Charity risk barometer 2019

Charities today are exposed to one of the most volatile periods in modern history, but with some fresh thinking and long term strategy, shrewd charities stand to reap rewards. With ongoing austerity, changes in social attitudes, fake news, invasive social media, and the political and economic uncertainty caused by Brexit, it can be hard to keep up.

Knowing our charity customers will need to navigate these risks, both now and into the future, we’ve created the Charity Risk Barometer 2019 in conjunction with Third Sector.

We know that with limited time and resources it can be hard for charities to focus on anything but the immediate future. The report is therefore designed to help clients identify and manage their risks now and into the future.

To build our report, we first needed to understand the issues the sector faces. We held a panel event with 10 charities and sector bodies, working in a collaborative environment to openly discuss, share and learn from each other.

We then went out to 200 senior charity leaders to get their input on a series of topics, with the aim of understanding the most pressing concerns in the short, medium and long-term.

• 54% loss of funding
• 51% impact of Brexit
• 43% attracting and retaining talent
• 41% breach data regulations
• 38% political instability
• 38% threat of a cyber attack

• 26% loss of funding
• 26% threat of a cyber attack
• 25% attracting and retaining talent
• 24% employees hit by burnout
• 23% reputational risk
• 23% engaging with the next generation

• 26% reputational risk
• 24% loss of funding
• 22% inability to engage with the next generation of supporters
• 18% attracting and retaining talent
• 18% threat of a cyber attack
• 16% an increased focus on governance

Born from our conversations, this thought-provoking new report gives expert commentary from leading thinkers in the charity sector, covering topics from stress-related burnout among staff to engaging with the next generation of supporters.