The majority of European fundraising associations are predicting an increase in voluntary income for charities in their countries this year – twice as many as did last year -according to a survey released yesterday. 

The majority (53 per cent) of the 17 national fundraising associations which participated in the European Fundraising Association annual survey said they expect fundraising income to increase in 2014. This represents a substantial increase from the 25 per cent which predicted an increase at the beginning of last year. Optimism, however, may be borne by experience; while just a quarter of European national associations thought income would be boosted in 2013, seven organisations actually saw an increase in voluntary income in their country over the year. 

Just one association reported that it expects voluntary income will fall in 2014, compared with nearly one in five who expected 2013 to be a slump year. Only one of the 17 country associations surveyed reported that voluntary income fell last year. 

The European Fundraising Association, which conducted the survey, is a membership body for 20 national fundraising associations, including the Institute of Fundraising, across 19 European countries.

Representing the different states of maturity of the fundraising market in different countries, EFA's Fundraising in Europe 2013/14 finds that public collections and direct mail are the most popular forms of giving. 

This year, public trust and confidence piped the global economic conditions to take first place among the issues which concern the fundraising associations.