The tyranny of the question ‘how much of my donation goes to the cause?’ may be coming to an end, as new research has found the public are increasingly approving of their donation being spent on fundraising.

Just under half of respondents to the Charity Awareness Monitor (46 per cent) said they believed it “makes sense” for their donation to be spent on fundraising if it helps the charity increase their income in future years.

Fundraisers have been frustrated by what some have argued is a public obsession with limiting spending on charity ‘costs’ as opposed to funding activity and resource ‘on the ground’.

But this latest figure of people willing to accept that their donation may be best spent on fundraising is a significant increase on the 2007 figure – when only 34 per cent said they agreed this was a good way to spend their money – and is also up on last year, when two fifths of respondents agreed with the concept.

However, somewhat jarringly, the majority of the public (53 per cent) say that charities should spend as much of their donation now, rather than saving it for future years

Joe Saxton of nfpSynergy, which conducted the research, commented: “So a, perhaps inescapable, tension over precisely how and when people think charities should spend their income to best overall effect will doubtless remain – something charities should be alert to, to help address and minimise potential barriers to giving. But the trend of opinion is definitely moving in the right direction.”