The FSI’s Pauline Broomhead looks ahead to this year’s Small Charity Week, and reveals what’s on offer for charities struggling to secure funding and manage ever-increasing workloads.
The creativity, tenacity and passion of small charities never ceases to amaze me. This year has been a particularly difficult one for small charities, but their determination to solve some of society’s most difficult problems is inspiring.
Small charities (those with an income under £1.5m) comprise over 97 per cent of the charity sector in the UK. One of the biggest issues facing them at the moment is workload, with more people than ever before needing their support. With income either flatlining or only increasing marginally, they simply don’t have the funds to increase their resources, and so those that they do have are stretched.
Thankfully, the UK economy is starting to pick up. However, small charities will be caught in the tail end of the recession for some years to come. This means that now, more than ever before, they will need to shout loudly about the impact they have in their local communities; challenge local authorities when services are not contracted locally; and secure local sources of funding using all available means.
How Small Charity Week can help
The FSI’s keynote annual event, Small Charity Week, provides a platform for small charities to come together and make their voices heard. Each year, it offers opportunities for organisations with income under £1.5m to build their knowledge, raise funds, and engage with the public and policy makers. Charities can sign up for a wide variety of free events, initiatives and competitions, and get advice and guidance from third sector and business experts.
This year’s Small Charity Week, which runs from 16-21 June, is geared towards supporting small charities as they face the challenges that increased service demand and reduced funding have created. It has been tailored to help address the particular concerns small charities have identified in the FSI’s bi-annual skills gap research: for example, that they find it difficult to market themselves; to source the fundraising skills and expertise they need; and to engage with policy makers and influencers. They also told us of the difficulties they have in securing funding; and of their reliance on volunteers to deliver the vital services they provide.
The aim of this year’s event is to equip small charities with the tools they need in order to address all of these issues, and more. Across six days of themed activities, participating charities will be able to build their knowledge, raise funds, and engage with the public and policy makers. They can sign up for a variety of free events, initiatives and competitions, and get advice and guidance from third sector and business experts.
Valuable input for small charities
Throughout the week, a variety of events and initiatives will be run and hosted by the FSI and the expert organisations that we’ve partnered with to bring vital expertise within the reach of small charities. For example, eBay for Charity and PayPal Giving will be holding a series of fundraising events and competitions over the course of the week. Charities can also sign up for the chance to win one of five day-passes to the IoF National Convention (worth £350 each), and for free annual membership to Remember A Charity (worth £586). Other events will focus on building relationships with companies, finding trustees, fundraising online, securing free help from media partners, and managing volunteers.
There are a number of other initiatives that small charities can sign up for before the event, such as the Small Charity Week Evolve Conference Fringe Event, where we will be hosting the Big Business and Charity Breakfast, and the IoF North West’s fundraising-focused Big Advice Day in Manchester. Furthermore, small charities can request fundraising packs to run their own quiz, or to secure a special one-day fundraising licence in their local area. They can also feature their volunteering opportunities, for free, on our website.
A week to remember
Since its inception in 2010, Small Charity Week has supported small charities in raising over £96,000. To date, over 315 hours of free advice have been provided to organisations looking to raise their profile and hone their fundraising skills.
A record 1,200 charities engaged with the Small Charity Week events last year, and that number is expected to keep growing. I’m excited that this year, more small charities than ever before will come together and, with one voice, shout out about what they do; that more small charities will have the opportunity to network with influencers who will make crucial decisions that affect small charities futures; and that even more charities will get vital expert advice on the issues they face.
If you’re a small charity looking for inspiration, check out our summary of the agenda (below), and then head to the Small Charity Week website for more details of what’s on offer.
Pauline Broomhead is CEO of the FSI
