‘With the Government’s support for charities’ energy costs set to be cut from April, research by Charities Aid Foundation shows that just half are confident they can afford to meet their current overheads, including energy, rent and supplies…’ Read more here.
‘Are you proposal ready? If not, what do you need to do to get there? As fundraisers, we are all faced with two main constraints: our budget and time. This can lead to feeling overwhelmed and the need to rush and churn out proposals. However, the art of proposal writing is not just in the narrative but is in the preparation, planning and research that needs to go beforehand…’ Read more here.
‘Charities have until 5 April to search for any unclaimed Gift Aid for this tax year – an amount HMRC has estimated is as much as £564m. While Gift Aid declarations for this tax year can be collected after this date, it then becomes a more complicated process. Swiftaid has launched the ‘Great Gift Aid Hunt‘ to encourage charities to make sure they don’t miss out…’ Read more here.
‘Charities that took part in the world’s largest four-day week trial have said they are now considering making the change to working patterns permanent. The initiative, which was piloted in the UK between June and December 2022 by 61 organisations with around 2,900 workers, published its results today. Around seven charities piloted the scheme, whereby employees received 100% of their pay for 80% of their usual hours and a commitment to deliver 100% of their normal productivity…’ Read more here.
A useful article from https://nonprofitgrowth.co.uk
Trust fundraising for core costs is one of the biggest challenges for trust and grants fundraisers out there.
Firstly, there are a lot of trusts out there that are offering core support, though this may have decreased due to Pandemic. During the first two years of their Covid-19 response, many Trusts decreased their restrictions on funding, with many offering no-strings funding and though some have continued to do this, in the past year project and specific sector funding has returned.
When you first start researching Trusts to fund your organisation it is natural to feel that most trusts are focused on issues not relevant to your cause and that fewer and fewer trusts are accepting unsolicited applications. Add that to the fact that you are looking for core costs and it can want to search for a needle in a haystack.
Sadly, there is no silver bullet or short-cut answer, Trust fundraising requires rigour and focus when searching for organisations to apply to. Read on
A useful article from Charity Excellence on the impact of the Cost of Living crisis on UK charities. You can find more on their website https://www.charityexcellence.co.uk/
There are no major changes to our previous forecast, as the crisis appears to be following our modelling predictions.
Good News.
- There has been some hopeful economic news, such as falling gas prices giving the Chancellor some head room
- Inflation expected to fall soon.
- Plus, the deterioration in fundraising that began in late 2021, has been slowing in recent months.
- We think we may see some signs of recovery earlier than our predicted mid-year 2023.
Not So Good News.
- The Bank of England forecast suggests that economic recovery will take longer and.
- We are seeing signs of deep financial distress amongst charities.
- If there are significant closures as we fear, those charities won’t be coming back, and.
- For others that are liquidating large amounts of reserves, restoring those will take years, with a commensurate impact on service delivery.
- Our forecast for full sector recovery has moved from 2024 to 2025.
We are delighted that the 15th annual Trustee Exchange returns, for a second year, to BMA House.
The Trustee Exchange programme is designed to provide excellent coverage of a wide range of topical matters that are relevant to charity trustees, regardless of organisational size. Don’t miss out, book now.
Conference highlights include:
- Regulatory updates
- How well governed are you financially?
- Surviving a statutory inquiry
- How trustees can support audacious goals in fundraising
- 10 hallmarks of a successful chair
- Mainstreaming equity, diversity and inclusion
Featuring three themed streams, panel debates and insightful keynotes, we are delighted to give you the opportunity to come together in-person to share best practice, discuss ideas and challenges, and network with fellow delegates.
We’ve searched the internet and put together a handy list of awareness days and events for you to get involved with. Why not add a few to your content diary! Take a look here.
The National Security Centre (NCSC) guidance for SMEs to help protect your organisation and email accounts from future compromise:
https://www.ncsc.gov.uk/section/information-for/small-medium-sized-organisations
sobus
20 Dawes Road, London, SW6 7EN
Telephone 020 7952 1230
Email info@sobus.org.uk
Registered Charity No.1071089
and Company Limited by Guarantee. Registered in England No.03471416
Sobus is a new Community Development Agency for Hammersmith & Fulham. It has been created through the merger of the Community and Voluntary Sector Association Hammersmith & Fulham (CaVSA) and the Fulham Community Partnership Trust (FCPT). Building on the strengths of both organisations, sobus aims to provide a wider range of support services for local charities, community groups, social enterprises and start up businesses.