Charities are struggling in Covid lockdown and need your help – Steve Cardownie

One consequence of the current Covid-19 pandemic is the devastating impact that it is having on charitable causes throughout the UK and beyond.

One of the major activities of charities which promote their financial health is events fundraising which, along with charity shops, has been seriously affected by the current lockdown. The majority of charitable institutions have cancelled their own planned events which, coupled with the cancellation of other events such as marathons and fun runs, has created a funding deficit which will inevitably lead to difficult decisions having to be taken around staffing and the extent and quality of the service that the charity provides.

Individual contributions are a matter for concern in that current personal financial circumstances may preclude financial donations to charities, with some regular direct debits being cancelled never to be restored.

A cause not directly linked to Covid-19 may suffer as donors consider boosting the coffers of the NHS or suchlike at the expense of other long-standing causes which are the subject of emergency appeals and television or social media exposure.

The difficulty of predicting the nature and level of future charitable donations when staff are already stretched to breaking point, as they try to deal with a reduction in resources along with an increased need, is leading to a downturn in staff morale and an increase in stress levels. The shifting economic and political landscape is hampering the formulation of longer-term strategies and survival plans, creating uncertainty about charities’ ability to survive and emerge at the other side of the crisis.

Organisations in the sector have estimated that charities will see a drop of over £4 billion of income in the next three months and a survey by the National Lottery Heritage Fund found that 37 per cent of the organisations that responded stated that if the current situation continues they will not be able to survive for more than six months, with 11 per cent not expecting to go beyond the next ten weeks.

Richard Hebditch, the director of external affairs at the Association of Charitable Foundations, has stated: “Losing so many charities now means not just losing essential services in the short term, but also means losing the skills, knowledge and ability to sustain voluntary action into the future. The coronavirus pandemic’s impact won’t just be felt for a few weeks but for months and perhaps years to come.”

The Westminster Government has recently announced that a package of funding will be available to charities during the Covid-19 outbreak, as have the three devolved governments, prompting Hebditch to say that the announcement on funding is welcome but it is not yet “job done” for charities coping with the impact of coronavirus on their work.

It is no doubt an extremely worrying time for the desperate and disadvantaged who rely on charities for their very survival but with appropriate state support and the continued financial contribution made by the public it is hoped that these invaluable organisations will emerge largely unscathed and able to continue with their work.