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December 2025
Dear Reader,
As we head deeper into the winter season – and with many charities preparing their final campaigns or laying groundwork for 2026 – now’s a great time to pause, reflect on what’s changed this year, and plan for what’s ahead. So grab your warm drink of choice and let’s dive into a festive edition of the ADA Newsletter…
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To say it’s been busy here at ADA would be an understatement, but I'm genuinely thrilled with this next announcement.
After months of development and careful planning, we have officially launched CRAFT - our new community space for fundraisers, analysts, and anyone working with charity data.
The idea is simple: a collaborative space where you can get hands-on with analytics, share challenges and wins, and access ready-made templates and tools to sharpen your data work.
It's made up of three core pillars:
Forge – a growing set of easy-to-use apps and integrations designed for charity data, such as quality checks, insight generators, and practical scripts that save real hours.
Academy – a collection of intuitive, calm, sector-shaped learning courses, created by people who understand the realities of big demands with small budgets, legacy systems, and supporters who deserve better data.
Crew – a community space for charity data users to swap ideas, celebrate small wins, and help each other get unstuck faster, without judgment.
CRAFT is currently in “early adopter” mode, and we’ve already had valuable feedback on what works and what needs tweaking. If you want to influence its development, help shape key features, or just get first dibs on new resources, now’s the time to sign up. We’re looking forward to seeing how this can become a real cornerstone of the sector where data-driven fundraising becomes simpler, smarter and more inclusive.
To put it simply, “Find your people. Hone your CRAFT.”
You can sign up to CRAFT for free today and start your data journey, or you can use the discount code EARLY to knock 50% off the price of our Foundation and Premium tiers – a special deal exclusively for our newsletter subscribers.
Want to learn more? Visit the CRAFT website today.
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The Age of AI & Legacy Giving: What UK Charities Need to Know
UK charities are seeing a quiet but powerful shift in fundraising. Recent data shows:
- AI adoption is rising fast: 77% of UK charities now use AI tools in some part of their fundraising or operations, helping them work smarter and stretch limited resources. (Blackbaud)
- Legacy giving is booming: In 2024, legacy income jumped 9%, reaching £4.5 billion, with some sectors seeing legacies make up 50% of fundraised income. (Fundraising.co.uk)
- Income resilience comes from diversification: Charities blending digital tools, AI insights, and legacy/major gifts are more likely to maintain or grow income even amid economic pressures.
The landscape is shifting, and to stay resilient, charities need to embrace technology, prioritise legacy and major gifts, and diversify income streams. These insights directly inform the practical steps you can take this month, which gives me a helpful segue into…
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Small Thoughts for a Busy Month
December is frantic for most teams, so instead of action lists, here are a few reflections to carry into the new year:
- Keep the donor journey simple.
When time is tight, the best gift you can give your supporters is clarity. Fewer clicks, clearer asks, cleaner donation pages. Even small reductions in friction can lift year-end income.
- Notice the data you’re gathering right now.
December generates some of the richest behavioural data of the entire year. Before January hits, make a quick mental note: What do you wish you understood more clearly? Engagement? Gift patterns? Response rates?
- Think about January now – You will thank yourself later.
A blank page in January can be overwhelming. Sketching even a loose idea now – a report you’d love to have, a segment you want to understand better – makes 2026 planning vastly easier.
- Seed ideas, don’t plant trees.
This isn’t the time for big builds. It is the time to notice opportunities: donation page tweaks, supporter segments worth exploring, and reports your team always wish they had. Capture the ideas, act in the new year.
- And if reporting is on your mind…
I’d be a terrible Head of Marketing if I didn’t remind you that our ADRFM reporting suite is built for exactly this sort of task – turning year-end data into meaningful insights without the January scramble. Visit the ADA website to find out if ADRFM is the right solution for your team.
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We’re going to be giving this section a bit of a makeover come the new year, to help those of you who need to plan ahead for travelling to the big events. Stay tuned for next month’s edition, where we’ll feature our conference highlights throughout 2026.
In the meantime, here’s a selection of in-person and online events for January and February, with an expanded list for events up to June available on the CRAFT website.
ICAEW Charity Conference 2026 (Online) – 22–23 January 2026
A solid start to the year: governance, accounting and regulatory updates, plus sector-wide outlooks for 2026. Expect useful clarity on the refreshed governance code and upcoming finance/tax changes.
Great For: CFOs, Finance Leads, Governance Leads, Trustees / SMT
The Charity AI Update 2026 (Online) – 27 January 2026
A half-day briefing on AI developments, risks, sector implications and opportunities. Good for teams wanting a level-headed understanding of what’s actually useful vs what’s noise.
Great For: Data & Insight Leads, Digital/IT Leads, Strategy/Planning Teams
Fundraising Now 2026 (Online) – 5 February 2026
A deep dive into income diversification — especially helpful as reliance on single income streams continues to feel fragile heading into 2026.
Great For: Fundraising Managers, Strategy Leads, Grants/Income Diversification Teams
ESG Imperative 2026 (London) – 11 February 2026ESG, sustainability and governance — with a strong focus on reputation, trust, reporting requirements and long-term resilience across the sector.
Great For: Leadership, Finance Teams, ESG/Sustainability Leads, Trustees
Want the full 2026 calendar?
We’ve pulled together a complete Events Calendar — with roles, links, and planning notes – over on the CRAFT website.
We aim to keep it regularly updated, and are happy to add your suggestions to it as well. So please get in touch if you want something highlighted!
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As always, our team cuts through the noise and offers advice on what actually matters for sector practitioners.
This month’s question:
What's one trend in charity data you think will be huge next year?
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"I think the obvious answer is AI, but the struggles between tight budgets and long-term planning mean charities tend to be slower to adopt new technology. So, I think 2026 will be something else, and so you've got to look at what was hitting the world in 2025, in which case you're talking more about integration.
It's diversifying away from the mentality of 'We need one big system to rule them all', and people are looking a little bit more at 'Let's have four or five best-of-breed systems and integrate them' instead. I think that's the big movement in the charity data world right now."
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"I absolutely agree with you. I said this at the beginning of the year for a local government conference that I was doing, and I said to Adam [Dustagheer of Datnexa], one of the things that I think is going to take off in 2025 is Agenetic AI and we've just seen the benefits.
I think getting Agentic AI somehow closer to CRM data is going to have a huge impact. And again, I think Mike's right in terms of moving data around.
If the solution is Agentic AI taking an extract out of a CRM system, pushing it across to an e-mail marketing solution, then taking those responses and pushing them automatically back in, the amount of time, energy, and headspace that is saved for an organisation is massive."
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Before we close this edition, I'd like to add a few closing words. 2026 is shaping up to be a challenging – but potentially transformative – year for charities. Fewer donors, more pressure on core funding, but also growing generosity per donor and opportunities to get smarter with data, retention and digital giving.
If there’s one thing we’d encourage you to do now, it’s this: take stock of your data, tighten up your retention strategy, and invest in a smooth digital giving experience before the new year gathers full pace.
But most importantly, don't forget to take some time to rest and recharge. Nobody can get anything done if they're worn down (trust us - we've tried), and everybody deserves a break. Make sure you get yours.
One last thing - if you're attending next week's Engaging Networks Christmas Party, make sure to say hi to me, Ant and Mike! I may even wear a festive jumper. No promises on taste levels, though.
Here's to a happy, prosperous, and CRAFT-filled new year (yes, I had to get ONE more plug in. I'm paid by the mention, people!) We'll see you in 2026.
Until next time,
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Carl Phillips
Head of Marketing
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