What is Charity Market Analysis - and Why Does it Matter?
Running a charity today can feel like an uphill battle. Funding streams shift, public priorities change, and more organisations are competing for attention and support. To navigate all this, it helps to step back and look at the bigger picture – and that’s exactly what charity market analysis is about.
What Do We Mean by Charity Market Analysis?
At its core, market analysis is simply understanding the environment your charity operates in. It’s about asking questions like:
Who are our beneficiaries, and are their needs changing?
How do our donors and supporters see us?
What’s happening in the wider sector, and where do we fit?
Are there new policies, grants, or partnerships we should know about?
It’s less about crunching numbers for the sake of it, and more about building a clear picture that helps you make better decisions.
Why It Matters
When charities take the time to do this kind of analysis, they often find:
New opportunities to reach the people who need them most
Ways to strengthen their case for funding
Gaps in provision where they can really make a difference
Insights that help them stand out in a busy sector
In short, it gives you the confidence that your strategy is grounded in evidence, not guesswork.
Our Perspective at Viewpoint
Because Viewpoint is a Community Interest Company (CIC), we’re not looking at this from the outside in. We’re part of the same landscape as the organisations we work with, so we understand the realities of running a mission-led organisation – from limited budgets to the pressure of demonstrating impact.
That perspective shapes the way we approach research. We combine robust methods – like surveys, interviews, and data analysis – with a genuine understanding of the challenges and opportunities that come with being in the charity sector.
A Final Thought
Charity market analysis isn’t about creating a glossy report to sit on a shelf. It’s about giving your organisation the clarity it needs to grow, adapt, and keep making a difference. If you’d like to explore how research could help your charity take its next step, we’d be happy to chat.
