The past year has presented local charities and community groups across the UK and Ireland with a familiar set of challenges; from skyrocketing demand for services to dwindling resources, these organisations are on the frontlines, tirelessly supporting vulnerable people in their communities.
We recently conducted our bi-annual survey of 1,205 local charities, community groups and other good causes across the UK and Ireland to gauge their most pressing needs, learn more about the challenges they face and find out how we, the business community, can help.
Soaring Demand, Limited Capacity
The survey paints a picture of the surging demand for local support services. 78% of respondents reported an increase in demand over the past 3 months. On average, each charity or community group is now supporting an average of 366 people per week. At the same time, 50% say there are people they simply can't help due to limitations in capacity or funding, (a 3% increase on the survey we conducted in May 2024). This is creating pressure as we head into the winter months; 69% of respondents feel their ability to meet demand this season and winter will be even more challenging compared to last year. Many are worried about the impact of cuts to winter fuel payments, which they expect will drive even more people to seek assistance.
A new finding from this latest survey is that small charities are seeing an increase in requests for aid from families with children, older people and people in work.
As The Vale Pantry in Dorset told us, “As we enter the colder months we really are concerned about the number of new calls for help coming in. We are also receiving an increasing number of referrals from Adult Social Services and we are in an area where 30% of our population is aged 65 and over - it's a real worry.”
Concerns for the Future
Looking ahead, the greatest concerns of local causes this winter are:
There's also a high degree of uncertainty about whether the new Labour government's policies will improve access to funding, with over half of small charities unsure. One community group leader shared: “People are so happy to be given some day-old bread that's how desperate they are. We have 25 regular volunteers and we spend our time trying to help people survive who feel they have no hope. We're expecting the next 2 years to continue to be brutal before the Labour government policies start to improve lives.”
Adapting and Innovating
Despite these challenges, local good causes are finding ways to adapt and innovate. Many are exploring new digital tools and skills, such as using social media more effectively for fundraising and community engagement.
However, over half (53%) say they don't know where to start with AI or haven't had time to explore it yet. There's a clear need for more digital skills training and support to help these organisations leverage technology to enhance their impact. Top digital skills training needs are social media management, digital fundraising and AI.
Initiatives like Neighbourly's DigitalBridge campaign aim to break down this divide, pairing employee volunteers from partner companies with local charities to share digital expertise and beginner AI knowledge. Find out more about DigitalBridge here.
Strengthening Local Resilience
With many community causes being forced to do more with less this winter, they are demonstrating phenomenal agility and resilience - drawing on local resources and goodwill to deliver what communities need.
As a result, the need for financial support, volunteers and surplus food and products is greater than ever. In response, Neighbourly has launched a winter 2024-25 campaign, GoGive. This mass collaborative initiative aims to harness the collective power of the business community for a huge boost in corporate charitable giving over the festive season.
Running from December 2024 - February 2025, the campaign aims to ease some of the strain faced by their good cause network by delivering:
With sponsor partners including M&S, Liberty Global, Motability Operations, Aldi and The Institute for Social Value (SVUK), there is an opportunity for businesses to come together to create a real impact in local communities, at scale. By championing grassroots organisations who know the needs of their community, at a time it's needed most, we can continue to create the most impact.
Businesses are warmly invited to participate in GoGive: contact us by emailing: gogive@neighbourly.com.
Access the full survey report here.
Community causes and small charities can join our 36,000+ community for free to access financial donation programmes, food and product surplus and employee volunteering resources, as well as adding their voice to our regular survey.