COVID-19 Impact Survey Results

COVID-19 Impact Survey Results

On 24 March Cii sent a survey to the CEOs of all charity members in order to gain an insight into the current and projected effects of the COVID-19 crisis on their organisations.

We have shared these results with the Department of Rural and Community Development and they will be used in approaches to Government being made on behalf of the sector.

The most stark finding is the cancellation of a vast array of events, campaigns and other fundraising activities – 89% of respondents. Leading from this charities reported an average expected drop in net income of 40%.

While the Government’s Wage Subsidy scheme may provide some relief to charities, we will be arguing strongly that it will not compensate for the fall in fundraising which many charities will face in the coming weeks and months.

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Full Report

(Download this report here.)

Introduction

On 24 March Cii sent a survey to the CEOs of all charity members in order to gain an insight into the current and projected effects of the COVID-19 crisis on their organisations. The survey aimed to ascertain:

• The drop in projected net income due to the crisis
• The fundraising events already cancelled by these organisations
• The fundraising events likely to be cancelled in the future
• The contingency plans members have considered regarding their employees (shorter working hours, redundancies, forced annual leave etc.)

Overall, the survey received 57 responses with 43 indicating they would be happy to be contacted in the future for further figures. Of the respondents:

• 15 had a total income of less than €1M
• 17 had a total income of €1M-2.5M
• 7 had a total income of €2.5M-€5M
• 17 had a total income of €5M+
• 1 respondent did not answer this question

Findings

Income

It is important to note that the projected figures provided are best estimates from members at the time they took the survey. As the COVID-19 situation unfolds these will undoubtedly change. However, they do provide a general view of the expected effects of the crisis.

• In total 38 organisations provided information on net income projections for 2020 which were made before COVID-19 as well as projections since the virus has hit
• Total projected loss of these respondents €24,227,300.00 (29% drop in income)
• Average projected loss is €650,000 
• Average projected loss is 40% of a charity’s income
• The range of lost income spanned 0-87%

Events, Campaigns & Other activities

• The overwhelming majority of respondents have already cancelled a vast array of events, campaigns or other activities (89%). These include community events, face-to-face fundraising campaigns, direct mail campaigns, flag days and church gate collections.
• Generally, respondents are expecting to cancel everything up to and including June.
• Many are also worried about events later in the year as there is still much uncertainty.
• Some respondents mention loss of corporate donations as being a potential effect.

Employment

Note: This survey was taken before details of the COVID-19 Wage Subsidy Scheme were released. Respondents may have since revised some plans regarding redundancies etc.

• 20 respondents considering or have made redundancies (35%)
• 31 respondents considering or have already enacted shorter hours/working week (54%)
• Many indicated that further reviews would be held in April
• Many respondents had not yet made any decisions in this regard as they were awaiting further clarity from the government.

Conclusion

While the true effects of the COVID-19 crisis on Cii members and the wider sector will not be known for some time, it is clear from these results that the crisis has already taken a large toll on respondents’ organisations – 35% already having made or considering redundancies, 89% having already cancelled a myriad of events and campaigns.

Respondents are currently grappling with great uncertainty regarding how the crisis will affect them in the second half of 2020. The projected losses in income, whilst rough estimates at this stage, make for stark reading – an average projected loss of 40% from respondents. Without government intervention to bridge this funding gap it is becoming increasingly clear that maintaining their full level of services will not a viable option for charities. It may also pose an existential threat to some.

Download this report here.