June the 23^rd to June 30^th is widely recognised as Small Charities Week in the UK. It’s an opportunity to celebrate the great work that small charities undertake, often unseen, which benefits our local communities. Whilst the definition of a small charity is probably up for debate, most people view it as organisations with a turnover of less than 250K. It’s widely recognised that of the 164,000 charities which operate in the UK, 97% are deemed small. In Northamptonshire, 96% of our charities are seen as small or even micro. Life can be tough as a small charity, so if you’ve survived or even thrived up to this point take a deep breath and give yourself a huge round of applause. That’s not an easy task, especially given the complex nature of our operating environment.

The Cranfield Trust have just issued a report calling on more support for small charities. Its called Championing our national asset and it can be viewed here:

Call for action to safeguard the future of small charities | Cranfield Trust

One of the headline themes is this: They quote:

The report highlights the need for investment in leadership and management ensuring charity managers have the skills and support to strengthen governance, strategic planning, and operational resilience. Additionally, it stresses the importance of strengthening governance through diverse and strategically recruited boards and calls on policymakers to simplify funding applications and reporting requirements.

 They also state:

 Crucially, in line with the Voluntary Sector Covenant, the report urges the government to recognise small charities as a key partner and national asset and to use their knowledge more strategically. Small charities need urgent investment through multi-year commitments, as, without meaningful change, many organisations may struggle to survive, leaving vulnerable communities without essential support.

 However, and like so many things in life, its only missed when its gone. The answers are where they always been:

 

• Good Leadership.
• Strong Governance.
• Robust Business Planning.
• Funder understanding.
• Financial resilience.
• Collaboration.

The last point is critical. Many argue that there are too many charities within our marketplace, competing for too few resources and fighting over territory. Its an old chestnut but probably true. The only way that some charities will survive is by working together and skill pooling.

I hope to see many more Small Charities Weeks in the years ahead, but every CEO or leader now must think about the best way to achieve that. We know for certain that our funding landscape is changing inextricably and possibly forever. Small charities like any other business must change what they do to meet new aspirations or funder preferences.

NCVO have compiled some resources for Small Charities Week which can be viewed here: Downloadable assets | Small Charity Week

Use Small Charities Week as an opportunity to raise your profile and begin conversations with others. You never know where it might take you…..