Covid-19 sees just 1 in 5 small charities providing normal service
Melanie May | 18 March 2020 | News
The impact of the Covid-19 pandemic means that only 1 in 5 small charities are currently offering a normal level of service, according to early results from a Small Charities Coalition survey.
The survey, which is still open, saw over 450 small charities respond in the first 24 hours.
https://twitter.com/sccoalition/status/1240237019390935043
Findings so far reveal that half (49%) of small charities have already lost funding, and 70% expect to be able to meet payroll costs for a maximum of six months without help from the government.
Almost a third (30%) believe they will have to make redundancies or reduce staff hours as a result of the crisis, and 43% have had to create additional policies and procedures to try and manage the situation.
Respondents have called for more support from DCMS, the Charity Commission, and funders to help them through it. These include asking DCMS for greater awareness of the fact that small charities deliver vital grassroots services in their communities and will struggle financially because they are unable to fundraise or deliver their services due to the crisis, as well as assurances that small charities will receive support as small businesses have been promised.
Key messages for the Charity Commission include asking it to help raise the profile of small charities so they can get more support, and to relax some of its rules, including around reporting and accounting while the situation continues. Charities have also asked funders to continue their support, but to be more flexible over how money is distributed and how they can use it.
The survey can be taken here, and the Small Charities Commission will resurvey in four weeks.
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About Melanie May
Melanie May is a journalist and copywriter specialising in writing both for and about the charity and marketing services sectors since 2001. She can be reached via thepurplepim.com.