Public confidence returning to charity sector

It has taken over a year, but public trust is beginning to return to Ireland’s charity sector after it was badly hit by the top-ups and pay-offs scandal at the Central Remedial Clinic.

One in three adults — 1.1m people — say they made a donation in response to a 2014 Christmas charity appeal, according to research on donor behaviour , up slightly from 2013.

Two out of three donors — or 690,000 people — say they gave more this year than in 2013. The average donation over Christmas was €12.50, up from €10 in 2013.