Skip to content

One year on from the budget: how is your charity coping?

Last October, the government announced a rise in Employer National Insurance Contributions. At CFG, we've been tracking the impact on our members ever since. Our previous surveys revealed deep concerns within the sector, with politicians quoting our data in Parliament and the House of Lords even voting to exempt charities from the rise.

Now, a year after the announcement and six months since it came into effect, we want to understand how charities are managing. The Charity Commission's recent Risk Assessment study confirms what many of us are experiencing: increased demand for services, rising costs, and inflation eroding funding.

By completing this survey, you'll help us capture the reality facing charities today and advocate for the support our sector desperately needs. The survey should take approximately 10 minutes to complete. Your answers will be treated with the strictest of confidence, and any results/responses shared publicly will be anonymised.

Thank you for sharing your experiences with us.
About your charity
1.What is your charity's annual income?
2.How many staff does your charity currently employ?
3.Which sector does your charity operate in?
4.Does your organisation claim Employment Allowance?
Financial impact
5.What is the current state of your charity's finances compared to one year ago (October 2024)?
6.Has your charity experienced a deficit in the financial year 2024/25?
7.Please outline the total increase in costs that the rise in ERNICs has caused for your organisation (if possible, please also include the percentage of your income this represents)
8.Beyond ERNICs, have the following increases also significantly impacted your charity's finances in the last 12 months? (Select all that apply)
9.Please indicate how significantly each of the following has impacted your charity's finances in the last 12 months?
Major impact
Moderate impact
Minor impact
No impact/not applicable
National Living Wage increase
General inflation
ERNICs rise
Staffing, service delivery and funding
10.In the last 12 months, has your charity taken any of the following actions related to your staff as a result of the rise in ERNICs? (Select all that apply)
11.In the last 12 months, has your charity reduced or closed any of your services as a result of the rise in ERNICs?
12.In the last 12 months, has your charity cancelled plans for any new services as a result of the rise in ERNICs?
13.If your organisation has reduced headcount and/or services, approximately how many roles/services have been affected?
14.In the last 12 months, has your charity taken any of the following actions as a result of the rise in ERNICs? (Select all that apply)
15.In the last 12 months, has your organisation sought new funding/income sources as a result of the rise in ERNICs
Future outlook
16.Do you anticipate needing to take further cost-reduction measures in the next 6-12 months as a result of the rise in ERNICs?
17.How do you expect the financial outlook for your charity to change in the next 6-12 months?
18.And in the longer term, how confident are you that your charity will remain a 'going concern' over the next 5 years?
Support and advocacy
19.What would be most helpful to your charity at this time? (Select up to 3)
Anything else?
20.If there's anything else you want to share on the topic of ERNICs or the general financial outlook for charities please tell us more below
Case studies
21.CFG is looking to conduct more in-depth case study interviews with charities about how they've been coping with the ERNICs rise. If you'd be willing to take part in an interview about this, please leave your name, organisation name and email address below