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August 2025
Dear Reader,
Summer continues to sizzle, and the out-of-office auto-replies continue to fill my inbox (which is absolutely fair, especially as another heatwave is hitting the UK). But the data work never stops, so we’re back to share the latest updates, insights, and opportunities to support your work in the charity sector. Let’s jump right in…
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We’ve just published a brand-new free resource for UK charities: our Power BI Dates Table template.
It’s designed to make your reporting life easier by taking care of one of the trickiest but most essential parts of building great dashboards: creating a robust, flexible dates table. Perfect for tracking year-on-year trends, financial year reporting, and campaign performance in a UK context. You can grab it now from our website and start using it straight away.
Following on from our announcement in last month’s edition, tickets are still available for the CIoF Insight in Fundraising Conference on Monday 22nd September 2025. Ant will be speaking during the event, joining Josh Rosekilly from Sense and Alex Proniewicz-Brooks from Depaul UK to deliver a Power BI masterclass packed with practical tips, real charity examples, and inspiration for levelling up your reporting game.
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Each month, we will look at industry trends, client feedback, or dive into our team's expertise to provide data-driven recommendations that help you stay ahead of the curve.
Understanding the latest trends can help charities navigate a challenging fundraising environment. Our focus this month is on key takeaways from the recent Enthuse Annual Charity Pulse Report, offering valuable insights into donor behaviour and digital giving patterns.
The report surveyed over 100 UK charity leaders and revealed some interesting trends for 2025:
- PayPal remains the most popular alternative payment method, available on 76% of donation pages, with Apple Pay (47%) and Google Pay (40%) also widely used.
- Fundraising messages are seeing a decline in return, with $58 raised per 1,000 messages sent; a 10% drop compared to 2023.
- Engagement rates show some challenges: click-through rates remain steady at 0.48%, but page completion rates have declined by 13% to 12%.
These insights highlight the growing importance of optimising donor journeys and exploring new engagement strategies to reverse downward trends. For charities looking to boost performance, refining payment options and personalising communication can make a real difference.
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We're big believers in working smarter, not harder. With each newsletter, we will provide practical, immediately applicable tips to help you streamline processes and maximise impact.
With new data protection rules on the horizon, it’s important to understand how the “soft opt-in” can support your email marketing efforts without compromising supporter trust. Here’s what you need to know to make the most of this opportunity responsibly.
Once it comes into law, the soft opt-in rule allows charities to send marketing emails or texts to individuals who have previously engaged with them without requiring explicit consent every time (provided they signed up after that point!) This is great for re-engaging supporters, but it’s not a free pass to spam. Always:
- Provide clear opt-outs both at data collection and in every message.
- Ensure your communications relate to similar charitable causes and respect supporter preferences.
- Maintain strong data hygiene and CRM accuracy to avoid errors.
Used well, the soft opt-in can help widen your reach while preserving trust. Abuse it, and you risk unsubscribes and complaints that harm your reputation. Stay thoughtful, transparent, and always put your supporters first.
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Here are some notable events for August 2025 that may be of interest to professionals in the UK third sector, with valuable opportunities to gain insights, network with peers, and stay informed about the latest trends.
Conferences & Workshops
Legislative Update
Two major legal changes are shaping the digital landscape for charities:
- Meta’s Paid Ads Restrictions are tightening tracking and targeting, especially for charities working in health, finance, or sensitive issue areas. This limits your ability to track conversions or use retargeting on Facebook and Instagram, particularly for EU campaigns, due to privacy and regulatory compliance. UK charities should prepare for similar trends by diversifying digital strategies and focusing more on organic reach.
- The Online Safety Act requires charities running interactive websites or forums to manage harmful content proactively. This includes risk assessments, safeguarding children and vulnerable users, and quickly removing illegal material. Non-compliance risks fines and reputational damage, so review your digital policies and user protections now.
Staying informed and adapting early will help your organisation thrive in this evolving regulatory environment.
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For this month, Ant continues some recent musings regarding consultants and their place in the Third Sector. |
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"Let’s Talk: How Are You Working with Consultants These Days?
I recently shared some musings on the Actually Data blog about how charities seem to be changing the way they work with consultants and agencies. My hunch? The big, long-term projects and interims are giving way to more short-term, focused gigs. It feels like the sector is leaning into quick wins and targeted support rather than grand change programmes. Or hiring internally and upping the head count instead of consultants?
But enough about my take - I’m really curious about yours! Are these changes down to tightening budgets, especially with fundraising getting tougher? Is AI handling some of the daily work you’d have previously called in a consultant for? Or maybe you’re finding more solutions together with your peers in Facebook groups or on LinkedIn? If you’re up for sharing, I’d genuinely love to hear your perspective. No pressure; just keen to understand what’s actually happening out there as I start to plot for 2026.
Whether it’s hearing your stories, picking up ideas for speaking topics, or just having a good chat about where our sector is heading, I’m all ears. And if you fancy a real-life catch-up, the coffee’s on me next time you’re in London, just give me a shout, drop me an email, send a carrier pigeon; all the usual ways!"
— Anthony Fawkes
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And that brings the August edition to a close. Thank you for being an essential part of the Actually Data Analytics community. We’ll be back next month with more sector insights, practical advice, and opportunities to help you make data work for your cause.
Enjoy the summer and stay safe!
Until next time,
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Carl Phillips
Head of Marketing
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