Small Charity Week is a national campaign to celebrate and raise the profile of the small charity sector. The campaign is delivered by The FSI, NCVO, NAVCA, Localgiving and Small Charities Coalition.
The objectives of Small Charity Week are to:
- Celebrate the contribution that small charities make to communities throughout the UK and across the world
- Improve the knowledge, representation and sustainability of small charities
- Highlight the work of the small charity sector to the broadest possible audience
- Encourage public giving
- Work with the small charity sector to develop political engagement at a national and local level
Celebrating and highlighting the contribution of small charities
Of the charities in Leicester and Leicestershire registered with the charity commission, 77.5% of them are “small” or “micro”, i.e. have an annual income under £100,000. 40% of them are micro – under £10k*.
Locally small charities have been contributing to the immediate response to the COVID-19 pandemic, as outlined in VAL’s support services during COVID-19 web page. They continue to provide support as part of the recovery phase as well. None of the work would be possible without the determination, hardworking and commitment of the volunteers and staff behind small charities.
Since the start of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the department of work and pensions says there has been unprecedented levels of demand for Universal Credit.
Small charities such as Charnwood Citizens Advice Bureau supported nearly 400 people during April and May. They help people who are experiencing financial hardship or are economically disadvantaged due to socio-economic or welfare status with things like making a new claim for Universal Credit.
The recovery phase also includes small charities providing ongoing charitable purposes in a different way such as Quetzal, who have come up with a solution to their building being closed with a four-pronged approach to empower vulnerable women to transform their lives by supporting their recovery from the trauma of childhood sexual abuse. This includes: switching to one-to-one telephone or online counselling, using social media to signpost to appropriate 24 hour support, and implementing a contingency plan so that their website is updated with key information.
Improve the sustainability of small charities
Unfortunately, we are experiencing first-hand that some small charities are feeling the brunt of the economic impact of COVID-19, with some having to close.
Therefore it is important that small charities continue to be able to access funding. The #nevermoreneeded campaign highlights how small charities and other parts of the VCSE sector have responded to the urgent needs of people across the country – quickly, effectively and without question. A the same time charities were facing their own crisis. Fundraising events, from cake sales to the London Marathon, were cancelled or postponed. Charity shops were closed.
Charities which generated their own income through hiring out rooms, running community cafes or delivering training could no longer do so. The campaign materials include a letter to write to your MP about the campaign, and how to show support via social media, so that small charities can continue to provide the services communities need.
Encourage public giving
We have seen how individuals can get behind charities providing essential services, such as Marcus Rashford, England and Manchester United striker, who partnered with Fareshare last week, a medium sized charity, to raise awareness about what they are doing to help vulnerable people including children who are at risk of hunger and malnutrition. He also donated generously to the cause.
You too could help, by supporting your local small charity with their community service during the lockdown and beyond.
Virgin Money Giving has a five-easy-step approach to taking on an online new fundraising challenge. VAL’s online directory provides information on local small charities to help you to decide who to fundraise for. There is no time like the present, especially when Virgin Money Giving is providing fundraisers with a weekly donation boost if you get your campaign started by 30 June.
Develop political engagement at local and national level
Due to the unfortunate recent and recurring incidences in America around police brutality, the welcome political debate of Black Lives Matter has resurfaced, leading to the government finally publishing Public Health England’s Beyond the data: understanding the impact of COVID-19 on BAME groups research and analysis. You may want to use this research to help your risk assessment processes for staff, volunteers and beneficiaries as the government’s cautious road map to lifting lockdown continues.
This week ACEVO and Voice4Change England published a joint report, funded by the National Lottery Community Fund, called Home Truths: Undoing racism and delivering real diversity in the charity sector. The findings demonstrate that the problem in the charity sector is not simply an absence of BAME people. Once inside the sector, significant numbers of BAME people experience discrimination and harm. The short term actions of the report include encouraging charities of all sizes to publish their ethnicity pay gap data and committing to racial diversity principles, which includes providing a statement about the actions a charity plans to take.
In addition, this week the Charity Commission published a report about research into the relationship between charity, charities and the general public. Whilst people’s circumstances and outlook on life often vary greatly, the public views of the charity sector have some common themes which transcend those differences in background. These include the fact that the way charities go about their work is as important as the work that they do, that all charities share a collective responsibility to uphold the reputation of charity more widely, and registered charity status brings with it, in the public mind, a level of reassurance about conduct, efficiency and impact.
The report highlighted the public expectation of all charities that they can demonstrate that a high proportion of charities’ money is used for charitable activity, that charities are making the impact they promise to make, and that the way they go about making that impact is consistent with the spirit of ‘charity’.
As a legacy of Small Charity Week, we hope trustees and managers of small charities will use these reports to help inform their organisation, consider how they may need to adapt to support the communities they serve, and put in place measures to make the appropriate changes.
If you would like to help a small charity achieve these strategic approaches, then you might want to consider becoming a trustee. You can also message us: if using the online form, select volunteering, in the reason for contact drop down box.
* Charity Commission public register data 16 June 2020
Get support from VAL
If you are a charity or community group and you need additional support to deliver services during the pandemic, VAL is here to help.
We can offer advice on issues that affect charities and social enterprises, from fundraising/ investment to proper governance and managing volunteers.
You get can in touch via:
helpline@valonline.org.uk
0116 257 5050
