1 in 3 Wiltshire charities uncertain about their future

A survey of more than 100 Wiltshire charities has revealed that two thirds worry about the impact of the cost of living crisis and a third are uncertain about the future.

Salisbury charity Wessex Community Action’s third 'State of the Sector' survey was returned by 114 groups from across Wiltshire and Swindon during May and June, to gauge how well they have recovered from the pandemic.

When asked about concerns for the future, two thirds of charities said the cost of living crisis is a worry, while 80% said they have been impacted by Covid in some way.

Nearly half of charities say they're finding themselves with lower income or losing income altogether, while 66% say they're either "moderately" or "extremely" concerned about the future.

Wessex Community Action supports smaller groups across the county with training and guidance to help make them more resilient.

Partnership and Engagement Lead at the charity, Anita Hansen, oversaw the survey.

“We carried out similar surveys in May and December 2020, but this current survey aims to measure how the sector is faring as the country has emerged from the pandemic and explore the new wave of challenges facing the sector.

“It’s important to note that the survey was carried out in the late spring and summer, before the impact of the cost of living and fuel price crisis had been felt, and the situation is likely to be far worse now.”

The survey found that, across the board, demand for support is higher than in previous years.

Meanwhile, the sector is dealing with a shortage of staff as workers shift to better paid jobs in the private sector, amid cost of living pressures.

"We're hearing stories that paid staff are leaving the sector because pay is around 7% less nationally than it is for similar private sector jobs", says Anita.

"If the cost of living is impacting everybody, then we are certainly hearing that some staff members are leaving the (charity) sector to get employment elsewhere in order to increase their income."

Lesser donations since Covid

More than a third of groups who responded said they had seen income from fundraising events fall since Covid, while a similar number said money coming in from sales of goods, services or venue hire has dropped.

Just over a quarter said their donations from individuals have fallen while 16% said they had increased.

Nearly 60% of groups have applied for grant funding in the last six months. Two thirds were successful with the rest waiting to hear the outcome.

Increased demand vs volunteer shortage

The survey showed there's been an increased demand from people suffering from anxiety and isolation.

Around 45% of charities said the most common demand is from people with anxiety or mental health concerns, while 34% said more demand is coming from people who are feeling isolated, lonely or cut off from services and support.

A third of charities said since Covid they either have fewer volunteers or are finding them more difficult to recruit and a quarter are concerned they will not be able to meet increasing demand for support.

Partnership and Engagement Lead Anita Hansen, who oversaw the survey, said it is a concern that many charities are facing a shortage of both paid staff and of volunteers.

"One group recently said that they undertook a drive to recruit volunteers. When it got to the point of actually giving the volunteers the training to support them in their role, the number of people dropping out was the highest that they ever experienced.

"The reasons given were that they didn't have enough time available to give them because they had to work.

“We know that groups are facing the same cost of living challenges as the people they aim to help – with energy, food, rent and transport costs rising.

“It is also a worry that 15% (of charities) don’t have time to apply for funding – or can find suitable sources of funding – to support their work."

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