Donors not put off by government funding, says report  

23 Nov 2017 News

Three-quarters of the public are not discouraged from giving to a charity if it receives government funding, according to a report published today. 

Think tank and consultancy, NfPSynergy today published a report Do the public think it is acceptable for charities to provide public services for the government?

Some 65 per cent of respondents said knowing a charity got government funding would make no difference to how much they give, while 16 per cent said they would be less likely to give and 11 per cent more likely. The remainder said they did not know. 

But the public were less likely to be supportive if a charity receives most of its funding from government. 42 per cent said they would a support a charity that got most of its funding from government and 13 per cent said they would not. 

People less supportive of charities being more involved public services

The report found that the public is less supportive of the idea of charities being more involved in public services, with the proportion of people surveyed saying that charities should have a bigger role at 41 per cent.

It compares data from its Charity Awareness Monitor from July 2017 and November 2009. In 2009, 56 per cent of the public supported the idea that charities should be more involved in public service delivery. 

The proportion of people opposing an increase in charity involved has increased modestly from 16 per cent to 21 per cent while the proportion who are unsure has increased from 28 per cent to 38 per cent. 

“This change suggests that seven years of Conservative-led governments has caused a shift in public perceptions when it comes to service provision. The public may be reluctant to see further changes to who provides services, following a period in which many services have had their funding reduced or outsourced,” the report said. 

Over half of respondents said it was very or somewhat acceptable for charities to provide public services in exchange for government funding and just to 8 per cent think that it is somewhat or very unacceptable. 

The report also said that charities were considered a more acceptable provider of public services than private companies, with around one-third of the public thinking that it is acceptable for private companies in the UK to provide public services. 
 

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