The Disasters Emergency Committee’s total income fell from £274.3m to £215.7m in the year to the end of March, its annual accounts reveal.
The fall is partly as a result of an anticipated fall in donations to the Ukraine humanitarian appeal, which was launched in March 2022 and fell by nearly 70 per cent to £70.1m in 2022/23.
The appeal, which has raised more than £400m, attracted the bulk of its donations in its first month, which was during the 2021/22 financial year.
Donations to support people in Afghanistan, an appeal which was launched in December 2021, also dropped significantly, from £34.7m to £4.8m last year.
The DEC launched two new appeals in 2022/23 – to support people affected by the Pakistan floods and the Turkey/Syria earthquake – which brought in a combined £134.7m.
The charity’s income can fluctuate wildly, according to the volume and scale of humanitarian emergencies around the world. It was £33.1m in 2020/21 and less than £10m in the previous year.
The charity’s total expenditure in 2022/23 reached £262.4m, its highest level for more than five years.
The increase in spending and drop in income has led to the charity’s total funds being carried forward to fall by 44 per cent and its net income halving to £46.7m.
The charity’s income from investment jumped from £32,000 in 2021/22 to more than £3m last year, the accounts show.
Writing in the accounts, Sue Inglish, chair of the DEC, said: “It has been almost 60 years since the DEC was founded.
“Our first appeal was for an earthquake in Turkey and since then we have run 77 appeals, raising a staggering £2.4bn.
“Much has changed, with new ways of working improving our ability to deliver humanitarian aid more effectively when disaster strikes.
“But one element remains constant – none of this would be possible without our incredible supporters, members, partners, volunteers and humanitarian colleagues around the world.”
Staff costs increased by over £700,000 as employee numbers rose to 30 from 21. The chief executive’s pay increased from £84,960 to £99,521.
The DEC is an umbrella group of 15 UK charities that launches appeals to raise funds to provide aid to people in disasters and humanitarian crises.
Notable charities that are members of the DEC include Oxfam, the British Red Cross, Cafod, Age UK and Save the Children.
The DEC has five ongoing appeals: the Coronavirus appeal, the Afghanistan crisis appeal, the Ukraine humanitarian appeal, the Pakistan floods appeal and the Turkey/Syria earthquake appeal.