Survey reveals public perceptions of the fundraising profession

Twice as many people in the UK view the fundraising profession positively than those with negative perceptions, according to a new YouGov consumer poll commissioned by the Institute of Fundraising. However, nearly half of men believe it is not a profession for them, and only 53% think fundraisers come from diverse backgrounds.

What does the public think of fundraising? is a two-part study, exploring how the fundraising profession is seen and understood by the public, and particularly at whether age, race, religion, disability, or gender make a difference.

According to the results of the first survey, more than three quarters (78%) of those polled thought raising funds for charity was important, rising to 83% for 16-24 year olds. Women and respondents with disabilities were more likely to strongly agree (36%) than men (24%) and non-disabled respondents.

One in ten people agreed with the statement that ‘fundraising is a job more for women than men’ while half of respondents disagreed.

Just over half (53%) of people thought fundraisers came from diverse backgrounds with black respondents (14%) more likely to disagree than white (7%) or Asian respondents (6%). 45% of men thought it was not a profession for ‘people like me’, compared to 31% of women.

Alex Xavier, director of professional development at the IoF, said

“We want to encourage the broadest range of people, from across the UK, to think of fundraising as a career choice. The public are absolutely right in that fundraising is a profession where people can make a difference to society, but we need to think more about how we can demonstrate and showcase the career and skills development opportunities that fundraising can offer.”

The second instalment will explore how people view a career in fundraising and will be made available on 23 September.