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| 28 Jan 2021 | |
| General |
Our Grants & Funding Officer, Erin McNulty, joined the recent Grants & Trusts Forum. She discusses the insights she gained from the forum as well as the broader trusts and foundations landscape at present.
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The Grants & Trusts forum is a network of professionals who share best practice in researching grant opportunities & building relationships with trusts and foundations. The forum often hears from keynote speakers and grant givers.
The forum is co-chaired by Cian Dikker, Trusts, Foundations, and Grants Executive at the Central Remedial Clinic, and John Fleming, Chief Executive at Saint John of God Foundation. The forum chairs are pivotal to the success of the forums, from setting the agenda to identifying great speakers and of course keeping proceedings on track! We were delighted to welcome Dennis O’Connor, Director & Head of Consulting and Research at 2into3, as the guest presenter at the January forum.
Denis presented a summary of the Irish Giving Index as it pertains to Trusts and Foundations. The data presented showed that Fundraising Mix Income for subscribers has increased from 1% (consistent from 2015-2018) to 3% in 2019. It is also one of the most cost-effective ways of fundraising in Ireland, with the cost of €0.07 to raise €1. Comparatively, the cost to raise €1 via Local/Community Fundraising is €0.46.
Trusts and Foundations are also a reliable source of income, despite the serious impact that COVID-19 has had, and will continue to make on fundraised income in Ireland. 2into3 report that income from Trusts and Foundations is projected to have no change overall due to the impact of COVID-19, whereas many traditional methods of fundraising such as local/community fundraising, are projected to be impacted. As of April 2020, Year-Over-Year (YOY)% has increased over 1000% for Trusts and Foundations. As Dennis explained, a number of new and engaged funders have contributed to the growth in this method of fundraising, along with companies giving through their own corporate trusts.
The development of Trusts and Foundations has been particularly experienced by large charities. 2into3 report that in 2018-2019 charities with over €5m in income saw an increase in Trusts and Foundations income by 100%, while smaller charities had a less positive experience with some reporting a drop of almost 80% in income from Trusts and Foundations.
After there presentation, there was an informative discussion on recent funds and opportunities available to Irish charities. Many attendees referenced their positive experience with the Comic Relief Fund. Well done to all at the Community Foundation for supporting so many worthy charities.
The next Grants & Trusts Forum will be held in May. For more information, check out the Grants & Trusts Forum page or feel free to reach out to myself or any of the team at Cii.
