‘Disintermediated’ giving, asking and helping
Cutting charities out of the process…
The harm that results…
And how charities can reclaim the ground they’ve lost
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A joint project with Kingston University Business School
Over the past 20 years there has been an increasing trend in other actors displacing charities in giving to good causes, asking for support, and providing help for people in needed.
For example, instead of giving to a poverty relief charity, people can make microloans to entrepreneurs to help them work their way out of poverty.
The technical term for this is ‘disintermediation’ – cutting out the middleman. This has often been understood as relating to crowdfunding. But, as our pioneering work in developing a typology of disintermediation – the first and currently only one of its kind – has illustrated, charities can also be cut out of asking for support and delivering services.
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Disintermediation is an existential threat for charities and fundraisers, because if people can provide help and support without going through charities, then what is the need for charities? But, if those other actors aren’t as effective and efficient at doing this as charities, then it is the people who rely on charities who will be affected most.
This joint project with Kingston University Business School aims to better understand these issues, and help charities to reclaim the ground that they have lost. The project has four phases.
1 How are charities being displaced?
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What are the mechanisms other actors use to cut charities out of giving, asking and providing help?
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Our initial typology was published in 2023 in the Journal of Philanthropy and Marketing. You can see a graphical version of the typology on this page. For an overview, check out our news item on Critical Fundraising and see the JPM paper for a full understanding.
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We are currently updating and expanding the typology, which will be contained and a new Rogare white paper to be published in the Northern spring of 2026.
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2 Why are charities being displaced?
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What are the reasons given and motivations for sidelining and bypassing charities?
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A second Rogare white paper will be published in the 2026 Northern summer.
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3) What harm results if charities are displaced?
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Disintermdiation in the charity sector raises ethical and regulatory issues that have barely begun to be researched. Perhaps the main ethical question is whether the people who most need help are the ones that get.
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We’re on track to publish our third white paper in the Northern autumn/fall in 2026. The Journal of Philanthropy white paper contains some initial thinking around these challenges.
4) How do charities ‘re-intermediate’ – claim back the ground they have lost to other actors?
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Throughout 2027, Rogare and Kinsgston Business School will work with the Chartered Institute of Fundraising to identify the ways charities can do this. We’ll planning a series of in person and virtual focus groups, symposia, seminars/webinars. More details will be announced later in 2026.
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You can find out more about these phases in the project outline, which you can download here.
More information
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News item on Critical Fundraising giving an overview of the typology.
Disintermediation project team
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Neil Gallaiford – formerly ST (Stephen Thomas Ltd) (Canada) (stepped down from the project)
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Heather Hill – Chapel & York (USA)
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Tum Kazunga – Build It International (UK)
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Cherian Koshy – Kindsight (USA)
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Rita Kottasz – Kingston Business School, Kingston University (UK)
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Juniper Locilento – National Arts Centre (Canada) (stepped down from the project)
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Ian MacQuillin – Rogare – The Fundraising Think Tank (UK)
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Meredith Niles – Plan International (trustee) (UK)
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Phil Slocombe – Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust (UK)
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Channing Wallbridge - Positive East (UK) ​​
