Charity not high up wish-list of what people say constitutes “the meaning of Christmas”“Charities cannot take Christmas for granted but season still affords opportunity to cut through tinsel and tug at hearts”, says nfpSynergy’s Saxton The “Season of Goodwill” affords a mixed Santa’s sack for British charities, according to research out today. Whilst (slide 3) 1 in 5 (20%) Brits say they tend to give more to charities at Christmas, a similar number (17%) also claim they find it harder to give to good causes.

Charities rally to rank third most trusted UK institution, behind army / NHS, but sector has long-term ‘trust volatility’ second only to banksCharities trusted most by women, under-45s, donors and worshippers; with different trust-triggers for different demographsAge/size of charity, brand awareness, charitable cause and external events also all impact on trust“Charity Commission’s statutory duty, alone, cannot build public trust in charities.

Elizabeth Finn Care, the Association of Charity Officers, nfpSynergy and Directory of Social Change are hosting a conference on the future of the benevolent sector at Friends House in London on Thursday 20 October.

Public think big business most likely off-track ‘winner’ at 2012 Games, but say it should be sports organisations, schools and charities Whilst 92% can’t name a single charity associated with the Olympics, only 56% are unable to likewise name a company - Lloyds TSB coming top Public feel sports and youth causes most deserve any Olympic charity dividend, with religion least deserving “Public appetite for greater off-track ‘Olympic Spirit’ - for less big business, more big heart and charitable soul”, sa

Dip spearheaded by 17-19 year olds, and amongst males “Drop may reflect cuts to youth volunteering initiatives, showing need for better understanding of volunteer recruitment and retention strategies”, vies nfpSynergy’s Saxton The numbers of young people claiming to have volunteered within the last three months dipped by a quarter – from (slide 3) 19% in Nov 2010 to 14% in May 2011 – despite having previously enjoyed a steady rise since May 2008, according to new data out today.

“Depth of public resistance to charities giving to political parties seems profound and unequivocal,” says nfpSynergy’s SaxtonThe British public are happier (slide 2) for foreign businesses (24%), foreign governments (15%), churches and religious organisations (15%) – and even the royal family (13% - 7% saying ‘probably’, 6% ‘definitely’) - to give money to support UK political parties than for UK charities (13% - 10% say ‘probably’, 3% ‘definitely’) to so do, according to new data out today‘Charities’ rank lowest out of a range o

SMS-giving hike largely driven by the young, and by high-profile campaigns like Red Nose Day Gift Aid and an ‘uncertain’ charity sector remain key obstacles to SMS-giving, despite recent successful slashing of VAT and mobile operator charges  “Charities can see the ever-increasing potential but aren’t yet reaping the rewards.

Appeals to existing donors - method most reliant on cheques, and adjudged of greatest concern to anxious fundraisers Negative comments from fundraisers regarding the proposed abolition of cheques outnumber positive comments by 30 to 1  “Already battling a sluggish economy and government spending cuts, any unsupported abolition of cheques in 2018 would deliver a triple whammy for charities indeed,” vies Saxton On average, fundraisers rank themselves as being “8-out-of-10” (scale of 1 to 10) concern

Top UK charities “punch above weight” re Facebook, Twitter and YouTube - compared with private sector giants.