Sector umbrella body NCVO has recorded a growth in its membership despite what it described as “another challenging year”.
According to NCVO’s annual accounts for the year ending 31 March 2025, membership numbers rose to 17,025 organisations from 16,872 the year before, while income from this source increased from £1.6m in 2023-24 to £1.8m in 2024-25.
NCVO’s member retention rate rose to over 92%, with nearly 200 organisations rejoining the umbrella body after a break.
In the introduction to the accounts, interim chief executive Saskia Koynenburg said: “This was a year defined by resilience, where we demonstrated the vital role of charities in meeting societal need as public services continued to buckle under the strain of demand.
“At NCVO, we were proud to call these challenges out and continue to advocate for a fairer and more sustainable deal for the sector.”
Income reaches £9.5m
NCVO reported that although charities had faced increasing demand, rising costs and pressures on raising income, the umbrella body saw its income reach £9.5m, compared to £12.3m in 2023-24 and £7.1m the year before.
The £12.3m total from 2023-24 included a one-off £5m payment from the Charities Aid Foundation (CAF), “recognising an underpayment in previous years of a contractual agreement”.
NCVO’s income from donations and legacies was down year-on-year from £4.9m in 2023-24 to £2.2m in 2024-25.
“A significant source of income under donations and legacies is the £2m from Charities Aid Foundation (CAF),” its latest accounts read.
“This represents a restoration of the value of annual contractual payments to pre-2020 levels.”
Its income from charitable activities also reduced to £4.2m in 2024-25 versus £4.5m in 2023-24, with restricted grant income for specific projects £741,000 less than in 2023-24.
However, NCVO’s income from trading activities increased year-on-year to £2.9m, with revenue from the hiring of its Society Building head offices totalling £1.7m, an increase on 2023-24’s total of £1.6m.
Staff costs increase
NCVO’s total expenditure increased from £8.1m in 2023-24 to £8.8m in 2024-25, with salaries and other staff-related items representing 65% of those costs at £5.8m.
The umbrella body spent £4.2m on wages and salaries, an increase of around £243,000 on the previous year’s total of £3.9m, while its staff pension costs also increased from £387,000 in 2023-24 to £412,000.
NCVO said it agreed a pay rise of 3% for staff in 2024-25, compared to a 6% increase the year before.
Its highest-paid member of staff was former CEO Sarah Elliott, who received an annual remuneration of over £137,000, compared to £129,000 the year before.
