Charities, community groups and social enterprises are playing a vital role during lockdown. But with many struggling through a lack of funds, we risk losing a pillar of society that is vital both now and for recovery, argues Poppy Naylor.
As we navigate the worst impacts of the coronavirus
outbreak, people across the country are relying on charities, the essential
support they provide and how they shape our society for the better, more than
ever.
Not-for-profit organisations make our communities stronger and
in the toughest times provide support few others can. Their unique role and
services are invaluable now and will be essential to the country's recovery.
Coronavirus is not, as some have argued, a great leveller.
It is the most disadvantaged who are being disproportionately impacted by the
lockdown measures. People who were already isolated because of physical or
mental health, addiction, homelessness or domestic abuse will feel even more
isolated now. Others on low incomes will be facing real poverty. Witness the
soaring demand for food banks, up sevenfold in some cases.
But the massive increase in demand for their services
coincides with a potentially catastrophic loss of income. Nationally, charities
are projecting a loss of almost half their voluntary income and a third being
wiped off their total income because of coronavirus.
Many have diversified over the years into retail and holding
fundraising events, all of which came to a halt with lockdown. Many of their
volunteers are elderly which means even with a phased relaxation, they may not
have the staff they need if, as expected, there is a continued need to shield
older groups.
Charities take many forms. They may offer health and social
care, run museums and heritage attractions, animal charities, wildlife trusts
and provide disaster relief. Others offer advocacy and legal advice, help with
affordable homes, outdoor education for vulnerable children. In many cases they
are the glue that makes communities strong.
In Cornwall, where I live, the most recent available data suggests
there are well over 4,000 voluntary, community and social enterprise
organisations employing around 21,000 people and contributing around £450m to
the economy.
And Cornwall has one of the highest volunteering rates in
the country, around one in every three people. Perhaps little wonder that
Volunteer Cornwall saw 3,500 people step forward to support 1,500 vulnerable
elderly and self-isolating people in the first three weeks of lockdown.
Government support has been welcomed, targetting smaller and
local organisations delivering essential frontline Covid-19 related services,
and money for mental health, children, domestic abuse and hospices.
But – and this is becoming a familiar refrain in this crisis
– it isn’t nearly enough. The government simply can’t afford to overlook or
undervalue the so-called ‘third sector’ at the moment. In the same way that
care homes have been engaged in an (until recently) unseen struggle in the
battle against Covid-19, so too has the voluntary sector stepped in to meet the
needs of the most vulnerable.
And as we anticipate recovery it’s vital we support the charitable
organisations that maintain so much of the natural, heritage and cultural
capital that many of us are yearning for during lockdown. According to the
National Lottery Heritage Fund, around one third of heritage charities surveyed
said they will not last beyond July if current circumstances persist.
Figures recently published by the Institute of Fundraising
show that 84% of charities think their organisation could play a role in
responding to the coronavirus outbreak. But a similar number say the most
important thing to their sustainability over the next three to six months is
access to emergency grant funding.
That’s a message we and others have been relaying to
Government with increasing urgency and the feedback is that we can expect some
more announcements soon.
The charity and voluntary sector simply doesn’t qualify for
many of the grants and loans that are benefitting private sector businesses, so
that will hopefully change. And the furlough scheme, while welcome, means
furloughed staff are not even allowed to volunteer for their own organisations,
or help them fundraise. More flexibility is needed, and it’s needed now.
There are ways of supporting the sector through these
difficult times. The British public are capable of huge generosity, as we’ve
seen with Colonel Tom Moore’s £32m fundraising campaign for the NHS. So if you
can give to good causes, please do. Or you may have a business and want to
support a charity or social cause. One option is to encourage furloughed staff
to volunteer, which they are allowed to do (just not for their own
organisation).
Longer term the sector will need to adapt. Coronavirus is
economically pervasive and is accelerating change whether we like it or not. Charities
will need to embrace new ways of working and innovate to recapture lost income.
It’s also an opportunity to create a fairer, more just society. But the
challenge right now is one of survival.
Any registered
charity, social enterprise or community interest company in Cornwall or Scilly
can contact the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Growth Hub for help about the
support available, www.ciosgrowthhub.com or call
01209-708660. The service is free.
Poppy Naylor is a charity fundraising and marketing consultant and a non-executive
director of the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Local Enterprise Partnership.