Currently, gamblers can place bets on the outcome of the country’s state-licensed National Lottery at private bookmakers, rather than buying tickets for the lottery itself.

Because those bets are taken by private sector bookmakers, they do not contribute to the revenues of the Lottery, which has distributed more than €6.5bn to charities and good causes since it was established 39 years ago.

Research conducted for the National Lottery estimates that lottery betting takes €81m from charities each year, and links the practice to the loss of an estimated 1,929 jobs in the charity and retail sector, and €12.7m of government income.

Lottery betting is already banned in 25 of the 27 EU member states. The National Lottery is calling on the Irish government to follow suit.

Áine Myler, chief executive of EFA member CII, says:

“On behalf of our members and the wider sector, we support the National Lottery’s call to prohibit lottery betting in Ireland, as it diverts funding away from the causes the National Lottery is intended to support. CII has made numerous representations to government for this change to be implemented, and so we now urge the minister again to address this issue.”

The National Lottery’s recommendation is also supported by the Retail Grocery Dairy & Allied Trades Association.

As was also the case in the World Giving Report 2025, Europeans gave away less of their income to good causes than anyone else last year — 0.6%, compared with 1.6% in Africa, 1.2% in Asia, 0.8% in both North America and Oceania, and 0.7% in South America.

South America is also the continent where least people (50%) gave (by any means) to good causes in 2025, versus 57% in Europe, and slightly more than two-thirds in both Africa and Asia.

Ukraine the ‘belonging’ outlier

CAF says that around the world, 66% of people feel a strong sense of belonging to their local community — but the figure is below 50% for all of the 11 European nations in the survey.

People in 10 of those European countries all gave on average less than 1% of income to good causes in 2025. The outlier is Ukraine, with 1.2%. Meanwhile, people in countries with a higher sense of belonging gave on average 1.7% of their income.

CAF found that younger people are nearly twice as likely than older people to say that community plays a large role in their life, whether local, religious or online (54% of under-34s, versus 31% of over-55s).

Donors in higher income countries are also more likely to give to charities that work around the world than those in less wealthy states — and Norway and Sweden are the only countries in which more than half of donors give to global charities.

Government influence and impact stories

The report also says that people who see the impact of charities in their local area are more generous. Nearly two-thirds (62%) of people globally say that charities have had a fairly or very positive impact in their local community, rising to 75% in Africa. In Europe, almost half (48%) of people say that charities make no difference locally, or that it is impossible to tell what the impact is.

Those who see a positive impact donated three times more as a proportion of income supported twice as many causes, and gave to more charity types, CAF says.

Ashling Cashmore, head of impact at CAF, comments:

“Where we have seen charities tell impact stories that donors have really connected with, it has been easier to build the kind of trust and engagement that sets them up for longer-term success.”

CAF also asked people what they thought of their government’s support for a culture of giving — 40% globally agreed that their government encourages giving, rising to 55% in Asia and 51% in Africa.

In Africa, Europe, North America and South America, governments talking positively about charities was seen as the main way they encourage giving.

Meanwhile, Asian respondents said that good charity regulation was the top answer to how governments inspire giving, while tax incentives was the most common response in Oceania.

CAF was supported by a number of global partners in putting together the report, meaning there are deep-dives on many of the countries in the survey including Bulgaria, Finland, France, Germany and Italy.

Charities Institute Ireland has announced Scott Kelley (pictured right) as its next CEO. Currently COO, Scott also sits on the EFA board as treasurer.  Scott will formally take up the role at the end of July, following a handover with Áine Myler.

Elsewhere, Association Française de Fundraisers, ISOBRO & Fundraising Norge have all appointed new chairs and presidents in recent weeks, while EFA associate member Philea has also chosen its new leadership.

Association Française de Fundraisers

The AFF has a pair of co-presidents for the first time in its history: Damien Cousin from international NGO CCFD-Terre Solidaire, and Véronique Desnoyers of Petits Frères des Pauvres, which supports people isolated in old age.

They succeed Jonathan Hude-Dufossé, who had served four years as president.

Fundraising Norge

Elin Tvedt of children’s charity Right to Play has been chosen as the chair of Fundraising Norge for 2026-27, a year after joining the board.

She takes over from Karl Magnus Rohde-Næss, who had held the role for the past three years.

ISOBRO

EFA’s Danish member ISOBRO said goodbye to its chair of five years Ann Leiskiko, as she was succeeded by vice-chair Ruben Holmgreen Falk of Kirkenes Integrations Tjeneste, a church charity working with refugees and immigrants.

ISOBRO’s board of directors consists of:

• Ruben Holmgreen Falk, chairman, Churches’ Integration Service
• Jane Kofod, Vice President, Danish Cyclists’ Association
• Tina Engberg, Animal Protection
• Merete Gotsæd Falkenstrøm, Save the Children 
• Lisbet Christoffersen, Children’s Terms
• Camilla Nissen Toftdal, The Osteoporosis Association 
• Katrine Lester, Danish Seniors

Philea

Philea members have elected a new board of directors for 2026-28. The board will be led by Liisa Suvikumpu of Säätiöt ja rahastot (the Association of Finnish Foundations) as president (photo: at podium), alongside Megan Challis from UK-headquartered health research funder the Wellcome Trust as vice-president (left of podium).

They succeed Àngel Font and Carola Carazzone respectively.

The new board comprises:

• Tomek Cholast: a crowdfunding practitioner, fintech expert, and entrepreneur with 20 years of experience. Co-founder of Zrzutka.pl and 4fund.com, he is in his element on the Internet and views technology as a tool for change.
• Anna Gryżewska: for whom NGOs are a passion and a major part of her professional life. She enthusiastically participates in the sector’s transition “from sweaters to suit jackets,” doing her best wherever she is needed.
• Aleksandra Marciniak: Press Officer, specialist in personal and organisational branding, a LinkedIn enthusiast, and a fanatic for work that truly matters. She specialises in fundraising communication.
• Miłka Szotek: a strategic optimist, ambassador of listening between the lines, and an enthusiast of discovering human potential. She believes that real fundraising starts with mindfulness, and that the strongest foundations are built on values and relationships.

Robert Kawałko remains at the head of the board. Twenty years ago, he was among 18 visionaries with a single dream: that a lack of money should never stand in the way of doing good. As president, he continues to be the guardian, promoter, and enthusiast of this vision.

The General Meeting of Members took place at the end of Fabryka Fundraisingu — an event that brought together 73 specialists in Allegro to discuss important, inspiring, and thought-provoking issues, and share their knowledge and experience.

Speakers included Maya Olszewska on the ethical certification system for NGOs, which will introduce a new quality mark, and Sylwia Kobayashi, who shared insights on how fundraisers can build relationships using empathy and the principles of Nonviolent Communication (NVC).

In expert circles led by Tomasz Chołast, discussions focused on attracting people to organisations, strengthening the brand, transitioning from a founder-led model to team management, and dealing with emotional overload and resource shortages.

The day also saw the presentation of diplomas to the graduates of the Professional Fundraiser Course CFR16 and the welcoming of new members. The icing on the cake was… a birthday cake to celebrate the association’s 20th anniversary.

Nearly nine out of 10 (86%) of the 375 people surveyed for L’usage de l’IA au sein des OSBL say they use AI at work — with 29% using it every day, and another 47% using it several times a week.

But just over half (55%) of those AI users are doing so outside of frameworks or structures put in place by their organisation — making it so-called ‘shadow AI’.

The most common use of AI is for editing (88% of respondents are doing this), followed by research and monitoring 69%) and communication (36%), while only 15% are using it in their fundraising strategy.

The report finds that senior staff and directors more often use tools recommended by their organisation, while more junior staff are more likely to be shadow AI users. It also says that leaders consistently see their organisation as more sophisticated in its AI use than their teams do.

Nearly two in three respondents (66%) use ChatGPT, while around two in five use Microsoft Copilot (42%) and a fifth (22%) use Google Gemini. Users of AI employ on average 2.5 different AI applications.

Despite organisation’s lack of consistency and the tension between leader’s views and those of their colleagues, France générosités says that the report is inherently promising, commenting:

“Respondents envision real added value from AI in areas that are still relatively untapped: data collection, search, and management. The perceived potential is significant. However, moving from envision to practice requires structured support, identified resources, and appropriate governance.

Also this month, Fundraising Europe reports that UK fundraisers are keen to use AI, but need better guidance, case studies and funding in order to make it a more effective part of their work.

This is according to the 9th annual Status of UK Fundraising report from fundraising software provider Blackbaud Europe, based on the surveying of 380 UK fundraisers in January 2026.

One in eight (12%) ‘strongly agree’ that they have the knowledge to use AI responsibly and 45% ‘somewhat agree’, while 22% disagree and 21% were undecided. The report also shows that charities are increasingly getting up to speed with AI — in 2024, 68% of respondents said their charity had not begun creating an AI policy. In 2026, the majority (64%) either have one in place, or are currently working on it.

Nonetheless, fundraisers expressed several concerns about using AI in their organisations — most commonly misinformation (81%); inaccurate output (78%); and data security (75%). Less common concerns included job security (17%) and accessibility (9%).

Asked about the challenges their organisation faces in adopting and leveraging AI, the clear leaders were ethical concerns (61%) and lack of AI training (59%). In another sign that organisations want to get on board, relatively few respondents cited budget constraints (30%) and resistance to change (23%).

What resources do you need?

Asked ‘Which of the following resources would help you better leverage AI?’, the top answers were:

• Guidance on ethical and responsible AI usage – 65%
• Case studies of successful AI implementation in the sector – 56%
• Interactive training sessions, led by sector AI thought leaders – 44%
• Sector-specific templates for AI project planning – 42%
• Funding opportunities for AI-related initiatives – 40%
• Technical support for integrating AI with existing systems – 39%

Technology rarely credited for growth

Around two-thirds (63%) of the respondents met or exceeded their fundraising targets in the last full financial year, and 71% saw their voluntary income either grow or hold steady.

When asked what drove that income growth, ‘exceptional gifts’ was cited by 49% — making it the main driver for the fourth year running. It was followed by greater focus on supporter experience (36%), new or different activity (31%) and investment in fundraising (30%), while making the most of technology (9%) and investing in technology (6%) ranked lowest of all the options offered.

The report also includes anonymous responses from fundraisers surveyed. One expressed scepticism around the value of AI:

“Fundraising in our organisation is extremely personalised, with lots of context that only a personable touch and a human relationship can provide. Using AI to predict things or its use in wealth screening takes away the nuance of knowing prior context or relationship.”

Another said that AI was already reshaping grant fundraising:

 “[AI] has dramatically increased the number of applications that can be generated, leading to trusts and foundations becoming overwhelmed and saturated by applications. This has led to a number closing down or restructuring, as they don’t have the capacity to deal with this.”

The proposals come from L’Osservatorio ASSIF, a body set up by EFA member Associazione Italiana Fundraiser (ASSIF).

Italian residents completing a tax return can choose to divert small amounts of their tax payments to specific groups or causes:

• The 8 per mille (0.8% of tax owed), either goes to particular religious groups, or is allocated to government funds for specific social or humanitarian causes
• The 5 per mille (0.5%) goes to a specified nonprofit or community organisation
• The 2 per mille (0.2%), which is given to a specified political party

The 5 per mille option was taken up by 18m people or 42% of taxpayers in 2024, benefitting 97,000 organisations.

L’Osservatorio ASSIF’s five proposals are:

1. Scrap the spending cap on the 5 per mille

The 5 per mille is subject to an annual limit set by the Government. This means that €560m of intended donations have been held back from charities since 2006. L’Osservatorio says that Italy’s cap is unique among countries with this sort of scheme, and wants it removed or changed significantly.

2. Let charities know their supporters

Recipients of 5 per mille money only learn how many signatures they got, but not from whom. L’Osservatorio points to Slovakia, where taxpayers can choose to share their name and address with the charity.

3. Make the cultural 2 per mille permanent

An additional 2 per mille specifically for cultural associations was introduced into law in 2016. Although pilots were run, it has still not been made permanent.

4. Open the system to companies

In Slovakia and Spain, businesses have this option open to them. L’Osservatorio notes that Spain’s Casilla Empresa Solidaria allowed companies to direct €84m to nonprofits in 2024.

5. Support fundraising development

L’Osservatorio notes that nearly 14% of eligible nonprofits receive no donations, and asks for broader support to enable these organisations to improve their fundraising. It also asks for changes to rules so that 5 per mille recipients can spend these funds on promoting their own campaigns, which they currently cannot.

The organisation says that Government must face up to the large difference between the amount pledged to charity, and the amount actually given. It comments:

“Every year in which this gap widens, citizens’ trust in the instrument erodes, and with it, broader trust in the institutions’ ability to listen to and respect the decisions of those who fund them.”

Currently, private individuals and legal entities can receive a tax deduction for donations to nonprofit organisations approved by the Swedish Tax Agency that promote social welfare or scientific research. Organisations operating in other areas of public benefit are not included.

The investigation will include the analysis and submitting of proposals on how the regulations can be expanded, as well as the consequences for the nonprofit sector, relevant authorities and businesses that may be approved as recipients of donations.

Giva Sverige has been working since the tax reduction for gifts was reintroduced in 2019 to ensure that the regulations cover all public benefit purposes.

Giva Sverige Secretary General Charlotte Rydh commented:

“All donors, regardless of what they are committed to and give to, should be treated equally. Therefore, all charitable purposes must be included in the tax deduction for gifts. The fact that the government is now appointing a special investigation to review the issue is therefore an important breakthrough.”

The issue is particularly relevant, Giva Sverige notes, because the Swedish Riksdag (the country’s parliament) recently introduced a tax reduction for gifts from legal entities commencing 1 January 2026. That regulation is also based on the same purpose limitation that applies to gifts from private individuals.

Giva Sverige also wants to see changes that strengthen the integrity of donors and reduce the administrative burden for nonprofit organisations.

Minister of Social Affairs Jakob Forssmed commented:

“We are now developing proposals to further strengthen the conditions for civil society by expanding the gift tax deduction to more purposes. Such improvements will lead to more resources being allocated to civil society and stimulate people to increase their commitment and giving.” 

The investigation will begin on 1 September and is to be reported no later than 15 March 2027.

Conducted by Novos, the Barometer shows that momentum accelerated as the year progressed, reaching +4.2% in the second half. This was in a context of 0.9% inflation, and also follows two years of more modest growth (+2.4% in 2023 and +2.1% in 2024).

The report describes last year’s increase as a ‘genuine rebound’, and as all the more remarkable in occurring without any surge in fundraising linked to a major, high-profile emergency. In 2024 for example, Cyclone Chido in Mayotte accounted for 5% of total donations. However, the conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine continued to benefit from strong donor engagement in 2025.

At the same time, France is seeing smaller donations decrease, and this trend continues with those under €150 declining again in 2025, representing 38.6% of total donations. This compares to a majority ten years ago (50.4% in 2015) but is offset by larger donations from wealthier donors.

Online giving now commonplace

The report also reveals that 36% of one-off donations now come from the web. In 2025, the amount of digital charity events (gaming, community fundraising, online mobilisations) represented within the panel doubled to nearly €15 million euros in donations, compared to €7 million in 2024.

These figures, says France générosités, reflect a profound change: giving online when making a purchase, rounding up one’s spending at the checkout to benefit a cause, participating in an online charity event like the Z-event, making a donation online in memory of a loved one, are gestures now part of the daily lives of the French.

Outlook uncertain for 2026

Despite the encouraging figures for 2025, France générosités warns that the outlook for 2026 calls for caution.

Previous editions of the Barometer have shown that two factors — fiscal instability and inflation — are likely to reduce French generosity. While the tax framework stabilised in 2025, inflation is rising again in France, reaching 2.2% this April (compared to April 2025, source: INSEE), driven largely by increased energy prices linked to the war in the Middle East. France générosités warns that this could bring an acceleration in the decline in donations under €150 this year.

Commenting on the findings, Philippe Pailliart, its president, said:

“French generosity is on the rise in 2025, good news for all causes of general interest — all the more valuable as many organisations are going through a difficult financial period. But this balance remains fragile: inflation is picking up again and 2026 looks uncertain. France générosités calls on the Government to guarantee now the stability of the tax framework for 2027. Undermining generosity would have dramatic consequences for all causes of general interest.” 

While record legacy income has been reported in Austria, Germany and the UK, in Belgium and Denmark data shows that there is still a need to develop a culture of legacy giving.

The Baromètre de la philanthropie 2026 or Barometer van de filantropie 2026, produced by King Baudouin Foundation, shows significantly fewer Belgians putting a charitable gift in their will. Of the 17% who have written a will, just 13% have included a donation. This is a “significant” drop from 23% in 2022, the report says.

Meanwhile in Denmark, a new publication by EFA member ISOBRO says that legacy income dropped by 20% to just under DKK 10m (€1.3m) between 2024 and 2025 for the 94 charities in its survey. However, total legacy income has increased from the total of DKK 7.7m in 2023, with 2024’s total likely to be a spike caused by a small number of particularly large donations in what is still a very small market overall.

By comparison, the 100 largest UK charities received nearly £2bn (€2.3bn) in legacy income last year, a figure that has grown 38% in the past five years. This is according to a new analysis (paywall) by UK charity sector publication Third Sector, which also shows that for a fifth of charities, legacy income increased by more than 100% in that period. More widely, figures for 2024 from Legacy Futures and Smee & Ford estimated total annual legacy income at £4.5bn — up 9% on the previous year.

In Austria, EFA member Fundraising Verband Austria (FVA)’s projections show that Austrians left €122m to charities via legacies in 2025 — a new national record, and more than double the figure from ten years ago.

Legacy giving now accounts for almost 12% of all charitable donations in the country, it says. The FVA also notes that more than 90% of legacy donors are single or childless.

In Germany, the 26 members of the ‘Mein Erbe tut Gutes. Das Prinzip Apfelbaum’ legacy marketing initiative received a record €148m in 2025.

Its survey, published in collaboration with EFA member Deutscher Fundraising Verband, also shows that 23% of Germans aged 50+ would now consider leaving a legacy to a charity — and that figure rises to 35% for those without children. There is a significant religious split — 22% of respondents identifying as Protestants say they would leave a gift in their will, versus 16% of Catholics.

In both Germany and Austria, animal welfare is the most popular cause for legacy gifts.