# New initiative will help small charities better access free professional support

- Link: https://fundraising.co.uk/2023/06/23/new-initiative-will-help-small-charities-better-access-free-professional-support/
- Published: 2023-06-23T09:25:00+01:00
- Author: Melanie May

**An initiative to make it easier for small charities to access free professional
support launches today, Friday 23 June, on the last day of Small Charity Week.**

It is being launched by 19 organisations, which are all offering skilled volunteering,
and are all members of the UK Pro Bono Association.

According to Pilotlight research, seven out of ten small and medium-sized charities
say that they are actively looking for pro bono professional skills to support what
they do, but only four out of ten find it.

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The new initiative aims to close this gap, through a mutual signposting and referral
service between organisations offering pro bono and free support and services to
help charities find the most appropriate help to answer their needs.

The members of the UK Pro Bono Association, which was founded by [Cranfield Trust](https://www.cranfieldtrust.org/),
[Pilotlight](https://www.pilotlight.org.uk/) and [Reach Volunteering](https://reachvolunteering.org.uk/),
are making a pledge that: “when charities or social enterprises come to any of us

needing pro bono support that we are not able to give or that others could give 
better, we take stepsto guide them to the support that they need.”

Research by Pilotlight suggests that together, pro bono providers have engaged professionals
to
support 8,300 charities and social enterprises over the last year. For many, 
a shift prompted by thepandemic has been from in-person volunteering to the opportunities
of virtual volunteering.

Ed Mayo, CEO of Pilotlight, said:

> “There is a wide array of support open to small charities, if they can find their
> way to it. This new
>  initiative should help, because if charities are in touch
> with any one provider, they have a supported pathway to others. It will be like
> having a guide by your side, wherever you are in the forest.”

Amanda Tincknell CBE, Cranfield Trust CEO, added:

> “This initiative will provide a much clearer and more accessible pathway for small
> charities who want and need vital support but don’t currently know what is available
> and how to find it. Members of the UK Pro Bono Association bring together thousands
> of volunteers to share their skills and knowledge free of charge, working alongside
> charity leaders. This initiative will help them find the right support.”

Altogether there are 19 founder members of the Pro Bono Association taking part 
so far. As well as Cranfield Trust, Pilotlight and Reach Volunteering, they include
Charity Excellence Framework, DataKind UK, ICAEW, and Pro Bono Economics.