Public trust, authenticity, and the post-truth world

Tim Harrison

23rd February 2017

@harriti

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nfpSynergy in numbers

Work with three quarters of top 50 fundraising charities

Use a range of qualitative and quantitative research, reaching over 30,000 people every year

Produce over 15 free reports a year exploring major issues facing non-profits

Canvas the views of 150 MPs a quarter

Long-term commitment to the sector, with 15 years worth of trend data

Track engagement with over 150 UK and Irish non-profit organisationsevery quarter

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Over 15 years of research with and for charities

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Recovery in trust is very fragile

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Trust in most sectors is increasing, though charities dropped to their lowest point in a decade in October 2015

Base: 1,000 adults 16+, Britain | Source: Charity Awareness Monitor, Oct 2016, nfpSynergy

3%

12%7%

21%22% 22%

12%

29%

65%

47%

60%

67% 71%

Jul 09 Jan 10 Jan 11 Jul 11 May 12 May 13 Apr 14 Apr 15 Oct 15 Apr 16 Jul 16 Oct 16

Political Parties Government Newspapers Banks Charities The NHS

“Below is a list of public bodies and institutions. Please indicate, by ticking in the appropriate column, how much trust you have in each of the bodies” A great deal or quite a lot

Kids Co closes

CEO pay stories

Olive Cooke

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48%

54%

44%

51% 51%

45%

26%

36%

31%

Jul 10 Jul 11 Mar 12 Nov 12 Nov 13 Jan 14 Jan 15 Jul-16

On your doorstep On the telephone Approached face-to-face on the street by a fundraiser

Base: 1,000 adults 16+, Britain. Source: Charity Awareness Monitor, Jan 15, nfpSynergy

Which of the following best sum up your feelings towards each of the following types of charity fundraising? I find it very annoying

The public find more intrusive fundraising with charities very annoying

CEO pay in all sectors upsets the public, but particularly in charities

So long as frustration about CEO pay and fundraising practices exist, journalists will continue to write negative stories about charities

“General feeling that charitable money is not getting to the

people that actually need it and is instead lining execs pockets.”

Daily Express

“Because the climate allows for it -people are feeling less charitable and empathetic and therefore journalists

will have less qualms about addressing charities' failings.”

The Observer

“Charities have had a tough year and the media will maintain the spotlight on them to

see if they can clean up their act..”

Managing Editor, News, The Sunday Times

“The collapse of Kids Company.”

The Guardian

Source: Journalists’ Attitudes and Awareness Monitor, Oct/Nov 16, nfpSynergy

9

Brexit has revealed a divided nation, ready for a change from the status quo

10

The referendum divided the country along demographic lines….

Base: Lord Ashcroft Poll, 23rd June 2016

“Which way did you vote in the/today's referendum?”

73%

62%

52%44% 43% 40%

27%

38%48%

56% 57% 60%

18-24 25-34 35-44 45-54 55-64 65+

Remain Leave

57%49%

36% 36%43%

51%

64% 64%

AB C1 C2 DE

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And along emotional lines

52%

43%

39%37%

27%

17%15%

4% 3% 2% 1% 1%

9%6%

2%5% 6%

56%

2%

49%

26%

38%35%

37%

15%

9%7% 8%

4%

58%

3%

26%

15%17% 17%

12%

Hopeful Satisfied Glad Happy Excited Uncertain Convinced Worried Afraid Frustrated Sad Angry

Leave Remain Did not vote

Base: 1,000 adults 16+, Britain | Source: Charity Awareness Monitor, Jul 16, nfpSynergy

“When you think about the results of the EU referendum, what are the emotions that best describe how you feel?”

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And revealed different favourite causes for each side of the debate

Base: 1,000 adults 16+, Britain | Source: CAM, Jul 2016, nfpSynergy

“When you think about your favourite charities, which category do they fall into?”

Overseas Aid Homelessness & social welfare

Environment & Conservation

Children & Young People

Armed Forces Rescue Services

Top causes for both Remainers and Leavers are Cancer, Animals and Children/Young People but…

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“People in this country have had enough of experts.”

- Michael Gove, June 2016

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30%

35%

50%

70%

Policy decisions should be made according to thepersonal opinions and values of the elected

politicians

It's more important to take into account theviews of experts rather than relying on ordinary

people

It's more important to listen to the views ofordinary people than relying on the views of

experts

Policy decisions should be backed up byevidence from the experts

But in the UK the public still want evidence AND input from ordinary people

Base: 1,000 adults 16+, Britain | Source: Charity Awareness Monitor, Jul 16, nfpSynergy

“How far do you agree with the following statements when it comes to decisions about policy in the UK?”

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Charities are not seen as being ‘part of the establishment’

Base: 1,000 adults 16+, Britain | Source: Charity Awareness Monitor, Apr 16, nfpSynergy

“When you think of the following, to what extent do you think of each one as being ‘part of the establishment’?” A little + Very much

28%

31%

36%

65%

65%

66%

70%

70%

Pressure groups

Small businesses

Charities

The Royal Family

Political parties

Civil Service

The Police

Government

“I think the people at the bottom, on the front line actually often tend to know a lot more than the people at the top in the ivory tower.”- Female, 20-34

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The status quo is not working for many people

Base: ONS and Financial Times

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Which is why things like this happen….

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Feelings matter more than facts

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Many examples of this from across the pond

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Trump’s policies are not as unappealing to the public as you might expect…

Base: 1,000 adults 16+, Britain | Source: Chatham House Institute, 12 December 2016 - 11 January 2017

“To what extent do you agree or disagree with the following statement? All further migration from mainly

Muslim countries should be stopped.

21

Authenticity and staying true to your values is key

22

Charities have authenticity in bucket loads, ready to appeal to fact and feeling

“I see what the Red Cross are doing on the ground in Syria and think, they’re getting blown up themselves. Then, I suddenly think, there is something serious here… I have a huge amount of respect for those people. So, the way that [money] is collected in the street here I don’t like, but what they’re doing on the ground I totally admire.”- Male, 55+

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Charities have authenticity in bucket loads, ready to appeal to fact and feeling

“I ran into two MSF doctors on a coach in the middle of nowhere. One of them worked in Jordon, in some isolated village, and the other worked in Burma. Neither of them was older than about 27, and I thought after about 10 minutes of talking to them, Jesus Christ, I’m going to go home to sort out a Direct Debit because you meet people like that and you think, what the hell have I been doing for all these years?”- Male, 35-44

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Blurred lines between charities and corporates in mission

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And in content

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Authenticity can be demonstrated with third party assurance

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But the public set the highest standards for charities, higher than any other institution, and when these are not met they are bitterly disappointed

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The public are angry, but are charities able to respond in a radical enough way?

Source: Journalists’ Attitudes and Awareness Monitor, Oct/Nov 16, nfpSynergy

“I wrote a story the other day about the Government updating and renewing a strategy document and I called up the leading charity to ask what areas the

Government should be focusing on. They refused to speak to me, as if they were part of the

Whitehall machine. It was strange they put what I suppose they feel is maybe a fragile relationship with Government officials before speaking to the public, their donors and their end-users. I now think of this charity as an arm of Government rather

than doing its best for the cause.”

Journalist, national broadsheet newspaper

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Though disagreeing with Government comes at a cost

Base: 150 MPs | Source: Charity Parliamentary Monitor, Jun - Aug 16, nfpSynergy

“To what extent do you agree or disagree with the following statements about work with charities?” Ranked by Total

41%

61%

24%

65%

10%

4%

The charity sector is well regulated

The charity sector as a whole is toopolitical

Charities should not campaign inParliament

Conservative

Labour

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In summary

• Trust in charities is fragile, intense scrutiny has not disappeared

• Attitudinal divisions are being driven by a frustration with the status quo

• Companies are increasingly active in the world of charities

Discussion points

• How will you trade off calls to be more radical with working closely with government?

• Are you prepared for the next round of scrutiny into Executive pay and fundraising?

• What would a Trump charity be doing now?

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Questions

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