Navigating the Tide: Fundraising in Ireland & Europe, 2025-26

By Scott Kelley, Charities Institute Ireland

The charity sector enters 2026 much the way a sailing ship does after a wild weather front: some repairs made, sails trimmed, but still navigating rough seas. In Ireland during 2025, fundraisers faced an uneven mix of high demand, elevated costs and stricter oversight, yet also signs that the fundamentals of giving are shifting for the better. Across Europe, regulation, payment infrastructure and data capability are quietly remaking the rules of engagement for nonprofits.

Ireland: The story of supply, demand and trust

At the heart of the story is demand. Many Irish households remain under pressure from rising costs of living, meaning fundraising appeals that might once have sailed through now require stronger propositions, better conversion and smarter stewardship. Charities report more applications for support and fewer slack moments between crises.

On the supply side, the sector matured, recognising that governance, reporting, and data are no longer optional extras. A landmark study by Charities Institute Ireland found that fundraisers account for just 3.5 % of the sector’s workforce yet generate 23 % of total income. 

That disparity is significant: the people who generate income remain a small minority of staff, yet their output is disproportionately high. Unfortunately, the study also found that 60% of organisations have no or only one staff member dedicated to CRM or reporting, limiting their ability to scale or innovate. 

In short: demand is real, pressure on resources is real, and the case for investment in systems and personnel is now backed by data. On the regulatory front, the Charities Regulator’s new 2025-27 strategy signals that compliance and transparency are no longer “nice to haves” but core expectations. For fundraisers, that means that governance and fundraising are inseparable: clean numbers, timely filings and clear stewardship messages are part of the campaign toolkit.

So 2025 in Ireland was a realignment year: the high-sound ambition of the sector met the complex arithmetic of the moment. And the charities that will navigate 2026 best are those that have both the mission and the infrastructure, the ability to make either one support the other.

Europe: Changing rails, raised bar

If Ireland’s story is one of internal adjustment, Europe’s story is structural. Two developments stand out.

First: payments infrastructure. The EU-wide shift to instant euro payments, available 24/7, across borders, with less lag, is quietly changing how donors give and charities receive. The shorter the time between “I care” and “I gave,” the higher the conversion and the faster the cash enters the mission. That’s especially meaningful for cross-border appeals, peer-to-peer giving, and micro-donations, where friction used to be the kill switch. Second: regulation and reporting. From the rollout of the AI Act to the phased implementation of the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), the expectation is rising that charities (and those in partnership with corporates) will supply credible data, demonstrate impact and manage risks. For example, good corporate-charity partnerships will increasingly require hard metrics, not just nice stories.

In practice, that means fundraising in Europe is shifting from skill in storytelling to rigour in value-delivery. Efficiency, data integrity and governance are now drivers of donor trust. And as competition for giving intensifies, the organisations that succeed will be those that treat fundraising less as episodic and more as a continuous product-journey: build, test, iterate.

Looking Ahead to 2026

Ireland
Boards will ask sharper questions. Not just “What did you raise?” but “At what cost, and what next?” With the Charities Regulator’s framework coming into greater effect, clean annual reports, a well-managed reserves policy and clear stewardship will increasingly be part of your reputation as much as your mission. On income, the growth vector is not just new donors but better donor journeys. Instant payments, recurring gifts, and mobile-first checkouts are no longer optional; they’re expected. And since 2025’s data revealed the sharp contrast between effort and return, investing in CRM systems, data analysis roles, and mid-value segmentation is not a nice-to-do; it’s survival.

Europe
Expect the regulatory dial to keep turning. Charities using AI, large-scale platforms, or cross-border appeals will need to pay attention to data governance, vendor oversight, and risk audit trails. Meanwhile, the bar for what constitutes a “strong partnership” with corporates is rising: will the charity deliver outcomes? Will the numbers hold up? Will the story stand up to scrutiny? And on payments, the friction factor is dropping. Donors will increasingly expect one-click, seamless giving, so the charities that build that will convert more, faster. Efficiency becomes a competitive advantage in a market where overall giving is under pressure.

Why this matters

Because fundraising isn’t merely a means to an end: it is the end. If your organisation cannot raise reliably, at scale, with integrity, mission delivery becomes speculation. The data from Charities Institute Ireland gives us a starting point, a benchmark: 3.5% of staff generate 23% of income. It tells boards, funders and CEOs: raising money isn’t an afterthought, it’s a core function. In both Ireland and Europe, we are shifting from “let’s see what we can raise” to “let’s build a system that reliably converts giving into impact.”

Final word

In 2025, we measured the tides. In 2026, we set the course. Whether you lead a local charity in Ireland or engage cross-border across Europe, the task is the same: build systems, sharpen propositions and earn trust in real time. The organisations that will flourish are not those with the flashiest campaign, but those with the cleanest ledger, the fastest checkout and the clearest story of impact.