The Institute of Fundraising said the absence of any firm proposals on Gift Aid reform in the pre-Budget report meant charities seem to have been "fobbed off".
A coalition of organisations including the institute, the NCVO and chief executives body Acevo wrote to Stephen Timms, financial secretary to the Treasury, in October to express disappointment at the lack of progress on Gift Aid reform.
The organisations wanted Alistair Darling to address the issue in today's report, but the Chancellor merely pledged to "continue to explore how best to support the third sector through the Gift Aid system".
Darling said the results of research into the effects of redirecting from donors to charities the Gift Aid on donations from higher-rate taxpayers would be published on the Treasury website on 15 December.
Lindsay Boswell, chief executive of the institute, said: "We're deeply disappointed that there was nothing in this report. They seem to have fobbed us off.
"We believe that charities need support during a downturn, and we think it makes sense to offer that support through Gift Aid. We will continue to push for reform."
A spokeswoman for the NCVO said the umbrella body was disappointed at the lack of progress. "We were hoping for some movement on Gift Aid and we are really disappointed that there hasn't been any," she said.
