The latest wave of nfpSynergy research in trust in charities and other public institutions shows that charities have recovered from the media coverage in the second half of 2015.

In 2008 we published the first Mission Impossible report, which brought together over 80 vision and mission statements from a range of  non-profit organisations. And now we did it again!

This report aims to provide information about public views on ideal charity spending, the importance of CEO pay in the public eye as well as the public’s perceptions about which activities count as ‘charitable’.

Are we doing a good job? This is the single most important question a charity, or any other organisation, can ask itself.

This report looks at the key trends in how the public engage with politics and how they perceive charity engagement with the political process. It draws on nfpSynergy’s research with a range of audiences, including the general public, MPs and journalists.

The charity sector has had 12 months unlike any other it has ever seen. We have been under the spotlight in the eyes of the media, public and politicians more than ever before, and rarely for the right reasons.

  The run up to Christmas 2015 was a busy period for charities. Giving Tuesday, big TV adverts and multiple Christmas appeals meant that people had even more contact with charities than usual.

Has the charity sector been doing enough in response to government funding cuts?

We would like to thank our clients and partners for inspiring us to keep researching the topical issues in the sector. As part of our Social Investment programme we regularly produce Free Reports and feed our finding back to the sector so any charity regardless its size or sector can find something useful.

There is little doubt that digital technology has transformed the lives of people in the UK. Alongside the digital giants such as Google and Yahoo who exist purely because of the digital world, startups like Uber or WhatsApp have incorporated technology into their business models and now thrive.

There are over 160,000 charities in the UK1, benefiting a wide range of causes from hospices to international development. We explore facts and figures to try and determine which of these causes appeal most to the general public, but find that the outcome depends on the criteria used.

The generational landscape of UK society is being radically transformed. We will see a predicted 2m growth amongst those aged 65 and over by 2020 (Future Foundation), representing a 20% increase on the current proportion of 65+ year olds in this country.

The charity world has a conflicted attitude towards companies. Our concern is that the relationship between companies and charities is becoming ever blander.