Unicef UK’s income fell by more than 10 per cent last year from a record high in the previous 12 months that was boosted by “unprecedented support” for its emergency Ukraine appeal.
The charity’s latest accounts, filed with Companies House last week, show it had income of £160.9m in 2023, down from £179.5m in the previous year.
Third Sector reported last year that Unicef UK’s income rose by 27 per cent in 2022 compared with 2021, mainly because of an emergency appeal that raised more than £55m to support people affected by Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.
The charity’s income had risen from £109.4m in 2020, which was another record at the time.
Unicef UK said today that, although it received fewer donations in 2023, the charity still exceeded its budget for the year by £23m.
The accounts show the charity’s spending on fundraising rose by £5.7m compared with the previous year to £34.1 in 2023.
But it recorded a small surplus after overall expenditure fell from £176.5m in 2022 to £160.4m last year.
Income from direct marketing fell by £5.5m to £55.4m, while funds from corporate partnerships dropped by £8.7m compared with 2022, to £35.2m.
Income from legacies rose from £6.7m to £7.3m last year.
A Unicef UK spokesperson said: “2022 was an unprecedented year for fundraising as a direct result of the conflict in Ukraine, for which we received over £55m. In 2023, there were 11 emergencies and, thanks to the continued generosity of the UK public, we exceeded our budget by £23m, but received less overall than in 2022.”
The accounts show that the highest-paid person at the charity was Mike Flynn, its former deputy director of advocacy, programmes and safeguarding, who, because of termination payments, received a salary package of £284,000 over the course of the year, including pension contributions and employer’s social security contributions.
His salary for the year was £105,000, the accounts say.
Chief executive Jon Sparkes, who is about to leave Unicef UK to take the top job at the learning disability charity Mencap, received a package worth £184,000 over the course of the year, including pension and social security contributions.
Unicef UK announced yesterday that Philip Goodwin would succeed Sparkes in September.