Survey reveals high levels of trust in charities but concerns over duplication

Three in four people say they broadly trust charities and community groups, according to a research project.

However, the nationally representative survey of 1,000 people found that large portions of the population believe there is possible duplication of services and potential for mergers to cut costs and avoid overlaps.

The report, titled Trust & Understanding: Public Confidence in Charities and Community Groups, was published by the We Act campaign ahead of International Day of Charity on Friday September 5.

The We Act campaign is a collaborative initiative of The Wheel, Volunteer Ireland, Dochas, the Disability Federation of Ireland and Boardmatch Ireland.

As to possible duplication of services, 35% thought smaller charities often duplicate compared with 47% for medium charities and 39% for large charities, while approximately one in four respondents were unsure.

When it comes to mergers, 34% thought small charities should merge to cut costs and avoid overlap, with 43% for medium charities and 32% for large charities, while approximately one in four (27%) were unsure.

We Act campaign manager Claire McGowran said this does not seem to negatively impact the trust held in charities.

She said: “There are benefits to having a diverse range of charities where, for example, a charity may be providing a service locally that is offered elsewhere, but it means people do not have to travel for support.

“Of course, it makes sense to pool resources where possible, and there is already a huge amount of collaboration in our sector that often goes unseen, with groups getting together to be more impactful.”

Among the other key survey findings outlined in the report are high levels of trust and value in the sector.

When it comes to the most trusted organisations and institutions, 75% said that they trusted charities and community groups “a great deal” or “up to a point”, coming second after schools which scored 82%, and ahead of Gardai which scored 73%.

Small charities were the most trusted (74%), followed by medium and large organisations at 67% and 63% respectively.

Almost four in five people “value the work” of the charity and community sector, while two in three (67%) agree the sector “delivers high-quality services”.

More than 60% believe that the sector is “professional and competent” – but this varied depending on the size of the organisation.

More than half of respondents viewed small organisations as “usually a bit amateurish in their approach” compared with 12% for large organisations and 20% for medium organisations.

The most popular drivers of support for charities included the organisation’s spending transparency, its reputation, and its management.

Commenting on the lessons for charities and community groups, Ms McGowran said: “Of course, more needs to be done to communicate the good work of charities big and small.

“Smaller charities can perhaps point out how they are also regulated by the Charity Regulator, and have the same levels of compliance and reporting as larger charities, although the burden can be significant based on the resources available to them.

“Meanwhile, larger organisations can highlight the significant work that goes into ensuring accountability and demonstrating transparency in using public funds.”