Small charities make a massive difference, serving thousands of people, causes, and communities.
Small Charity Week is a moment to focus on all that these organisations do and the challenges they face – but for us it’s a focus 52 weeks of the year. We are both a small charity ourselves, and we support small charities. So we really understand the positives, and the pressures, that come with being a small charity.
Being small – why it matters
Small charities make up the vast majority of the non-profit sector. They help hundreds of thousands of people and causes every day. They are supporting communities across the length and breadth of the country, often relying on the goodwill of volunteers (including their chairs and trustees).
What’s so good about small?
Small is powerful because the sector and the country itself wouldn’t be the same without all these organisations and the work they do daily. We are the majority, not the minority. We have a voice, we have an impact, we matter.
Small is specialist because many of these organisations are tackling lesser known causes or experiences, representing a valuable repository of first-hand knowledge.
Small is authentic because away from the constraints of a household brand, small organisations can speak to and for their communities, with direct connections (online or local), and often lived experience incorporated in every level of the organisation. This is not to say that large organisations cannot also be authentic, but small charities can be more directly connected with the people they serve.
Small is agile – smaller organisations can often be more open to new ideas and can more easily pivot to change their approach than an organisation with a very large complex structure.
Small is indeed mighty. But small also needs support.
Small charities are often at the mercy of fragile funding streams, lack capacity to seek out grants and funding, and lack core funds which funders don’t always provide. Small charities are often much more reliant on a volunteer work force, some entirely so, and may struggle to fulfil complex regulatory and legal requirements which can be burdensome even for bigger organisations.
Small charities need support!
How we help small charities
Around 60% of our members are from small charities with an income of less than £1m.
A small organisation with limited resources needs the best leadership to make sure those resources are well used, and the organisation is led effectively. That’s where we come in. We work with chairs and trustees to make sure they are equipped and supported to lead well and make effective decisions.
Why does this matter so much? Because failures of governance mean failing organisations. A charity with a strong, effective board is much more likely to be resilient and flourish and carry on serving their cause or community.
A lot of small charities don’t have many resources to put into trustee development. Chairs and trustees are volunteers and may not have any budget for their own support and learning opportunities, unlike paid staff.
To make sure our support is accessible to as many chairs and trustees as possible, we keep our membership and event costs as low as possible. We offer some free resources, guides, and templates, and some free events throughout the year, such as our recent aspiring chairs and chairing with confidence webinars, and our peer networking and support sessions at our office space in London.
We also offer free memberships to those organisations who really need some support for their board but just don’t have the funds.
Proud to be small
We are proud to be a small organisation with big ambitions, and we are proud to help small charities by supporting their vital volunteer leaders. And while it’s great to shine the light on small charities in Small Charity Week, they need support, and deserve recognition, all-year round, not just one week per year.
