We’ve all heard of the big hitters – like Macmillan, the Samaritans, the British Red Cross. The major charities, with their multi-million-pound incomes and their extensive brand awareness, are what spring to most people’s minds when asked about UK charities.
But they are the exception, not the rule.
96% of the UK’s registered charities are small (with an income of £1m or less per year.) Many will have an income of much less than that.
The Association of Chairs is one of the 96%. We have a team of four, all part-time, and a turnover of less than £250k. The majority of our members are also from small charities. We know from experience the challenges and benefits of being small, and how being a small charity can mean punching above your weight to achieve far greater than it would seem possible on paper.
The power of small charities
So, does size really matter? When it comes to charities, does small automatically mean minnow rather than mighty? Here are five features showcasing the power of small charities.
Agility
A small organisation is able to pivot, change, adapt, and innovate on a quicker, speedier scale than a larger one. Having a well-established, well-known brand is a wonderful platform, but it can make charities more risk-averse, make it harder to experiment, and to have freedom and flexibility when it comes to campaigns and tone of voice.
Lived experience
Small organisations often have greater involvement of people with lived experience, because they are the ones founding, running, volunteering for, and governing the charity. Small projects are often born out of, and sustained by, passion for a cause, meaning the people involved have a vested interest and real experience of the issues they are tackling.
Local connections
Small charities often work, deliver, and are run by the communities in which they serve. They are connected to local networks and local people, they know the local challenges and are deeply invested and involved in them. In a world where some charity websites have chatbots rather than real people answering questions, the authenticity, understanding, and real human connection this brings is something to be treasured, protected, and prized.
But despite these positives, small charities, for all their worth, are struggling.
Perilous – some of the barriers facing small charities
Funding
Across all charities generally there has been a decrease in donations, and an upsurge in costs while demand for services is increasing. These make a big dent in small charities’ budgets, who often have little to no reserves to fill the gaps.
Smaller charities are at a disadvantage when it comes to funding applications too. Even where small charities are making an undoubted difference, they might not be able to demonstrate or prove their impact in the way funders expect. With part-time staff, or no staff at all, time to fill in lengthy applications, not to mention find suitable funds to apply for in the first place, can seem impossible.
Expertise and support
With small or no staff teams and a reliance on volunteers, smaller charities can find there are gaps in their knowledge that would ultimately help them grow – such as social media savvy or good governance guidance. There is a lack of low-cost/ free training for small charities to help them access knowledge and networks that would support them to thrive.
Filling the gaps
Others have stepped into the breach to assist. Association of Chairs is a partner in the NCVO-led Power of Small project, which is researching and testing the support that small voluntary organisations need from infrastructure bodies to thrive over the coming years. We in the project agree that smaller charities need, nay deserve, their own tailored representation and champion, “by small, for small.”
We’re using our experience as a small charity, working for and with the chairs of hundreds of other small charities, to champion the right support at the right time, in the right way.
Team up with other small charities
Our membership options scale to make joining the Association of Chairs as affordable as possible.
The majority of our members are from small charities – so why not join them?
