NAVCA survey shows we need to Back Britain’s Charities

This morning NAVCA released the results of their quarterly survey of their members, and the results echo many of the concerns voiced by charities as part of the Back Britain’s Charities campaign.

Amongst the headline figures, NAVCA found that almost half of their members were reducing staff and that the majority of survey respondents predicted that their local authority would have a negative impact on their success in the year ahead.

What is more, chiming in with the statistics from the latest in the Managing In a Downturn series of reports (PwC, the Charity Finance Group & the Institute of Fundraising) which revealed that 67% of charities have reported an increase in demand for services, for the fourth time the NAVCA survey found that an increased workload is the biggest issue for voluntary sector respondents.

During the course of the Back Britain’s Charities campaign, we’ve been referring to the ‘triple whammy’ effect on charity finances – namely, the 20% drop in individual donations (as reported in UK Giving 2012), cuts to local government funding up and down the country, and the increasing demand for services. These circumstances – both individually and in combination – have been responsible for ramping up the pressure on organisations who were already struggling to cope in the wake of the economic downturn. 

We’re regularly in receipt of testimonials submitted via our website and through correspondence, that corroborates the evidence that has been found in recent surveys like this latest one by NAVCA, and in our own research. Stories of charities having to turn the lights off, or the heating down, in order to make ends meet, of local community groups having to let loyal volunteers go, and of small organisations providing niche services – such as support for the victims of domestic violence – having to close down completely.

We also hear more motivational tales of the real value charities bring to our communities and lives. Respite care for the mums and dads of disabled children, the provision of meals-on-wheels for the elderly, organisations ensuring that there is food and shelter to those who have fallen upon hard times. These are things that we can’t afford to lose –  both in terms of the services they provide, and in terms of the fundamental values they bring with them.

Considering all of the above, we can easily see that there is a clear need for a campaign like Back Britain’s Charities in order to galvanise the sector, and make sure that these issues are tackled properly so that we don’t face a future without the valuable contribution that charities make for the benefit of us all.

Know someone else who would like to Back Britain’s Charities? Why not sent them the link!www.backbritainscharities.org.uk

Is payroll giving the future for business and charities?

Payroll Giving in Action (PGA) backs Britain’s charities and wants to encourage the business community to promote payroll giving online as an easy way to show how much they also want to Back Britain’s Charities. Here PGA’s Director, Jeremy Colwill, describes how payroll giving could be a key tool in the survival of charities…

With charity funds being hit across the country due to the recession, we all need to get behind payroll giving and encourage people to give tax efficiently. Donating a few quid a month off the payroll is an easy way to automate giving and ensure that the charity gets the maximum tax gain too.  

HM Government recently consulted the payroll giving sector to engage with all the major stakeholder groups involved with promoting and growing the payroll giving market in the UK.

The outcomes are still very unclear at the moment but it is unlikely the government will have any funds to significantly boost payroll giving, and therefore inflate charity incomes. A majority of people in the payroll giving sector want the HM Government backed Quality Mark and for the National Payroll Giving Excellence awards to continue, and to that end would urge the Government to not go back on their commitment to promote payroll giving as initially outlined in their recent Green and White papers on the subject.

However, regardless of Government action, it is still possible for the charity sector to help itself to generate payroll giving income by accessing the payroll giving scheme online or via mobile internet. As much as  £118m was raised among the 735,000 workers who signed up to the scheme last year, and thought the total amount pledged over the last few years has only been increasing slowly, the amount of people donating online through the payroll has increased dramatically with a 100% increase in some cases.

Payroll giving is already the easiest way for employers to promote and employees to support their favourite charities on a regular and tax-free basis.  For many employees, the time savings are great as it means no more paper forms to fill in and the freedom to give, amend or cancel donations at a convenient time.

The gathering momentum of payroll giving online means that we expect to achieve £10 million extra donations for Britain’s charities within the next 12 months, but the figure could be much higher if all employers with over 500 employees promoted the scheme and all charities had payroll giving as an option on their website. It’s a win-win situation for charities, employers and donors.

Payroll Giving in Action is now offering every UK charity a free Giving Online donation page to recruit payroll giving donations from their website. And if the donor’s employer doesn’t have a payroll giving scheme, we will ask the employer to set up a scheme to Back Britain’s Charities!

If more people can easily support a charity through payroll giving then it’s another large step forward for Britain’s charities.

See more information at www.payroll.givingonline.org.uk

View from the frontline: a Manchester-based CIC offers a perspective

David Carey of Creating Sustainable Organisations, a Community Interest Company (CIC), gives his impression of the current situation for charities and how he sees it ultimately impacting upon the rest of society…

At this crucial time when the welfare reform is likely to affect some of the most vulnerable in society, and the number of people turning to food banks may triple within a year, why have local authorities decided to cut essential core funding to the voluntary and community sector? Surely, the need to support the work of the third sector has never been so important, and the timing of council funding cuts could not have come at a worst time?

Recently, Sir Merrick Cockell, Chairman of the Local Government Association, said local authorities will have lost a third of their budget by 2015 and councils will be brought to their knees. However, any councils that disproportionately slashing core funding to the voluntary sector will seriously threaten the essential support these organisations deliver for many thousands of vulnerable people who rely upon their services.

The true value of the work done by third sector organisations across the country has always been valued very highly by local councils, and the importance of this work has surely increased under the present austerity measures and not decreased.

As councils move away or stop funding voluntary sector groups in favour of procurement and tendering for contracts, perhaps the question we should be asking is whether councils have provided enough knowledge and support to ensure a smooth and non-problematic transition.  Also in light of these changes, we should ask if councils should have maintained core funding procedures and kept the same monetary levels in place anyway volatile time, especially as some parts of essential third sector work do not always fit easily within the structures of the tendering and procurement processes.

The Big Society is based upon empowering communities, redistributing power and fostering a culture of volunteerism. The community and voluntary sector has always empowered communities by the outstanding work they do, day-in and day-out. However, if the same organisations are struggling with core funding due to cuts, they have less grant funding monies available to apply for, and they are also being told to use new funding application procedures, it is indeed a triple whammy.

Not surprisingly organisations will strive tirelessly to deliver essential services to the neediest people in society, so perhaps everyone should be working together to support Britain’s charities as they work to support their service users who need our maximum support at this most important time.

Would you like to write for the Back Britain’s Charities blog? You can do - just email contact@backbritainscharities.org.uk for more details!

Just some of the Charity Champions running 26.2 miles this Sunday!

This Sunday thousands of inspiring charity heroes will hit the highways and byways of London to play their part in the largest fundraising event on earth – the Virgin London Marathon. Here we pay homage to just a few of those fantastic folk who are prepared to brave the blood, sweat, tears and blisters in order to raise funds for a worthwhile cause…

All the way from Dundee a group of friends will don their national dress – the kilt – as they attempt the 26.2mile race for Action For Children Scotland. One of the team told the Dundee Courier:
“Choosing to raise money for Action for Children Scotland has really kept us motivated. The work which they do with vulnerable and neglected children is vital and they transform the lives of families and communities across the country.
We will be wearing our kilts with pride this Sunday so watch out for our tartan crossing the finishing line.”

Helen Nutter from Droitwich is running the marathon for a charity that helped her as a child after she developed a chronic blood condition. The 19 year old told the Droitwch Spa Advertiser:
“WellChild supports sick children and their families, whatever their illness, particularly by providing specialist WellChild nurses to enable children to be at home with their family rather than having lengthy stays in hospital.
Fortunately I have been fit and well since and am really pleased to be part of the WellChild team.
I am getting a bit nervous now, but training has been going well and I am really looking forward to the big day – I might even get a personal best. More importantly I hope to raise as much as possible for WellChild.”

Two weight-busting pals from Wakefield will also be joining the crowds of runners, whilst raising money for the Meningitis Trust. Sisters Annette Edwards and Donna Barras have lost an enormous 10 stone between them and were featured in an article about local runners (including Shadow Chancellor Ed Balls MP) in the Wakefield Express.

A runner from Suffolk hopes that Sunday is the beginning of his paralympic ambitions, as well as an opportunity to raise funds for his chosen charity – Feet First Worldwide. Tom Haslam, who was born with a club foot, told the East Anglian Daily Times:
“The club foot has not stopped me, in fact I think it probably motivates me more. In May I’m going to be taking part in the Eastern Region Disabled Athletics Championships. I’d like to see if I could get classified as a paralympic runner in time for Rio in 2016.”

Super-fit Swansea couple Jeff and Sarah Partridge will be running for the Ray Gravell and Friends Charitable Trust, in spite of safety fears following the horrifying incidents during Monday’s marathon in Boston, USA. Father of two, Jeff, spoke to thisissouthwales.co.uk, “”We will think of the people of Boston as we run on Sunday as well as the thousands of good causes who continue to benefit because of these great sporting events and this is our motivation.”

And finally, a policeman from Haringey in London will take on one of the most challenging runs around wearing a weighty donkey costume in order to raise money and awareness for SPANA – the Society for the Protection of Animals Abroad. Game Special Constable Nic Van Gelder told the Tottenham & Wood Green Journal:
“People think I’m crazy to be doing the marathon with a two-and-a-half-stone costume weighing down on me, but it’s nothing compared to what some working animals in developing countries are forced to carry for miles every day of their lives”.

These phenomenal fundraisers, and the many thousands that will join them on Sunday, should be applauded for the marvellous contribution they’re making to charity coffers at a time when donations are down. We wish them all a huge GOOD LUCK - they really are Backing Britain’s Charities!

Sign-up here to support the Back Britain’s Charities campaign and do your bit to promote the fantastic work charities do at home and abroad.