By Selina Kisby, Purpose, Third Sector, Energy & Utilities Practice Lead
If there’s one thing you couldn’t escape in 2025, it was the scale of charity advertising. From high-impact winter campaigns to powerful Christmas appeals (hats off to Shelter!) the volume, visibility and emotional weight of charity comms hit new heights. And it’s no wonder: competition for the public pound is more fierce than ever.
According to 2025 data from the Charities Aid Foundation (CAF), an estimated four million fewer people are donating money to charity compared to pre-Covid levels. The reasons are sobering but unsurprising: stretched household budgets, shifting priorities, and a notable wane in interest among younger audiences.
This context – where charities say they are increasingly reliant on a smaller group of people to give – is shaping the current comms landscape and will define the one we’re heading into next.
What 2025 Taught Us About the Sector
This year has shown us three undeniable truths:
- Competition for attention is at a record high
Charities aren’t just competing with one another – they’re competing with every brand, every issue, and every moment in the news cycle. The pressure to cut through remains immense.
- The public isn’t disengaged – they’re discerning
People aren’t giving less because they care less. They’re giving less because they need to be convinced that their contribution genuinely matters and should be their priority.
- Trust is now the charity sector’s most valuable currency
Awareness alone won’t drive donations. Emotional connection and credibility will.
So, What Does This Mean for 2026?
Now into 2026, the charities that will succeed are the ones who rethink how they earn attention – and how they earn trust.
Earned media is about to matter more than ever
Earned media, particularly broadcast PR, continues to prove itself as one of the most effective, efficient and credible routes to reach mass audiences. For me, broadcast PR, when done well, can:
- Deliver huge, trusted reach in a single day
- Cut through nationwide with a consistent, credible message
- Mobilise audience behaviour, including driving donations and fundraising engagement
- Provide a platform to humanise your mission and articulate real-world impact
Broadcasters care about relevance, impact, timeliness and public interest – I like to say, a great story matters far more than the size or popularity of the brand telling it.
And in 2026, that will be a major leveller.
Why Trust Will Be the Deciding Factor for Donors
In the words of our Managing Director, Dan Stainsby, on his recent insightful 2026 PREDICTIONS FOR BROADCAST MEDIA AND PR blogpost; “We’ve known for years that earned media is marketing’s superpower for building credibility and emotional connection, but there will be a growing appreciation, even beyond PR, that paid buys impact whilst earned buys trust.”
But for charities – many of whom rely partly or entirely on public donations – surely this distinction will only sharpen in 2026 as donors become increasingly selective.
We won’t give simply because we’re asked to. We’ll give because we can clearly see:
- Where our money is going
- What good it is doing
- Why our involvement matters right now
Earned media offers the ideal environment to communicate all of that with clarity, urgency, transparency and humanity.
What I Want Charities to Know In 2026
- Your story is your strongest asset
Not your marcomms budget. For me, a compelling, timely, human-centred story will always outperform a big spend in the broadcast space.
- React confidently to relevant news stories
If you’ve ever worked with me, you’ll know how much I advocate for adding new perspectives in real time. Injecting a clear and different point of view into existing conversations shapes a charity into a recognised voice leader and increases the likelihood of media returning to them for future contribution as a story evolves.
- Don’t underestimate the speed and scale of broadcast
No other channel can deliver trusted national reach with the same combination of immediacy and impact.
- Your audience wants proof of impact, not just proof of need
Show the problem, yes, but show the solution too. Show progress. Show people’s lives improving through all the work you do.
- Trust is the new battleground
Charities who actively build and protect trust through transparent, human-led storytelling will outperform those who rely solely on paid asks.
Looking Ahead
The third sector is being plunged into a pivotal year – one of heightened competition, tighter donation patterns and greater demand for authenticity. But with the right story, the right insight and the right broadcast approach, 2026 also offers enormous opportunity. Earned media (proactive and reactive) won’t just help charities be heard – it will help them be believed and, ultimately, cared about.
And when it comes to changing behaviour or inspiring action, surely nothing is more powerful than that.
If you would like to speak to us about capturing the public’s attention through earned media, or maximising the impact of your next PR or marketing campaign, please get in touch.