Charities rely on the public, but the public’s perception of the sector isn’t always rosy. But what does the public really think of the sector and what can charities learn from it?
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Social media doesn’t help to paint a particularly positive picture of the charity sector. A quick glance at public comments on charity posts and it’s easy to see the public have a love/hate relationship with charities.

According to the Charity Commission, public trust in charities is at a high and has been on the rise since 2020. “Information tends to lead to greater trust,” the Commission said in its Public Trust in Charities 2024 report. This hasn’t come easily - charities have made an effort to be more transparent across the board in areas ranging from fundraising practices, to the ever-controversial CEO pay.

But when any charity wrongdoing is reported, it has a devastating effect. “For any charities where the media uncovers wrongdoing, there is little they can do to redeem their reputation; once sullied the trust is lost,” the regulator said. “This isn’t news to anyone in the sector. Google search terms such as ‘Kids Company’ or ‘Captain Tom Foundation’ acts as an instant reminder of the the impact those charities had on the reputation of the wider sector.

The Charity Commission acknowledges that media coverage is particularly influential in leading to the public’s distrust in charities “but in most cases, this is limited to the specific charity the story is about,” the regulator says.

The public

The public aren’t shy in sharing their opinions on the charity sector. “I think it very much depends on the charity,” one member of the public tells Charity Times. “Some of the bigger charities waste so much money on admin and paying ridiculous salaries, [but] with the way this country is at the moment, many people and families would really struggle without them.”

These comments confirmed some of the findings in the Charity Commission’s public trust report: “National charities tend to be trusted less,” it found.

Phil Kerry, CEO of New Horizon Youth centre has recently written on LinkedIn about trust in charities and public perception. “There’s quite an historic view of charities based on an old model of philanthropy that’s dated. Perhaps the public doesn’t always understand that in 2025, charity takes many forms and that’s right from the local community groups that’s run by volunteers and has a place in society, through to big, huge, multi-million pound organisations running contracts on behalf of the government, almost an extension of the state.

“I think the public sometimes perceives that we should be more the former and don’t always understand that increasingly it takes place of the latter.”

When Charity Times spoke to members of the public, a large number of people raised issues with charity CEO pay; a topic that has been subject to a huge amount of public debate, both in and out of the media. “Small, not-for-profit local charities do more pound per pound than any of the big national ones who pay ridiculous amounts to their bosses,” one member of the public believes.

But as Kerry points out, some of the biggest charities leaders’ do a lot of work for a smaller salary than they would in the private sector. “Oxfam [has] 4,000 staff, 25,000 volunteers, operating in some of the most complex environments in the world, managing a budget of nearly £400 million. A salary of £130,000 actually looks like quite good value compared to the private sector.”

He also rightly points out that if charities don’t pay fairly, it encourages a lack of diversity – something much of the sector is trying to change. “The question I often pose to people is ‘if you were running an organisation of 5000 staff, 25,000 volunteers, what would you think would be a reasonable salary? It’s quite hard for them to argue that it would be £30,000 or free.”

But the public often have a level of sympathy for charities too, as Owaid Khan, Deputy CEO of Human Appeal explains. “As a result of the ongoing cost-of-living crisis, I believe that charities are seen more sympathetically than perhaps in previous years. As many families face financial strain, this is likely to increase empathy for charities who help those in need year-round.

“For ourselves at Human Appeal, this has certainly been the case on a global humanitarian scale… Despite societal financial headwinds, communities are coming together to rally support for charitable organisations such as ours, on both a large and small scale.”

One member of the public echoes this, commenting: “There are so many charities that need our money. The government should give more to them rather than funding politicians with cleaners, second homes and other things the average worker doesn’t get. Our country is very dependent on charities and the work they do as our health service, social care, welfare system is on its knees.”

Turn of the tides

In the age of social media and access to information at our fingertips, what can charities do to alter perceptions for the better? The Charity Commission suggests that information leads to greater trust so “ease of access of information and signposting to it could be important. Financial transparency is an important type of information in driving trust.”

Kerry agrees: “It’s easy to point the blame at others, to say the Charity Commission should be doing this, the general public should be doing this. I actually think increasingly, we have a role to educate people about what civil society and charity do in modern day Britain and be proud of that.

“Own the space and say ‘this isn’t the third sector. It is an equal sector to the public and private one. If we want to function in Britain, its in all of our interests to make it so.” Human Appeal’s Khan adds that information is essential, but identifies that smaller charities will struggle.

“Hypothetically speaking, smaller charities may not have the ideal level of resources available to dedicate to external communications which are pivotal in delivering charity messaging to the public.” This is where a sectorwide initiative or partnership may be fruitful.

“Unlike in the past, charities now have the opportunity of growing their audience and reaching new supporters, particularly younger generations, with engaging content. Each user is a potential advocate for your cause, and by sharing regular updates on social media that again reiterate your charity’s mission, ethos and impact, charities have the ability to build long-standing trust with social media users,” Khan adds.

Whatever way you look at it, there is no easy fix. It’s a double-edged sword; charities rely on the public for donations and more, but are at the mercy of so many of the public’s opinions. One wrong story, column or post on social media can have a devastating impact on fundraising and reputation, which then has a knock-on effect on the whole organisation, even the wider sector. “The complexity of the sector is only growing, but the public perception isn’t always keeping up,” Kerry says.

One thing that is for certain, though, is that charities are more essential, and complex than ever before. The demand for charities’ services increases every day as the world changes and society (and the economy) struggles to keep up.

Showing the public this, and taking the time to explain it to them in engaging ways, should be a priority for charities in the coming year to avoid risking any further damage to public perception.

“We are here for a reason, because the state is unwilling or unprepared to do a lot of this work,” Kerry explains. “I do think the role of civil society is only going to become increasingly important in the decade ahead and I for one think we should fight for what we believe in.

“Part of that will require our sector to do more but hopefully with the backing of people rather than working against the tide,” he concludes.

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