total income in 2020, by 25%. In our webinar, we explored the Arts subsector in more detail and discussed how to support the recovery of the sector, moving forward. Emma McKinley, Development Manager at Helium Arts and Donal Shiels, Artistic Director of The Civic Theatre joined our webinar to discuss the effect of the pandemic on the Arts subsector, and the continued recovery of the sector in 2022. Click here to watch the recording.

Social Services

Our next webinar focused on the Social Services subsector. They were one of only three subsectors to see an increase in total income, by 3%. Carol Casey, Head of Fundraising & Communications at Merchants Quay Ireland and Bruce Clark, Individual Giving Manager at Pieta House, joined our webinar to provide insights on Social Services. To watch the recording, click here.

 

International Development

The International Development subsector saw a decrease in total income by 9%. Eamon Sharkey, Director of Marketing, Fundraising & Communications at GOAL, joined this webinar to discuss International Development subsector. Watch recording here.

 

Religion

Despite fundraised income decreasing by 17% overall in 2020, the Religious subsector’s total income increased by 34%. We discussed the unique position of the Religious subsector in 2020 and explored reasons for the increased fundraised income within these organisations. Our CEO, Dennis O’Connor, joined this webinar to discuss Religion’s unique position within the sector in 2020. Watch here.

Looking at the fundraised income from 2020, we can acknowledge the resilience of the sector and look forward to a more positive future. Although we cannot predict the future, if we can take anything away from 2020, is that we have resilience to carry forward if crisis strikes again.

Contact Us

Thanks to all of our panellists who provided fantastic insights during each of our webinars. Download the Giving Ireland report here.

If you have any questions on the Giving Ireland Subsector Webinars, please contact our Head of Fundraising Advisory Practice, Rob Foley.

Giving Ireland 2021 report 2into3

Growth in Giving continues for Irish Nonprofit Sector 2019 – Giving Ireland Report

Download Giving Ireland Report 2021

 

 

Thanks for attending our ‘Giving Ireland 2021 – Analysis and Insights on Funding of the Nonprofit Sector in 2019’ launch event. Our research indicates some interesting findings from 2019:

  • Fundraised income increased 5%, rising for the 10th consecutive year
  • Ireland’s per capita giving is €362 compared to €324 in the U.K. and €359 in N.Z.
  • Organisations declared more information on funding than in previous years
  • Average cost to raise €1 in 2019 was 28 cent, a slight decline vs 2018

 

Giving Ireland Webinar

 

A warm thank you to all of our panelists for their contributions during today’s webinar, including Deirdre Garvey, CEO of The Wheel who was our MC, Denise Charlton, CEO of The Community Foundation for Ireland, Michael Duggan, CxO Industry Advisor with Salesforce.org, Sinéad Price and Rachel Murphy, Directors of Fundraising with Pieta House and Prof. Vincent Cunnane, President of Technological University of the Shannon.

During the webinar, Rebecca Droop, Analyst with 2into3, outlined the findings from 2019, including the investment income by subsector and fundraised income. Furthermore, Rebecca outlined Ireland’s giving landscape on an international basis.

Our panelists spoke individually covering a range of topics from funding, role of Government policy and benefits of sharing data and learnings across the sector.

 

Key Findings Giving Ireland Report 2into3

 

Giving Ireland Report

Giving Ireland  is a collaboration between 2into3 and Philanthropy Ireland. It gives a detailed analysis and insights on Funding of the Nonprofit Sector in 2019.

The report reveals the total fundraised income from private sources in 2019, the fundraising performance and mix of the sector year on year and the cost of fundraising by method. State funding accounted for 63% of the sector’s total income in 2019. It uses a representative sample of nonprofit organisations to chart philanthropic income trends in Ireland.

The report estimates Ireland’s charitable giving to be at €1.78 billion in 2019, with Irish people giving an average of €362 annually, forming 0.5% of Ireland’s GDP. For more details on these figures, download the report here. The Giving Ireland Report is supported by The Community Foundation of Ireland, Salesforce.org, Quilter Cheviot and Ecclesiastical Insurance.

 

Dennis O’Connor, 2into3 Director states, “Perhaps it is time now to look at giving levels more in terms of Ireland’s giving capacity in GNI (Gross National Income) and/or GDP (Gross Domestic Product) terms and less in terms of per capita, as our economy is now in a different place. GDP captures what our multi-national sector is contributing, and we see what this brings in terms of corporate tax income. Our entrepreneurial culture has advanced, wealth levels are rising.”

Éilis Murray, Philanthropy Ireland CEO and one of our panelists during the Giving Ireland webinar, states, “As advocates of strategic, planned giving, we note the increases in major gifts, trust and foundation giving, and legacy giving is positive. They are also identified as the most cost-effective methods tending to have a higher-than-average gift level. The opportunity to advance this is through development of Policy for Philanthropy which government has committed to.”

 

Download the report here.

 

If you would like more details on the findings of the report, feel free to contact Dennis@2into3.com.

Impact of Covid on Funding of nonprofits Dennis' video

Impact of COVID-19 on the Funding of Nonprofits in Ireland

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Legacy Giving Should Become the Norm

Last week was momentous for five Irish Charities following the passing of Elizabeth O’Kelly. Mrs. O’Kelly donated €6 million each to The Irish Cancer Society, The Irish Heart Foundation, The Irish Kidney Association, The Irish Society for Autistic Children and the RNLI. For the Irish Cancer Society, which is one of Ireland’s largest, most prominent charities the gift was the largest the organisation has ever received and represents the income of two annual Dafodil Days.

Despite the generosity of the gift it puts into context the reality of how underdeveloped legacy giving is in Ireland. This is largely due to the to lack of tax incentives surrounding charitable giving. This makes Ireland is one of the few developed economies which caps the incentive. Most countries, including the U.K., set no annual limit for the value of donation by a taxpayer on which the tax paid is reclaimable.

According to 2into3’s Annual Fundraising Performance Report, for legacy donations, the U.K. offers a specific incentive where 10% or more of an estate is donated there is a 4% reduction on the tax paid on the entire estate. In Ireland no such incentive currently exists.

While this bequest is an achievement to be celebrated by very deserving organisations, this type of giving should be the norm, especially considering Ireland’s aging demographic, as the intergenerational transfer of wealth becomes an increasingly relevant issue.

According to the Community Foundation for Ireland’s Legacies for Good report, the prize is too big to ignore! Currently in Ireland, it is estimated that only 0.9% of intergenerational transfer of wealth at death goes to charity compared to 4% in the U.K. If charitable legacies in Ireland were to match the 4% in the U.K. they would be currently generating up to €220 million per annum.

Finally, if these types of gifts are to become the norm, the sector must come together and move towards relationship-based fundraising and be able to articulate their vision and focus on transformative gifts as part of their fundraising strategies!

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Organisations Strategically Investing More in Legacies

In Q1, 2018 it cost organisations 11cent to raise €1 from Legacies. This finding emerged from the latest 2into3 Quarterly Fundraising Monitor (now called Irish Giving Index).

While this data looks at the overall trend for the sector, each subsector and fundraising method has had a different experience. In Q1, 2018:

Social Services: Decrease of 7%
Health: Decrease of 27%
International: Decrease of 8%
Arts, Culture, Media: Increase of 13%

Throughout previous quarters, some organisations have experienced significant increases in Legacy income. Now, more and more organisations are responding by strategically investing in Legacy giving.

Data is an underutilised resource in nonprofit organisations, but fundraisers can use data to improve their decision making and performance. Relying on previous experience or gut instinct alone will not help you drive results and the wealth of data that your organisation has can help you. More on Irish Giving Index

To find out more about how leveraging insights from the 2into3 Irish Giving Index can inform an evidence-based approach and help your organisation’s decision making, please contact Rob Foley, 2into3 at rob.foley@2into3.com or 086 032 7935.

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Government Announces a More Strategic Sports Policy

2into3 welcome yesterday’s publication of the National Sports Policy by the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport. A policy ten years in the making, the government has now outlined 57 action areas which touch on most aspects of Irish life. Most importantly, the government has committed to investing €220 million in sport, almost double the spending for 2018. Investment to High Performance will triple to €30 million with a commitment to a multi-year funding cycle from 2019. This milestone was a long time coming and follows in the footsteps of our counterparts in New Zealand and Denmark.

According to Onside, sponsorship spending rose by 12% in the first half of 2018, with sport continuing to dominate sponsorship deals. Huge strides have been taken in sponsorship deals, Aviva’s five-year extensions of the Aviva Stadium Sponsorship, Energia’s deal with Leinster Rugby and Donnybrook Stadium, and Softco’s deal with hockey to name a few. However, the potential of sport to unlock funding supports through philanthropy remains largely untapped. 2into3 welcomes details within the policy that outline a review and possible expansion of the tax code to encourage incentives to donors to give to sport. Recently, Irish Sailing applied for planning permission for a new High Performance HQ in Dun Laoghaire, which will be entirely funded through philanthropic support. This highlights the potential to use philanthropy to provide new opportunities and support for sport.

As outlined in the National Sports Policy, good governance is crucially important for the effective and efficient running of sport. It provides assurance to different stakeholders that sport is in safe hands. The decision to bring sport closer to the charity sector, through the governance code, is a welcome one. 2into3 hope that this can lead to more collaboration between stakeholders in the not-for-profit sector and sport. Stronger governance, through the Charities Regulator, will be a more secured platform when reaching out to stakeholders, donors and making a case for support.

In particular, 2into3 welcome the commitment to make the Sports Capital Programme an annual initiative. The 2017 Sports Capital Programme was a massive success, with over €58 million allocated to local projects and over €4 million for regional projects. A commitment to annual funding will ensure that local sporting infrastructures and improved and maintained, giving more opportunities for people to partake in sporting activities.

In preparation of the 2018 round of the Sports Capital Programme, 2into3 will be hitting the road with Sports for Business with four workshops taking place in Dublin, Cork and Athlone between the 13-16 of August.

For more information on 2into3 and the services it provides in sport, please contact 2into3 Analyst Darren McMahon on 01 234 3127 or email Darren.McMahon@2into3.com.

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The cost to raise €1 in 2017 falls to 25c as income from relationship fundraising methods increase

In 2017 it cost organisations 25cent to raise €1. This finding emerged from the latest 2into3 Quarterly Fundraising Monitor.

While this data looks at the overall trend for the sector, each subsector and fundraising method has had a different experience. In 2017:

Social Services: Increase of 19%
Health: Increase of 1%
International: Increase of 13%
Arts, Culture, Media: Increase of 7%

2017 shows an increased focus on relationship fundraising methods, compared to 2016. For example, in Q4 2017 alone, legacy income doubled compared to Q4 2016.

In 2into3’s Q4 2017 report, retention and attrition figures were benchmarked for the first time in Ireland. The findings focused on overall income and response rates for several channels of cold and warm appeals. Metrics on donor retention and attrition look at an in-depth analysis of Regular/Committed Giving and Direct Marketing appeals. The metrics benchmark all techniques biannually, distinguishing between cold and warm, and identifies the annual conversion rate and life-time value.

Data is an underutilised resource in not-for-profit organisations, but fundraisers can use data to improve their decision making and performance. Relying on previous experience or gut instinct alone will not help you drive results and the wealth of data that your organisation has can help you.

To find out more about how leveraging insights from the 2into3 Quarterly Fundraising Monitor can inform an evidence-based approach and help your organisation’s decision making, please contact Darren McMahon, 2into3 Analyst, at darren.mcmahon@2into3.com or 01 234 3127.

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