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Charity Insights:

Brazil

You are currently viewing Charity Insights, which explores the landscape from the perspective of social purpose organisations in this country.

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Perceptions on overall sector health.
The biggest challenges for the sector.
Dealing with demand.
Sources of income.
Types of income.
How funders can empower charitable organisations.
How leaders spend their time.
Engagement challenges.
Civil society collaboration.
Civil society network.
Impact.
How much the public trusts charities.
Perceptions of the Government.
VISIT THE CAF WEBSITE

Charity Insights:

Brazil

You are currently viewing Charity Insights, which explores the landscape from the perspective of social purpose organisations in this country.

Use the toggle below to switch to Donor Insights and view how and why individuals give.

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Insights on charity data from

View in English

O retrato das organizações da sociedade civil brasileiras revela a sustentabilidade financeira como fator importante para a resiliência, considerando não apenas a diversificação de fontes, mas também a qualidade dos recursos disponíveis. Nesse cenário, destaca-se no Brasil a relevância da filantropia corporativa, com as empresas ocupando papel central no financiamento das organizações. Ao mesmo tempo, mecanismos ainda pouco disseminados, como fundos patrimoniais filantrópicos (endowments), legados e testamentos solidários, apontam caminhos para a construção de maior estabilidade no longo prazo. A experiência internacional reforça o potencial dessas fontes para a resiliência das organizações. Essa discussão passa também pela qualidade do financiamento: recursos mais flexíveis ampliam a capacidade das OSCs de responder às suas necessidades, adaptar estratégias e perseguir seus objetivos com maior autonomia.

A resiliência também depende de confiança, transparência e capacidade de demonstrar e comunicar impacto. O estudo revela uma possível distância entre a percepção das organizações sobre seus principais desafios e aquilo que mobiliza os doadores, para quem a transparência e a comunicação do impacto têm especial importância. Esse achado dialoga diretamente com a Pesquisa Doação Brasil, realizada pelo IDIS, que também aponta a confiança e a clareza sobre a atuação das organizações como elementos fundamentais para fortalecer a relação com quem doa. No Brasil, embora a mensuração de impacto ainda seja um desafio, chama atenção o movimento das organizações para desenvolver estruturas mais consistentes nessa área, indicando disposição para avançar na produção e no uso de evidências sobre seus resultados.

É nesse contexto que o desenvolvimento institucional ganha particular relevância. As organizações brasileiras demandam dos financiadores apoio que vá além do repasse de recursos, incluindo oportunidades de aprendizagem e conexão, apoio estratégico e desenvolvimento de lideranças. Essa necessidade também se manifesta na rotina das organizações, marcada por uma forte dedicação das lideranças às demandas operacionais, muitas vezes em detrimento de questões estratégicas de longo prazo. Fortalecer as OSCs, portanto, significa investir também em governança, estratégia, pessoas, redes, mensuração de impacto e sustentabilidade financeira, com recursos mais flexíveis e apoio adequado às necessidades de cada organização. Mais do que financiar projetos, trata-se de criar condições para que possam planejar, aprender, se adaptar e ampliar seu impacto ao longo do tempo.

The landscape of Brazilian civil society organisations highlights financial sustainability as an important factor in organisational resilience, shaped not only by the diversification of funding sources but also by the quality of the resources available. In this context, corporate philanthropy stands out, with companies playing a central role in funding organisations. At the same time, mechanisms that are still relatively underused, such as endowments, legacies and charitable bequests, offer promising pathways towards greater long-term stability. International evidence reinforces the potential of these funding sources to strengthen organisational resilience. The quality of funding is also an important part of this discussion: more flexible funding gives civil society organisations (CSOs) greater autonomy to respond to their needs, adapt their strategies and pursue their goals.

Resilience also depends on trust, transparency, and the ability to demonstrate and communicate impact. The study points to a potential gap between what organisations perceive as their main challenges and what motivates donors, for whom transparency and impact communication are particularly important. This finding resonates directly with the Brazil Giving Research, conducted by IDIS, which also highlights trust and clarity about organisations' work as essential to strengthening relationships with donors. In Brazil, while impact measurement remains a challenge, organisations are increasingly working to develop more robust frameworks in this area, signaling a willingness to strengthen how they generate and use evidence about their results.

It is in this context that organisational development becomes particularly relevant. Brazilian organisations are calling on funders to provide support that goes beyond financial resources, including opportunities for learning and connection, strategic support, and leadership development. This need is also reflected in organisations' day-to-day operations, with leaders devoting much of their time to operational demands, often at the expense of longer-term strategic priorities. Strengthening CSOs, therefore, means investing in governance, strategy, people, networks, impact measurement and financial sustainability, supported by more flexible funding, and assistance tailored to each organisation's needs. More than funding projects, it means creating conditions for organisations to plan, learn, adapt and expand their impact over time.

Paula Jancso Fabiani
CEO
IDIS

Data from

Brazil

1

Perceptions on overall sector health.

Overall, would you say the charity sector in your country is…

Very healthy
Fairly healthy
Fairly unhealthy
Very unhealthy
Don’t know
Base: All charities answering =xx

2

The biggest challenges for the sector.

Which challenges are most pressing for your organisation? (select the top 3):

Financially and operationally fit

This aspect, which is about being financially and operationally fit with sufficient income from different sources, is the most challenging for charities around the world.

XX%
Financial sustainability
XX%
Increased competition for funding
XX%
Increasing costs
XX%
The balance of restricted and unrestricted funding
XX%
Meeting demand for services
XX%
Making the most of technology

Well networked

Being well connected and able to get support by working in partnership with others.

External awareness

Awareness of the political, economic, local and national context. Scanning the horizon for threats and opportunities.

XX%
Raising awareness of our charity
XX%
Government intervention
XX%
Persuading people that we can be trusted

People and culture

Having the right employees and prioritising their development and wellbeing, supported by effective leadership.

XX%
Hiring or maintaining a strong team
XX%
Securing and maintaining volunteer engagement

Evidencing impact

The ability to identify and communicate the needs being met and the impact this is having.

XX%
Measuring and demonstrating our impact
XX%
Making an impact

Purpose

Understanding what the organisational purpose is — and just as importantly, what it is not.

XX%
Communicating our mission
XX%
Clarifying our mission
Base: All charities answering = XX

3

Dealing with demand.

Increase(d) a lot
Increase(d) a little
Remain(ed) the same
Decrease(d) a little
Decrease(d) a lot
Don't know
Base: All charities answering =xx

How did organisations find coping with this increased demand over the last 12 months?

Difficult
Easy
Base: Organisations who experienced increased demand = XX

Which, if any, of these actions have you had to take in order to cope with increasing demand?

Brazil
Global average
Base: Organisations who experienced increased demand = XX

4

Sources of income.

The proportion of charities that receive each type of funding:

Base: All charities answering =xx

If you received no more donations or funding from today, how long could you continue operating using only your reserves, any investments or earned income?

Have to stop operations immediately
Less than one month
1–3 months
4–6 months
7–12 months
Over a year
Survive indefinitely as don't rely on donations / funding
Don’t know
Base: Organisations who experienced increased demand = XX

5

Types of income.

How much of your funding is given as ‘restricted’ funds?

Restricted
Unrestricted
Base: All charities answering =xx

Geographically, where does your funding come from?

Inside our country
Other countries
Base: All charities answering = XX

6

How funders can empower charitable organisations.

Aside from giving more money, how could funders empower organisations like yours to do more good?

Brazil
Global average
Base: All charities answering = XX

Which of the following statements, if any, do you feel apply to funders?

Brazil
Global average
Base: All charities answering = XX

7

How leaders spend their time.

Roughly speaking, how much time do you spend on each of the following?

Working on more practical tasks that keep us running day-to-day
Working on more strategic things that are for the longer-term
Base: All Chief Executives or equivalent job title = XX

8

Engagement challenges.

Which of the following would you like to do a better job of engaging ?(select up to two)

Brazil
Global average
Base: All charities answering = XX

9

Civil society collaboration.

How well does civil society in your country collaborate together for the greater good?

Not at all well
Not very well
Fairly well
Very well
Base: All charities answering = XX

10

Civil society network.

What are the barriers to developing your civil society network further?

Brazil
Global average
Base: All organisations who don’t already have a ‘very strong’ network = XX

11

Impact.

How effectively do you do the following?

Not at all
Not very
Somewhat
Fairly
Very
Base: All charities answering = XX

Does your organisation use a formal framework or strategy for capturing and measuring impact?

No, we do not use one and have no plans to do so
Not yet, but one is in development
Yes, we currently use one
Don't know
Base: All charities answering = XX

12

How charities perceive public trust.

How trustworthy do you think the people of your country find the following types of organisations?

Local / regional charities
National charities
International charities
Not at all trustworthy Very trustworthy
Not at all trustworthy Very trustworthy
Public's average level of trust
Charity's average perception of public trust
Not at all trustworthy Very trustworthy
Base: All donors and charities answering = XX

13

Perceptions of the Government.

Overall, do you think the Government is a positive or negative influence on the charitable sector?

They don't do anything either way
Very negative
Negative
Mixed - they do some good things and some bad things
Positive
Very positive
I don't know what they do, so can't say
Base: All charities answering = XX

More about our partner.

IDIS is a civil society organisation founded in 1999 and pioneer in technical support to social investors in Brazil. With the mission to inspire, support and promote strategic philanthropy and its impact, IDIS serves individuals, families, companies, corporate and family run institutes and foundations, as well as with civil society organisations, in actions that transform realities and contribute for the reduction of social inequality in the country.

Our actions are based on the tripod of generating knowledge, offering advisory and developing social impact projects that contribute to the strengthening of the ecosystem of strategic philanthropy and of giving culture. We value partnerships and co-creating, and believe in the power of connection, of joint learning, of diversity and plurality of points of view.

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