More  than  half  of  national  fundraising  associations  in  Europe  predict  a rise in  income during  2014,  according  to  a  new  survey  report Fundraising  in  Europe  2013/14  released  today  by   the  European Fundraising  Association  (EFA).  

The  survey  collates  the  views  of  national  fundraising  associations  across
17 European  countries,  reviewing  fundraising  trends  and  developments
from the past  year  and  identifying  the  sector’s predictions  for  2014.

Despite  the  growth  of  many  new  forms  of  fundraising,  the  report  affirms that  most  money  is donated  through  public  collections  and  in  response to direct  mail.  

Children  and  healthcare/medical   research  are  the  most  popular causes.  

During  2013,  41%  of  national  fundraising  associations  report  that
nonprofits in  their  nation  have succeeded  in  increasing  voluntary  income
levels  and  a further  47%  have  sustained  income  from  year to  year.    

In  last  year’s  EFA  survey,  just  one  quarter  of  EFA  members  predicted
that national  voluntary income  levels  would  rise  in  2013.  

Fundraising  associations  are  even  more  positive  about  performance
going forward,  with  the  majority of  national  representatives  saying  that
voluntary income  will  rise  in  2014.  

At  the  same  time,  nonprofits  expect  that  the  impact  of  the  global
economic downturn  will  continue  to  be  felt  during  the  years  ahead.  

Respondents  fear  that  the  poor  economic  climate  will  continue  to  affect fundraising  in  2014,  while  growing  professionalism  is  the  most  common positive  influencer.  

Günther  Lutschinger,  President  of  the  European  Fundraising  Association and CEO  of  Fundraising  Verband  Austria,  comments  on  the  survey
findings, saying: “As  European  markets  show  signs  of  a   recovery,  the
fundraising community  reports  a  positive  year  of  growth  during  2013  and
an  optimistic outlook  for  the  year  ahead.  

“The positive impact  of  widespread  commitment  to  high  standards of practice and growing professionalism  cannot  be  underestimated  in contributing  to  this  growth.”
 
EFA’s  survey  indicates  that  public  trust  and  confidence  is  expected  to remain  fairly  stable  across  Europe  and  yet,  public  trust  remains  the  lead concern  for  fundraising  organisations.    

Becky  Gilbert,  vice  president  of  the  European  Fundraising  Association and  Board  Member  at  Deutscher  Fundraising  Verband  (DFRV),  added: “Although  there  is  an  expectation  that  public  trust  and  confidence  will remain  stable,  it  is  also  of  concern.  

"The  fundraising  community understands  the  damage  that  can  be  caused
by  a  fundraising  scandal, often  prompted  by  a  single,  isolated  case,  but influencing  public  opinion  as  whole.  

"For  this  reason  and  in  light  of  the growing  need  for  cross-­border   approaches, EFA  will  closely  monitor developments  and  work  to  serve as a voice  for  the  sector  and   foster a climate  of  donor trust  based  on professional, ethical and accountable fundraising."  

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