The first 786 charities to register with the Northern Ireland regulator had a combined income of around £112m, according to figures published last week by the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland.
That figure is based on an analysis by the CCNI of all the charities registered at the start of this year, except the University of Ulster, which has an income of more than £200m, or more than all the other charities combined.
Compulsory charity registration began in Northern Ireland in December 2013. The report is entitled What do charities look like in Northern Ireland? and analyses charity information held on the new register of charities as at 19 January 2015, just over a year after registration began. The university is excluded from all figures.
The report found that 70 per cent of charities had an income of less than £100,000 per annum, and a quarter had an income of less than £10,000. The top 20 per cent of charities accounted for 83 per cent of the income.
The analysis also found that 53 per cent of all charities are unincorporated associations, 36 per cent are charitable companies, and 9 per cent are charitable trusts. The remaining 3 per cent is made up of a variety of legal forms, including community benefit societies and Royal Charter charities.
The most common charitable purpose was the advancement of education, which included 62 per cent of all charities. Next was the relief of those in need, at 36 per cent, then the advancement of health at 27 per cent, and the prevention or relief of poverty at 21 per cent.
The report analysed over 5,500 trustees, and found that 47 per cent were female and 53 per cent male. The average age was 54, with only 1 per cent aged under 25 and only another 3 per cent under 30. Those aged over 60 accounted for 38 per cent of all trustees.
The largest number of trustees at a single charity was 35. The average number was seven.
Punam McGookin, head of charity services at the Commission, said: “Once complete, the register of charities will be the definitive directory of all charities in Northern Ireland, providing the public with a wide a range of information on each charity.
“Alongside this, the register will also act as a valuable research tool, providing unique and up to date data on the charity sector in Northern Ireland, including charities’ income, purposes and activities.
“This research report, which analyses the new register at just over a year old, is the latest in what we hope will be a series of reports, each one providing an important insight into the charity sector and the register itself as it develops.”
It is compulsory for all charities in Northern Ireland to register with the Commission, irrespective of income, and all charities are expected to register in the next three to four years. The Commission estimates that there are between 7,000 and 9,000 charities in Northern Ireland.
