Almost nine in ten charity workers voted to remain in the EU, and more than eight in ten believe Brexit will have a negative impact on their charity and the sector as a whole, according to research published last week.

A survey about Brexit and the EU referendum, featuring responses from 383 charity staff, was carried out by recruitment specialists the Right Ethos.

It revealed that the majority of respondents voted to remain – with just 10 per cent indicating that they would vote to leave the EU.

The results were starker for those with the level "head of" and above – with just 1 per cent voting to leave.

A post-referendum survey revealed that a further 3 per cent of staff said that they would choose to remain in the EU.

”This may infer that the effects of Brexit, for instance, the fall in the value of the pound, are already being felt and have concerned those who voted ‘neither’ or that media coverage of the long-term effects of Brexit since the vote has swayed people’s opinions,” a Right Ethos analysis said.

Some 95 per cent of respondents said they felt that Brexit would have a negative impact on their organisation - with 35 per cent of respondents saying it would have a “significantly" negative impact.

The survey also revealed that many staff are concerned about continued levels of funding, following an exit from Europe.

Comments by respondents included: “Funding is the key issue for our organisation. We are heavily dependent upon government funding, and given Brexit, it is likely that money available will reduce.”

Another respondent said: “The single most important worry is that economic problems lead to fewer donations and lower NHS funding.”

While others said they heavily rely on EU funding and that “economic uncertainty always has a negative impact on donations and grants. Brexit has created huge economic uncertainty and I think we are going to see the impact of that”.

The recruitment organisation said the quotes highlighted the “concerns and uncertainty” within the sector.

Other concerns raised include fears that current EU staff working for charities would have their eligibility to work in the UK revoked – and the risk of costly recruitment processes and policy gridlocks.

However, the survey revealed that “a few charities” were also predicting a positive impact as a result of the referendum result.

The recruitment organisation said that although it was “too early to gauge the true impact that Brexit will have on the charity sector”, it was “clear the referendum result is already having an influence”.

“It is clear that there are a few charities that are seeing some positive outcomes of leaving the EU,” it said.

“However, there are significant concerns emerging regarding the day to day running of charities and said concerns have evidently led to organisations re-strategising and shifting focus," it said.

"It is ominous and significant that such a large proportion of individuals, who are highly involved in the non-profit sector, felt that leaving would be a negative and this indicates the coming years will be challenging ones for the sector as a whole.”

Staff questioned were those working in communications and campaigning roles. A total of 383 responded.