Public donations to Oxfam reached £114.5m last year - an increase of 6.5 per cent and their highest level since the year of the Boxing Day tsunami - according to the charity's annual report, published today.
The charity’s 2015/16 annual report shows that despite ongoing media pressure over the last 12 months, the public donated £7m more than the previous year and the highest amount since the tsunami in 2004.
Oxfam said that the reason for the increase in public donations could be attributed to a number of humanitarian appeals that have run throughout the year, including the Nepal earthquake and appeals for ongoing conflicts in South Sudan, Syria and Yemen.
Total income from gifts in wills also increased to £17.3m.
Oxfam’s income as a whole rose by over 3 per cent, to £414.7m from £401.4m in 2014/15 but was outstripped overall by a 7.7 per cent rise in spending. Expenditure for the year rose to £420.7m, due to an increase in spending on regular giving and responding to emergencies overseas.Oxfam saw a fall in sales from donated goods due to “difficult trading conditions on the British high street”.
Mark Goldring, chief executive of Oxfam, said: “We are incredibly grateful to the British public for their continued support for Oxfam. The public’s generosity is testament to their commitment to end poverty and suffering around the world, during what remain for many uncertain times financially.
“Violence and disaster are forcing record numbers of people to flee their homes in search of safety, often with little more than the clothes on their backs and a few possessions they can carry. The scale of the crisis has prompted the biggest humanitarian response in Oxfam’s history as we provide desperately needed food, water and shelter.
“While we push world leaders for a more effective response to these complex crises, from helping to end conflicts to hosting more refugees, public support is vital to enable us to continue to help the most vulnerable.”
Related articles
