The Government must not forget the vital role fundraisers play in growing the UK’s giving culture by making the all important “ask” when they discuss the issue at a high-level Giving Summit later today.

The Institute of Fundraising, which will be attending the Whitehall meeting, will urge Ministers to invest in fundraising training to ensure charities continue to engage effectively with potential donors.

IoF chief executive Peter Lewis, said: “We know that charities would lose billions of pounds of income without the fundraisers’ ask, so it’s vital that Government doesn’t forget the key role that fundraisers play.

“Earlier this year we commissioned YouGov to carry out donor research for us and what we found was fascinating – a massive two thirds of those who donated would have given less -or nothing at all - if they hadn’t been asked by fundraisers.

“In these tough economic times charities are relying more and more on donations to deliver the important work they do so properly trained fundraisers are vital.

"Indeed, nearly three quarters of people surveyed thought that it was a positive thing for charities to employ staff to undertake fundraising. It is gratifying to see that the public recognise the vital importance of employing properly trained staff to foster relationships with donors and raise funds, and we hope that Government shares this view too.”

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